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Monthly Archive for March, 2007

The QuicklyBored Podcast - Episode 14 - March 30, 2007: The GDC Mobile Experience

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qBored
on March 30, 2007
in Conferences, GDC, Interviews, Podcast and Video
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We’ve been getting great feedback for the constant stream of GDC Video that’s been flowing through QB lately, so we thought we’d tie it all together into a nice neat little package for you. Contained within this special video podcast are highlights from our previous videos, as well as a couple new treats that you haven’t seen yet. Enjoy!

Subscribe to the QuicklyBored podcast here via iTunes.

 
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Capcom signs with Virgin for WAP games

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Devin Kent
on March 30, 2007
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MocoNews is reporting that Capcom has signed a deal with Virgin Mobile to be the sole aggregator and manager of WAP titles on Virgin’s network.

Capcom currently has Shade, Big Trivia, Cosmic Casino, Who Wants To Be A Millionare, Six Degrees, Dope Warz and Bots, and more games are currently planned.

Virgin and Capcom also have a contest running. People who sign up for the Games Lite channel at $3.99 a month can get a chance to win Xbox 360s and iPods.

EA releases The Sims 2 Pets

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Devin Kent
on March 30, 2007
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As reported by Wireless Gaming World, Electronic Arts has announced that they have released the mobile version of The Sims 2 Pets.

In the game, players adopt a puppy, teaching it tricks as well as giving it food, exercise, and cleaning. A puppy that’s well taken care of will amuse the sim and the player with its antics, and the happier sim will earn more and have improved status. A poorly raised or neglected puppy, however, will shred papers, eat houseplants, soil the carpet, and generally make life miserable.

�The Sims 2 Pets for mobile is an ideal product for the mobile consumer,� said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for EA Mobile. �Simple controls and an easy, pick-up-and-play game design will satisfy both the experienced The Sims player just as much as the casual gamer picking up a mobile game for the first time. With The Sims 2 Pets, we�re delivering the �awww� factor players experience when you see a puppy and capturing the strong ties that exist between a pet and his owner.�

The game is currently available on most North American carriers.

Vodafone’s Tim Harrison joins OMTP

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Devin Kent
on March 30, 2007
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Tim Harrison, former head of games at Vodafone, has joined OMTP as chief marketing officer, reports MobileIndustry.biz.

OMTP is an organization which gives advice on how to make the mobile experience better for customers.

“Despite the promise, and the rate of change, there’s a clear recognition and frustration across the industry that mobile data services haven’t yet got the consumer uptake we’d have liked,” said Harrison. “OMTP takes some of the biggest issues behind that and tackles them in tangible, realistic ways.”

Harrison will attempt to broader understanding and increase the profile of OMTP to both external and internal audiences.

Glu shares heading down

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Devin Kent
on March 30, 2007
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Glu’s share price has entered a steady decline after their sharp rise shortly after going public, reports Mobile Games Blog.

The share price peaked at over $12 shortly after Glu went public a week or two ago. Since then, it has begun a fairly steady decline, sinking to $10.31 at the time of writing. The decrease is not overly large, but might be felt by bigger shareholders.

Arjan at the Mobile Games Blog speculates that this decline might make Glu an attractive target for Electronic Arts, who are looking to expand their European interests.

Gamevil release NOM

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Devin Kent
on March 30, 2007
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Gamevil has announced the release of NOM, a platform game with a unique twist.

The game follow the story of NOM, a tiny little silhouette of a man, as he runs and jumps through life in pursuit of happiness. It features a unique twist on the platform genre: instead of going left to right, NOM will run along the floor, walls, and even ceiling, requiring you to turn your phone sideways or upside-down to keep up. The game also features one-button gaming, 10 levels, hidden features via unlockable cheat codes and more.

You can visit the game’s WAP site for a free demo, or text “nom” to 83335 and buy the game for $5.

GDC Hangover: the Bad Panel effect

Published
by
Douglas Soltys
on March 29, 2007
in Conferences and GDC
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GDC Hangover
Moderator: Shalom Mann
Panelists: Lou Fasulo, Scott Rubin, Leighton Webb

Anybody who has ever been to a conference or convention, regardless of the industry, has known the purgatory-like experience that is the Bad Panel. Bad Panels come in many shapes and sizes, and can be caused by a variety of reasons: sometimes the panelists are really nervous or are there solely to shill their respective companies; sometimes the panel is centered upon a dry topic or has a muddled focus. With CTIA taking place right now, I thought it would be a good time to discuss one of the more lackluster panels that occurred recently at GDC mobile, and use it as case-study for the type of panels conference-goers are hoping not to attend this week in Orlando.
Continue reading ‘GDC Hangover: the Bad Panel effect’

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David Bell on direct-to-consumer delivery

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Devin Kent
on March 29, 2007
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MobileIndustry.biz has posted a guest editorial by PlayPhone’s David Bell.

PlayPhone is one of the largest distributers of mobile content in the world. They claim the invention of direct-to-consumer content distribution, as well as one of the first off-deck download centers in North America. David Bell, VP of business development at PlayPhone, writes about the direct-to-consumer delivery is good for the mobile industry, as well as why there are still problems to be solved.

…[In] the end, all mobile content is an impulse purchase for consumers - it is the mobile equivalent to that pack of chewing gum sitting at the checkout stand of your local grocery store. If that package of gum isn’t the right brand, in the right place and made available at the exact time you are conditioned to think about purchasing it, you aren’t going to buy it.

Improving the mobile download experience requires intelligently presenting consumers with content that they are interested in. This involves enabling mobile content discovery across different mediums to reach consumers wherever they might be compelled to buy mobile content.

Check the link above to read the full editorial.

Oasys announces 2007 lineup

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Devin Kent
on March 29, 2007
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Arjan at the Mobile Games Blog reports that Oasys has announced their lineup for 2007, which focuses mostly on the US market.

The company plans to release a number of UNO titles for all markets. For the US market, they are also planning on Texas Hold’em 2007 with Phil Hellmuth, branded version of Water Tubin’ and Casino Tycoon, and AROD MVP Baseball Challenge. They will also be releasing original titles Houdini: Escape from Dead Water, Alice: Ripple in Time, Playground Legends, and Zombies.

“With these games and other franchise titles that we’ll be announcing in the coming weeks, Oasys has fielded its strongest line-up ever and is signaling a return to its history as a prmiere mobile games and application publisher,” said Doug Dyer, CEO of Oasys.

RealArcade to bring South Park to mobiles

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Devin Kent
on March 29, 2007
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RealArcade has signed a deal with Comedy Central to bring the animated TV show South Park to mobile phones, reports MobileIndustry.biz.

The game, called South Park 10: The Game, features a combination of platform and puzzle gameplay. There will be 40 levels based on popular plots from the show, and players will get to interact with Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny, as well as Butters, Scuzzlebutt and Lemmiwinks.

The game is due out early next month.