Author Archive

Have mobile, will play

September 15th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

What is an Indian mobile games company doing in China? Ask Alok Kejariwal, the promoter of the online contest and promotions company, Contest2Win (C2W).

For, he insists that his company, Mobile2Win (M2W), the one-year-old offshoot of his dotcom venture, is not only present in China but doing pretty well for itself.

For starters, M2W bagged the opportunity to make embedded Java games for Siemens handsets last year. Around the same time, C2W also designed a promotion for the soft drinks brand Sprite which sponsored the Shanghai University fest in China. More …

Coming soon

September 15th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Events & Conferences | No Comments »

THE Mobile Games Competition by cellular service operator DiGi Telecommunications will begin soon, company officials told In.Tech last week.

The contest will be open to all DiGi subscribers with Java-enabled and Symbian handsets. More …

Getting your games on the go

September 14th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

Mobile gaming gets the go-ahead, Asia says hello to communications technology, and security hardware slouches.

Mobile gaming

Interview: Video game pioneer Trip Hawkins shoots for next level with cell phones

September 13th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in People | No Comments »

Video game pioneer Trip Hawkins is going mobile. His latest act, a Silicon Valley company called Digital Chocolate, is developing games and “lifestyle” applications for portable phones. He hopes the new venture will turn out like the first he founded, Electronic Arts, the leading video game maker. His most recent gaming company, 3D0, went out of business after a decade. Hawkins spoke with USA TODAY’s Edward C. Baigat last week’s DemoMobile conference in La Jolla, Calif. More …

Mobile Extrapolation: Fresh Takes on the New Mobile Gaming Market Research

September 13th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

As many mobile gaming insiders already know, Jill Braff, Sorrent’s VP of Marketing, recently authored an article entitled “A Profile of the Cell Phone Gamer,” releasing results of a survey performed on Sorrent’s behalf by independent market research firm U30 Group. We decided to get a more in-depth perspective on the research and statistics that informed the well-received article, and an ever-energized Braff graciously agreed to sit down with us as we queried her for critical insights on her findings.

According to Braff, the survey’s most surprising revelation was how many mobile gamers are active in playing at home. Contrary to what most industry insiders (and outsiders) probably think, the survey showed that more than 60% typically play mobile games at home. And Sorrent isn’t the only mobile games company to have uncovered this finding; In-Fusio’s Second Mobile Games Reference survey, released in late May, also revealed that 58% of mobile games are played at home. More …

Reaxion Partners with Nickelodeon to Publish Bleeposaurus for Mobile Phones

September 10th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

Reaxion Corp. announced a development and publishing partnership with Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, to release Bleeposaurus, an originally developed franchise by Nickelodeon Online, to the mobile market. This is the first joint release of a mobile title by Nickelodeon and Reaxion.

“Reaxion has 3 years’ experience translating the content of some of the best entertainment brands for wireless phones,” said Misha Lyalin, Reaxion’s CEO. “We’ve been very interested in entering the kid’s market and partnering with Nickelodeon is the best way to do this. Nickelodeon has won families over by offering fun characters, unique games and family-friendly content.” More …

Telcogames has appointed Tony Fitzgerald as vice president of sales and distribution

September 10th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in People | No Comments »

Mobile games distributor and publisher Telcogames has appointed Tony Fitzgerald, an experienced games industry executive, to head it’s sales force, as vice president of sales and distribution.

Mr Fitzgerald will be responsible for all sales and distribution issues for the whole Telcogames group. He will be managing the individual sales teams within each territory and will be taking charge of all top tier network operator partners on a global basis. More …

FOX Sports Interactive Media and Sorrent Debut Suite of Football Products for Mobile Phones and Launch Industry’s First National TV Ad Campaign

September 10th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

FOX Sports Mobile, FOX Sports Football ’05 and FOX Sports Fantasy Football Give Fans Football Survival Kit on Mobile Phones

Today at DEMOmobile, FOX Sports Interactive Media and Sorrent, Inc., a leading creator and global publisher of mobile entertainment, unveiled a new suite of entertainment products

Fathammer gets $5M investment for 3D engine

September 9th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Venture-capital firm Nexit Ventures and 3i, a private-equity firm in Europe, said they have invested $4.8 million in mobile-gaming company Fathammer.

The company plans to use the funds to intensify sales and marketing efforts worldwide, particularly in Asia.

Fathammer’s flagship product, its X-Forge 2, is a game development system for creating three-dimensional mobile games. The company also offers a variety of mobile games.

JAMDAT could raise USD 54 million in IPO

September 8th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

JAMDAT Mobile Inc., which develops video games for cell phones, on Tuesday set its planned initial public offering at 5.3 million common shares for an estimated price of between $13 and $15 per share.

The Los Angeles-based company said in a U.S. regulatory filing that it plans to sell about 3.6 million shares and stockholders plan to sell another 1.7 million shares. More …

Disclaimer:

Arjan Olsder is the Vice President of Pixalon Studios. Opinions expressed on this publication do not have to represent those of Pixalon Studios.