20Q "2004 Game of the Year" nominee to arrive on mobile
Have your mind read by your mobile phone with I-play(tm)!
London, UK & San Mateo, CA - 13th September 2005: Mobile users around the world will soon have the chance to have their mind read by the "2004 Game of the Year" nominee, '20Q'. I-play, the mobile games company, today announced that it has secured a strategic partnership with Radica, the manufacturer, and 20Q.net Inc., the IP owner of 20Q, to take the game, which has been a sell out success since its launch in North America in Spring last year, to mobile phones worldwide.
The game that can read your mind, challenges players to think of an animal, vegetable, or mineral, and then guesses the object in the player's mind within twenty questions. 20Q, which has thrilled and baffled millions of consumers across North America, has a universal appeal across a broad age and gender demographic and therefore is the perfect strategic fit for I-play, which aims to create mobile games with mass market appeal.
The game has achieved unprecedented commercial success. A complete sell-out for the 2004 Holiday period, it continues to exceed expectations. 20Q has been
one of the top selling toys on Amazon.com so far this year. The 20Q.net website receives 75,000,000 impressions per month and the game played its 25,000,000th game in August 2005. So many games have been played, that at two minutes per game, the 20Q artificial intelligence has played for 91 continuous years!
I-play, in collaboration with 20Q.net Inc., will tailor the online version of the game to create the mobile game, which will be added to I-play's holiday slate
"20Q is the mobile phone game for the mass market this Christmas. Videogames players and virgin gamers alike will love this game. It's a game that your grandmother or grandchild will have equal pleasure in playing, either around the table after dinner or on your commute to work. The mystery and amazement that the casual and hardcore gamer will experience in trying to stump the artificial intelligence of this devilishly clever game, will be the source of endless entertainment for mobile users universally," commented David Gosen, COO of I-play.
"20Q is a game that has not only taken the world by storm, but is a great game for the whole family, and taking it to mobile will mean that even more people can share in the fun. We chose to work with I-play because of their experience in the casual gaming space, and because they stood head and shoulders above the competition with their reputation for delivering the highest quality games to the widest possible audience," commented Pat Feely, CEO from Radica.
"As the inventor of the 20Q AI, I'm pleased to see 20Q morph into another new role. The mobile version of 20Q is an exciting development and partnering with I-play is a great opportunity," said Robin Burgener, CEO of 20Q. "We're thrilled to be part of bringing the game to mobile gamers around the world, adding yet another level of fun to the 20Q game experience."
About I-play
I-play, the mobile games company, brings the best in mobile entertainment to a mobile gaming audience of over 600 million people via mobile operators, retail stores and online portals, including http://www.iplay.com/. I-play has been creating mobile games since 1998 and continues to spearhead the creation of games for the next generation. As one of the world's longest established and respected creators of mobile games, the I-play brand stands for quality and the best in mobile game development. Working with the best media and entertainment brands, I-play is 100% focused on mobile games, and dedicated to fulfilling the promise of the mobile phone as the first truly mass-market electronic games platform.
I-play's investors are Apax Partners and Argo Global Capital. I-play is headquartered in London, with European Regional HQ in Dunfermline, Scotland and North American Regional HQ in San Mateo, California as well as sales offices in Paris, Munich, Madrid, Rome, New York, Fairfax, Sao Paulo and Singapore.
For more information, please call +44 (0) 20 7901 1760 or visit us at http://www.iplay.com/
I-play is a trademark and trading name of Digital Bridges Limited.
About 20Q
What is 20Q? 20Q is an AI, a website, a company and a phenomenon. Start with the quintessential word game, "20 questions," then add an incredible artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and a website, and you've got a winning update of an old parlor-game classic for the 21st Century. Found on the internet at http://20Q.com and http://20Q.net, and rated in Alexa's top 2800 sites, the 20Q AI has evolved from an experiment in artificial intelligence into a software development firm, licensing products built on the capabilities of the 20Q AI. The technology has applications in business, education, behavioral targeting, mobile entertainment and games. It's the AI with extreme stability. 20Q's clients include Radica Games Ltd., RTL interactive GmbH, Burger King Corporation, and Bandai Co. Ltd. Awards include an Oppenheim Platinum Toy Award, Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, and the Canadian Toy Testing Council's Toy of the Year Award. 20Q is a registered trademark of 20Q.net Inc.
Contact:
Annabel Brog, I-play
+ 44 (0) 20 7901 1770
annabel.brog@iplay.com
Jay Boor, I-play
+ 650 430 5805
jay.boor@iplay.com