123play/Pocketgamer deal

London, UK – 30th June, 2008: ad-funded mobile games site www.123play.com today announced a deal with the UK’s leading mobile gaming website, Pocketgamer.co.uk, that will let its readers get their hands on a huge selection of the best ad-funded games direct from the site.

The partnership makes Pocketgamer.co.uk the first place on the web apart from 123Play’s own web site www.123play.com and mobile site m.123play.com, to get top quality, ad-funded mobile games with just a few clicks. As of today visitors to the site can go to a special 123play.com section of the site, enter some simple details, and get the game of their choice sent directly to their mobile.

The games aren’t just free, they’re great. With backing from top games publishers like THQ Wireless, RealArcade, Digital Chocolate, Hands-On Mobile, Vivendi Games Mobile, PlayerX, Indiagames and Progressive Media, every gamer will find something that’s right for them. And it’s not just about the games. 123play.com has partnered with brands like Britvic, Ebay, The Sun and NME to deliver punchy and relevant advertising to men and women of all ages.

“We chose Pocketgamer.co.uk because it’s the number one place on the web to read about mobile games,” said Markus Ramark, CEO of 123play.com. “We hope gamers will see ad-funded games as a great way of getting top games without the pain in the wallet that many people associate with mobile – it’s about spreading awareness and delivering relevant ads in a fun and innovative way.”

“Teaming up with 123play is a great way to offer our readers quality, fun mobile games with no strings attached,” said Chris James, founder and editor of Pocketgamer.co.uk. “We know that the 300,000 readers who visit our site every month love to read about games, and now they get to play them too. If we can get more people playing mobile games through this launch, then hopefully lots more people will see just how brilliant mobile games can be.”

So how does it actually work? When you launch a 123play.com game on your mobile, you’ll see three short adverts before the game. If you want to visit the advertiser’s website on your phone, simply click; if you don’t, the game will start. Simple as that. When you’re finished playing, you’ll see another two ads.

If this all sounds like a good deal, head for pocketgamer.co.uk website and follow these simple steps and you’ll be playing in just a few minutes:

1. Go to www.pocketgamer.co.uk and click on the ‘free’ tab in the navigation bar

2. Choose the game you want to download

3. Enter your mobile number when prompted to send a link to m.123play.com to your phone

4. On your mobile, click on the link to go to m.123play.com and download the game you want. Operator charges may apply for the download, but the game is free.

About 123play.com

www.123play.com is a consumer-focused website operated by Mobile Advertising Solution (MAS), a company which specialises in advertiser-funded gaming for mobile handsets. Its headquarters are in Helsinki and it has an office in London.

Through its retail brand, 123play.com, MAS offers free mobile games which users download via their handset’s. When users open the game, they see a short sequence of advertising before the game begins. When exiting the game, another short sequence of ads is shown. Users can click on any of the ads and be directed to the advertiser’s mobile site. It offers more than 50 games from leading games publishers including THQ Wireless, RealArcade, Digital Chocolate, Vivendi Games Mobile, Hands-On Mobile, PlayerX and IndiaGames. Advertisers already working with MAS include Britvic, Ebay, The Sun and NME.

More information on the company is available at www.mobileadvertisingsolution.com

About PocketGamer

PocketGamer.co.uk is the UK’s most popular destination website for mobile and handheld gaming news, previews and reviews. The site was established by Steel Media in March 2006 and now reaches an audience of over 300K readers per month. www.pocketgamer.co.uk.

In addition Pocket Gamer’s content can also be found on third party portals such as Vodafone Live and Samsung Fun Club as well as via the Pocket Gamer wap site ( www.pocketgamer.co.uk/mob from any mobile phone) and bi-monthly Pocket Gamer mobile gaming magazines published in association with UK operators T-Mobile, Vodafone, Three and O2. The collective effect is that Pocket Gamer mobile games content is currently exposed to an estimated 1.5 million consumers per month.

Parent company Steel Media also currently publish consumer friendly mobile entertainment site PocketPicks.co.uk and mobile industry trade site PocketGamer.biz as well as supplying editorial content, design and other contract services to a number of third-parties. For further information on Pocket Gamer or Steel Media, contact Chris James: chris@pocketgamer.co.uk