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SAN FRANCISCO and BASKING RIDGE, N.J.- Hands-On Mobile, Inc., the world’s leading developer of connected games and applications, announced that Guitar Hero® III Mobile was the number one selling mobile game on Verizon Wireless phones in the first quarter of 2008. Initially released exclusively by Verizon Wireless, Guitar Hero III Mobile is striking a chord with fans all over the world, shattering mobile game records with nearly 1 million downloads, including monthly subscriptions, across all wireless service providers.

Ryan Hughes, vice president of digital media programming for Verizon, said, “Verizon Wireless customers have shown a tremendous appetite for mobile games - the category is an important part of our strategy to increase data revenue, and marquee titles such as Guitar Hero III help create demand and engage our customers in mobile gameplay.”

Guitar Hero III Mobile has become one of the fastest selling games in mobile gaming history. More than 250,000 songs are played every day by mobile subscribers across the U.S. The most played songs include “Slow Ride” (re-record), “Mississippi Queen” (re-record) and “Black Magic Woman” (re-record).

“Fans of the Guitar Hero® console games have been very impressed with the title’s translation onto BREW handsets,” said David White, chief executive officer of Hands-On Mobile. “Guitar Hero III Mobile has opened the eyes of a whole new group of consumers to the world of mobile games.”

Mobile research firm M:Metrics said that consumer demand for mobile games in the U.S. has yet to reach its peak, but as it has seen from the demand for Guitar Hero III Mobile since its launch, this title is clearly a game changer. “Guitar Hero is a recognizable franchise that has already won over consumers with the console version, setting it up for great success on the mobile platform,” said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst, M:Metrics. The firm reports that the number of people downloading a mobile game continues to grow, with 20 million playing a downloaded game in March.

In addition, Hands-On Mobile announced the Guitar Hero III Mobile June Song Pack, a feature that offers subscribers the opportunity to download three new songs every month. Songs available to wireless users on June 1 include “Stricken” (original recording), “Talk Dirty to Me” (re-record) and “Rock and Roll All Nite” (re-record). Through the Song Pack downloads, players will be able to access more than 50 songs and 150 unique note charts across all three difficulties (easy, medium and expert) within one year of the game’s release.

Featuring four authentic guitars and three venues, Guitar Hero III Mobile challenges players to hit number keys in synch with colored notes that appear on a scrolling fret board. The game offers 15 instantly accessible tracks taken from the console series.

For more information, please visit www.GuitarHeroMobile.com. Guitar Hero III Mobile may be downloaded by text messaging the keyword GH to 46966. Verizon Wireless customers can check out Guitar Hero III Mobile in the Top Selling Games aisle on Get It Now®-capable phones for $4.49 monthly access or $11.99 for unlimited use purchase. Airtime or megabyte charges may apply when browsing, downloading and using the application.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 28, 2008 - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that it will be releasing the official SCORE International^® Baja 1000^TM video game version of the world’s most grueling off-road race. SCORE International^® Baja 1000^TM recreates the unforgiving conditions and blistering speeds that make this event the most recognized and entertaining off-road racing event in the world. Developed by Left Field Productions, the game will be available this fall for the PlayStation^®2 and PLAYSTATION^®3 computer entertainment systems, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii^TM and Windows-based PC.

“No race demands more endurance of both man and machine than the Baja 1000,” said Sal Fish, President and CEO of Score International, the world’s leading desert racing organization. “In consulting Activision for a video game version, we meticulously explained what’s needed to capture the intensity of the Baja. They’ve nailed not only the look but also the elements of true desert racing.”

Sporting over 90 vehicles across multiple classes in the real Baja 1000 - including trophy trucks, class I, motorcycles, ATVs and more - the game challenges players to not only be first across the finish line, but also keep their machine intact! Hyper-realistic dirt and damage modeling in the game means players need to be crazy enough to take chances, but not so reckless that their vehicle is destroyed before the race is over.

“In creating SCORE International^® Baja 1000^TM, our goal was to create something true to the sport that made you feel the speed and heart-pounding conditions,” said Dave Oxford, Activision Publishing. “Players will see potential shortcuts on the tracks, but wonder if their vehicle can handle it. That’s a conundrum every driver on the Baja 1000 faces.”

Featuring Over Two Dozen Mini-Games And Rides, The Carnival Is Portable This Holiday Season!

EDISON, N.J., May 28th, 2008-Now you can bring the fun and thrills of the amusement park with you, as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Wonder World Amusement Park for Nintendo DS. The portable companion to the Wii title releasing this summer, Wonder World Amusement Park for DS is being developed by Majesco Studios and will be in stores this holiday season.

“Our internal team is very excited to be developing original Majesco IP for such a strong, marketable concept,” said Bill Petro, Vice President of Internal Development and Studio Head for Majesco Studios Santa Monica. “Wonder World for DS is a perfect complement to the Wii version and includes additional features that take advantage of the Touch Screen play to maximize the portable fun.”

Wonder World Amusement Park for DS lets players experience a complete day at the park in the palm of their hands. Using the Touch Screen, players can toss, drive, shoot, whack, fish and spin in more than two dozen mini-games throughout five themed zones. Playing mini-games lets gamers access interactive rides and win tickets they can redeem for prizes and accessories for their characters. Other rewards include unlockable modes, games and a secret Park Zone! Whether playing alone or challenging a friend via local wireless connection, Wonder World Amusement Park offers a rich carnival game experience anytime, anywhere.

Wonder World Amusement Park for DS is expected to release this holiday. For additional information about Majesco’s exciting line of products, please visit http://www.majescoentertainment.com/.

- Experience A New Pokémon Adventure with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness! -

Pokémon fans get ready to rejoice and dust off that explorer hat as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness hit stores across Europe very soon! Having sold over 1.5 million copies globally following their launches in Japan and the US, this epic adventure, based in a world of mystery full of friends, enemies and hidden treasures, will give players the chance to live the life of a Pokémon. With the ability to communicate with friends via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the Nintendo DS Wireless Communication, or by sharing passwords, players will never be completely lost, no matter how deep the Dungeon may be. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness launch across Europe on 4th July 2008.

With the first titles of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series selling over 1 million copies across Europe, Pokémon fans will not want to miss this next instalment. Once again heading into a world completely populated by Pokémon, players take a Personality Quiz to determine which Pokémon they will become. Will fans become their favourite Pokémon from the 16 potential Pokémon alter egos, including four Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, available? Players must also choose a Partner Pokémon to support them through the rollercoaster adventure ahead as their trusty sidekick. Accompanied by their loyal friend in this strange world, players embark on an epic journey through limitless and randomly generated dungeons, uncovering mystery after mystery to find out why they’ve become a Pokémon.

The unpredictability in these titles is not limited to the Mystery Dungeons as Pokémon fans soon find out that the undiscovered treasures hidden in the deepest and darkest Dungeons are not the only secrets in this world! As players search and battle Pokémon in the dungeons, they discover that a Pokémon has travelled back in time to steal the precious Time Gears hidden in the farthest corners of this world. It is up to the player to build an Exploration Team brave enough to take on this enemy and prevent Time from stopping and the whole world plunging into Darkness!

As players settle into their new Pokémon form, their Partner Pokémon will urge them to join Wigglytuff’s Guild to create an Exploration Team. Once initiated into the Guild the newly formed team is allowed to run simple errands, but very soon the Exploration Team will head out on grander adventures, seeking lost items and capturing wanted outlaws. At the Guild, players will be well looked after by a host of Pokémon who are always ready to help players with their adventure!

Players take on the responsibility of Team leader as they enter the dungeons, collecting items and challenging enemy Pokémon standing in their way. As the game progresses, victory will sometimes see fans able to invite the defeated Pokémon into their team. Also, a useful new option in these Pokémon titles is now available to those who faint in the Dungeons. They are able to send out an SOS mail to friends via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or the Nintendo DS wireless function or as a password!

Choosing the Friend Rescue option allows any player who is defeated in a dungeon to issue an SOS mail to friends or other Exploration Teams, calling for them to enter that dungeon and make a rescue attempt. If the rescue attempt is a success, the defeated Exploration Team will not lose any money or items and continue the exploration from where they fainted. Along with the Friend Rescue requests, players can also access Wonder Mail to share dungeon missions and view any requests for advice from other players. Fans can also swap items in Trade Items and even trade team members in Trade Team.

So prepare for a summer full of mystery and epic adventures as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness launch across Europe on 4th July 2008.

Check out Pokémon Snap already available on Virtual Console and watch out for Pokémon Puzzle League which will be arriving soon. These Nintendo 64 classics make themselves available on Virtual Console for 1000 Wii Points and are perfect to keep for yourself or to give as a gift to your friends!

Adopts ‘Q’ game middleware for console

28th May 2008.  London based studio Asylum Entertainment has become the first game developer to adopt Qube Software’s innovative new ‘Q’ middleware for the Wii™ console from Nintendo. 

Qube, an authorised third party tool developer for the Wii console, unveiled ‘Q’, its fully customisable, cross-platform middleware, at GDC San Francisco earlier this year and announced its availability for the Wii console in April.  Asylum was familiar with the early iterations of Qube’s 3D tech and wanted to be first with the new solution.

Asylum has forged a reputation as one of the UK’s leading makers of children’s games, many based around high profile brands with titles including Bob the Builder, Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo.  Asylum will be using ‘Q’ as its platform for two forthcoming titles in the same genre.

“We took a good look at technology engines for the Wii and Q is by far the best we have seen,” said Simon Bailey, Asylum’s Managing Director.  “Qube has mastered the use of certain Wii technology features that other developers don’t properly utilise.  That allows Asylum to offer quality, speed to market and price advantages for our publishers.”

As a studio producing games for all the major platforms, Q’s wide compatibility was a major factor in the decision.

“Q’s flexibility has helped us unify our production process right across the studio,” said Bailey.  “Now we can move IP and game mechanics across hardware platforms quickly and with a lot less fuss. This makes accurate milestone planning possible and frees up time for polishing and balancing our games.”

For David Mowbray, who as Asylum’s Development Manager was closely involved in the decision to adopt Q, the ease with which the software worked on the Wii was a major factor.

“Our evaluation of Q left us with the strong feeling that it’s an exceptionally well-crafted engine,” said Mowbray.  “It allowed us to get up and running on the Wii very quickly because its open architecture and flexibility gives us complete freedom to configure the engine how we want.  It’s like starting each project with a clean sheet of paper because Q’s only legacy is that it’s designed to build games – any games.” 
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Not only is the start-up rapid but Mowbray says that Q makes the most of the Wii console’s signature technology. 

“For instance the ‘Q’ engine’s unified input subsystem completely manages the unique Wii Remote and we were able to port previous work by simply adding a single line of settings in the system configuration,” added Mowbray.

He and his team found Q liberating.  It was simple to set up Q to take care of all of the essential underlying processes, freeing up developer time to shape the user experience.

“Q takes care of all the setup and the hardware considerations of the Wii completely autonomously so we can focus on the game rather than on managing those processes,” Mowbray said.  “Full access to the TEVs through the QDraw library means we could push the hardware as much as we needed while letting Q do the heavy lifting for the routine stuff.  While the unified architecture makes it easy for artists and programmers move their work to and from platforms like the PC with absolutely minimal hassle.”

Coming just weeks after Q’s launch, its creator, Qube CEO Servan Keondjian says Asylum’s endorsement reinforces his belief in his middleware solution.

“My message has always been that Q’s multi-platform compatibility, flexibility and the fact that it’s completely customisable means that Q represents the future of middleware,” said Keondjian.  “Because of this we believe that Q is the only available solution that truly can standardise development across a whole studio.”

“So I am very excited about what Asylum are doing.  We say ‘Q sets you free.’ Asylum have discovered just that and they are reaping the rewards already,” Keondjian said.   

“The bottom line is if you’re looking for a middleware solution then you should evaluate Q.  Make up your own mind.”

- Defend and Destroy in Atari’s Arcade Classic ‘Warlords’ Now Live on Xbox LIVE Arcade -

Battle with friends, and experience the competitive spirit of arcade games with Warlords, a multiplayer game where participants must knock other kings out of their castles while keeping their own king protected. Players use a shield to defend their fortress and launch a flaming ball to break down the other players’ forts. Up to four friends can join in the action, and The Evo mode allows players to import their own pictures to their castles.

Developed by Stainless Games, Warlords is available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on Warlords, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcadexbox360

Düsseldorf / New York NY / Frankfurt / Munich, May 28, 2008 - JOGO Media has taken over the in-game advertising account for several games produced by cdv Software Entertainment AG. The first game – developed for a young, trendy, female target group – will appear in the fall of 2008 and offers the ideal advertising environment for marketers of lifestyle products.

In-Game Advertising experts, JOGO Media, will handle all in-game advertising sales for a series of games produced by cdv Software Entertainment AG. To kick off the partnership, JOGO Media will manage the in-game advertising efforts of a new fourth quarter game release that is directed towards a younger female target group.

Dynamic in-game advertising: flexible ad campaign placements within the game

With Europe-wide distribution and local language versions, advertising space within the new game will be adapted according to location and time. Specifically, ad spaces for products are interchangeable and can be updated on a regular basis, just as with other advertising forms such as online advertising. “This project allows us to demonstrate the true flexibility of in-game advertising,” says Hendrik Volp, VP Business Development Europe at JOGO Media. Beyond dynamic ad delivery, JOGO will also offer advertisers extended options to quantify the effectiveness of their brands presence in any of the cdv games.

With the addition of the new cdv games, JOGO extends its current network of sports focused content, to include an expanded range of interests and demographics. CEO Jay Drago “We are pleased that the partnership with cdv will initially provide advertisers with additional opportunities to reach a focused female audience. For many media planners, in-game advertising can still be a bit of a mystery.

The cdv partnership will allow us to further clarify in-game advertising’s effectiveness by delivering a highly desirable audience that is precisely targetable at the regional level.”

cdv Software Entertainment AG is the only German stock-listed full- service provider for gaming. The company distributes a wide range of PC and console games, including adventure games such as ”Jack Keane”, puzzle games such as “Clever! the knowledge game” and action games such as “Jackass – the game”.

“We are thrilled to have chosen JOGO Media as a competent partner with international know-how in the exciting field of in-game advertising. Together we will offer advertisers direct access to their target group, putting consumers into contact with relevant themes and products in an interactive way,” says Arne Peters, COO at cdv Software Entertainment AG.

Battlefront.com has now officially announced Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines, the first expansion to Combat Mission Shock Force, one of the most detailed and sophisticated tactical ground combat simulations available.

Shock Force - Marines is the first of several planned expansions of the Combat Mission contemporary warfare setting.

This, the first Module, adds a significant number of new formations, units, weapons, equipment and vehicles for both the US and Syrian sides, as well as brand new missions, maps and a campaign. General game engine improvements (such as Tactical Artificial Intelligence improvements, tweaking cover values and so on) are included as well, although they are also available to all Shock Force customers. This ensures that everybody plays by the same rules and experiences the same basic gameplay.

MMOABC partners with Bigpoint

Glendale, CA, May 27, 2008 - MMOABC, a property of New Gen Media, Inc. and a rapidly growing international MMO games community website with over a million visitors per month, has partnered with Bigpoint to offer gamers free high quality MMO browser games. Gamers will be able to play exciting games such as Actionliga, Darkorbit, F1-Manager, Mafia, Managergames, Parsec, Seafight, Spaceinvasion, The Pimps, and XBlaster on MMOABC.

MMOABC is very excited to partner with Bigpoint to offer free high quality MMO browser games to our rapidly growing gaming audience,” said MMOABC co-founder and CEO Andy Tong. “By offering proven games with over 20 million registered members to our gaming community is another step in empowering our gamers.”

“The partnership between Bigpoint and MMOABC takes advantage of the huge Bigpoint Community and brings it together with the strong MMOABC gamer group. Thanks to the integration of our games on MMOABC, gamers now have the opportunity to experience multiplayer game fun with Bigpoint’s growing portfolio of games for the American market.” says Heiko Hubertz, Managing Director of Bigpoint GmbH about the partnership between the two portals. “MMOABC gamers love our high quality browser games and the international community Bigpoint has to offer. MMO’s are the games of the future, and they will continue to bridge continents and bring international gaming communities together.”
About Bigpoint
The Hamburg company BIGPOINT GmbH is a holding of the United Internet AG and has pledged itself to an ambitious mission: To develop and offer multiplayer online games in a quality which until now has only been available with offline media such as CDs or consoles, completely without downloads or installations, simply over the Internet browser. In this way, anybody can play against anyone else from anywhere and at any time.
The current portfolio with 26 browser games has been bundled since December 2006 on the game portal www.Bigpoint.com – now in 14 languages. With over 21 million registrations total and 60,000 new registrations daily, www.Bigpoint.com is the largest portal nationally and internationally. The company, founded in 2002, is headquartered in Hamburg and has a subsidiary in New York. Further information can be found at www.Bigpoint.net.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - May 27, 2008
PlaySpan, the gaming industry’s first publisher sponsored in-game commerce network has been named a Red Herring Top 100 winner, an award given to the most innovative private technology companies in North America.

The Red Herring editorial board diligently evaluated more than 800 applicants from North America’s entrepreneurial scene, narrowing the field to a mere 100 winners. Nominees were evaluated on quantitative and qualitative criteria including financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, and execution of strategy.

“Having received more than 800 submissions, it is clear that we are witnessing a new outburst of creativity,” said Joel Dreyfuss, Editor-in-Chief of Red Herring. “With venture capital flowing again, it’s exciting to see technology innovators and business investors collaborate to create disruptive technologies. The Red Herring 100 North America companies are impressive up-and-comers, and definitely the ones to watch.”

“We are honored to receive this award and to be amongst the most inventive companies in North America,” said Karl Mehta, CEO of PlaySpan. “The Red Herring editorial board has a long history of distinctly recognizing market leading companies and our inclusion in the 2008 Top 100 is very gratifying.”

“The PlaySpan team has shown great foresight in recognizing the industry transition from retail and subscription business models to microtransaction-based economies for monetization,” said Shawn Carolan, Managing Director of Menlo Ventures. “It is wonderful to see both customers and the press recognize their position as the preeminent platform partner to help content providers thrive in this new paradigm.”