February 19, 2006
Ozura Mobile Phone Games
Ozura Games is a leading international developer and publisher for mobile games and wireless entertainment. The company distributes games for mobile phones using Java, BREW or Symbian technology. The Ozura game engine provides entertainment applications and technologies that support multiple wireless handsets, servicing wireless carriers, aggregators, mobile phone manufacturers, media companies and content developers worldwide.
Posted by richard ting at February 19, 2006, 01:03 AM
March 04, 2005
Yahoo pushes into mobile gaming market
[from FierceWireless]
Yahoo today said it acquired gaming firm Stadeon and that it plans to use the company's technology to launch multiplayer mobile games. Yahoo plans to expand its popular online parlor and card games to the mobile market. The company recently launched a mobile game studio. Six Yahoo titles are already available through Verizon Wireless, and the company said it plans to expand its gaming content to other carriers. Yahoo is ranked as the No. 1 online games website with 12 million users in January. The company beat out a number of online gaming sites, including EA, Microsoft, and AOL. No financial details of the Yahoo, Stadeon deal were released.
Yahoo has focused its gaming strategy on so-called casual games, i.e., titles that can be played with only a few minutes to spare. Casual games have emerged as the leading titles in the mobile gaming market. According to In-Stat/MDR, mobile games generated $204 million in revenues in the US during 2004.
Posted by richard ting at March 04, 2005, 04:59 PM
October 02, 2004
Mobile gaming growing in Asia
According to IDC's latest report,"Asia/Pacific Wireless Gaming 2004-2008 Analysis and Forecast: Ready to Play?", the wireless gaming market in Asia/Pacific (ex Japan) reached US$237.4 million in 2003, and is expected to reach US$1.3 billion in 2008 with a 40% CAGR.
Korea accounted for approximately 73 % of the total wireless gaming revenues in 2003 in Asia/Pacific excluding Japan. This was due to the fact that the market in Korea is much more developed and the carriers' next generation networks have been in place much longer compared to other countries.
Posted by richard ting at October 02, 2004, 11:42 AM
August 30, 2004
Bush vs. Kerry Boxing
Amid swift boat ads and recalled military records, political discourse in the presidential campaign is getting equal parts ugly and personal. Instead of just listening to candidates trade verbal jabs at press events, though, Sorrent is inviting gamers to come to blows. Round one has begun for Bush Vs. Kerry Boxing, Sorrent new pugilist parody where Bush, Kerry, Edwards, and Chenery slug it out -- and results are posted on the 'net. Ten-percent of the proceeds of Bush is going to Rock the Vote, an organization dedicating to getting young people interested and involved in the political process.
Posted by richard ting at August 30, 2004, 04:52 PM
June 18, 2004
3D games on cellphones... are we supposed to be excited?
3D games on cellphones... are we supposed to be excited?
By Jason Calacanis
doom for gameboyThe New York Times reports on how 3D perspective games are starting to find their way onto to cellphones today, using the upcoming Spiderman release for the N-Gage (proving there’s at least one N-Gage fan out there) as an example. Nvidia is working on the hardware, as you might suspect, and has licensed a 3D engine from a developer in Japan called HI Corporation. The Times thinks that being able to play first person shooters on cellphones is going to be some sort of bonanza for game publishers, but we don’t think any of this will have Nintendo (or Sony) shaking in their boots, especially since the Game Boy has been able to handle 3D for ages (at least in video game time).
Posted by richard ting at June 18, 2004, 01:27 AM
April 14, 2004
Mobile Game Development from Nokia
As part of Nokia's mission to expand the mobile game business, they've assembled in one place all the resources game developers need to succeed.
Posted by richard ting at April 14, 2004, 10:53 AM
March 25, 2004
Video Gamers Race On Times Square Billboard
Video Gamers Race On Times Square Billboard
MARCH 23RD, 2004
The bright lights of Times Square tend to draw the eyes of drivers and passers-by, but a new billboard is a whole new kind of distraction. High above Times Square, there is now a gigantic video car racing game that anyone with a cellphone can play. Of course, you need to be nearby to see the screen, at 43rd and Broadway. How do you stand perfectly still in the middle of Times Square while dodging traffic in a race car? NY1 Tech Beat Reporter Adam Balkin explains in the following report.
Count them - there are more than a dozen, maybe two dozen television-like billboards in Times Square, but one may be of particular interest to you. That's because you can control it, as long as you have a mobile phone. The ad, by Yahoo! Autos, is actually a racing game anyone can play.
“The game works by dialing an 800 number. You find out if you're in the queue line to play the game, and when you're next in line it'll tell you which car you are - the right or the left - and you use the ‘2’ button or the ‘8’ button to make it go faster or slower,” says Jennifer Aman of Yahoo! Autos. “You just race against the computer or someone else on the street with you.” You don't need the latest, high tech, state of the art cell phone to play - you just need any old cell phone and a warm thumb. The game is kind of like those old Hot Wheels games where you set up the track and just control the speed of the car, with no steering. If you try to floor it the whole way, watch out pedestrians!
“I was a crazy driver, but it was lots of fun,” says one participant.
“It was pretty cool,” says another.
For the next month, the game will run for about 25 minutes out of every hour. The game will be up from now until April 22. And although you can play from anywhere in the world, if you're interested in winning, it’s best to be within sight of the screen.
To play, call 1-800-660-4402.
Posted by richard ting at March 25, 2004, 11:40 AM
Tony Hawk takes top prize at first ever Mobies Awards
Prince of Persia and Rayman 3 are among the winners at the first annual mobile gaming awards.
This afternoon at the CTIA trade show, attendees were treated to something new--an award ceremony devoted exclusively to mobile games. The First Annual Best of Wireless Gaming Awards, or the "Mobies," were handed out at the event in Atlanta.
Mobile game news and review site Wireless Gaming Review (WGR) organized and produced the event, whittling a field of 120 finalists down to 20 winners. Games came from almost a dozen countries, including Japan, India, Finland, France, Germany, the US, and the UK. The judging panel was a mix of games critics, industry insiders, and game design professionals.
WGR cofounder and Mobies judge Matthew Bellows said in a statement, “Mobile game programmers, artists, and producers have done amazing things with incredibly limited resources. It’s high time that their efforts were celebrated at a ceremony like this."
The full list of Mobies winners is as follows. For mobile newbies, the Lightweight categories cover games that check in at under 256K and can be downloaded from a carrier's game deck, while the Unlimited categories are for larger games targeted for running on MS Smartphone and Symbian operating systems or for the N-Gage.
Lightweight
Action: Nightmare Creatures, Gameloft
Adventure: EverQuest: Hero's Call, Sony Online Entertainment
Puzzle/Board: Bejeweled Multiplayer, JAMDAT Mobile
Platform: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Gameloft
Strategy: Lemonade Tycoon, JAMDAT Mobile
Sports: JAMDAT Bowling 2, JAMDAT Mobile
Unlimited
Action: Spy Hunter, Fathammer
Adventure: Pandemonium, Ideaworks3D
Puzzle: Slurp, JAMDAT Mobile
Platform: Rayman 3, Gameloft
Strategy: Lemonade Tycoon (Smartphone), JAMDAT Mobile
Sports: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Ideaworks3D
Best Lightweight Game
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Gameloft
Best Unlimited Game
Spy Hunter, Fathammer
Best Mobile Game of 2003
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Ideaworks3D
WGR (which is in the process of being acquired by CNET Networks) has posted additional information on the event and is also covering CTIA from the perspective of its editors, who are roaming the show floor.
By Staff -- GameSpot
Posted: 03/23/04 12:18 PM