Casual Gamers Vital To Mobile Market
February 2nd. Casual mobile handset users continue to be the key to success in the mobile games market, according to the mobile games publisher, Mr.Goodliving.
The company, which saw it's mobile version of the quiz game Trivial PursuitTM Mobile Edition reach number two in the official UK mobile games chart in November 2004*, has witnessed downloads soar for games which are not aimed at the traditional console gamer.
"The mobile games market has often been treated simply as another games platform," says Juha Ruskola, CEO, Mr.Goodliving. "However, all evidence indicates that this is not the case, and merely reproducing established videogame genres will not bring new gamers into the market."
In the mobile games sector, Mr.Goodliving has established a reputation of a high-quality developer and publisher. The company has created a number of successful titles, including the best-selling Playman SportsTM series. Trivial PursuitTM Mobile Edition was the company's first licensed title, and according to Ruskola, the decision to develop a branded game was considered carefully:
"The mobile games sector has seen hundredsif not thousandsof licensed games released in the past 18 months, and not all of them have offered a good gaming experience and value for money. Trivial PursuitTM has universal appeal that goes far beyond the videogames sector. It's simple, accessible, and it works extremely well on even the most limited mobile phone handsets. We're pleased to bring the game to a new audience, and naturally, we're excited about its sales performance to date all across Europe," says Ruskola.
Availability is also a key factor. Mr.Goodliving supports over 120 different mobile phone handsets and more than 20 languages to ensure that the game can be played and enjoyed by the widest possible audience. The game is available from all leading mobile network operators and portals, print publications and retail channels throughout Europe.
"There are hundreds of millions of phone owners who are all potential players," Ruskola concludes. "If they can't play your game on their handset or in their own language, then they're not going to play your game. This applies especially to a global, multi-local brand like Trivial PursuitTM."
Mr.Goodliving is planning to release a number of special editions of Trivial PursuitTM Mobile Edition. The first one, Trivial PursuitTM Football Edition, was released in January 2005, and can be found on all major mobile carriers.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
About Mr.Goodliving
Mr. GoodlivingTM develops and publishes games for mobile phones. The company has created some of the most exceptional, high-quality games available in the world today. Mr.Goodliving focuses on creating innovative and well-positioned original titles and franchises for mobile phones. The company's products include the hugely popular Playman SportsTM series, and Trivial PursuitTM, the most popular trivia game in the world.
Mr.Goodliving's games support a record-breaking range of over 120 handsets and 20 different languages. This is achieved with MRG EMERGE, the company's production environment. Distribution partners include organizations such as Vodafone Global Content Services, MMO2 group, Telefonica, H3G, T-Mobile International and Orange Group.
- The Mobile Games Java Download Chart is a copyright of ELSPA. It is compiled from information supplied by H3G, O2, Orange,T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Contact:
Andreas von Koskull, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Mr.Goodliving
Tel. +358 9 751 75540
E-mail: andreas.vonkoskull@Mr.goodliving.com
Media:
Brian Baglow
Indoctrimat PR
Tel. +44 (0) 7747 792247
E-mail: brian@indoctrimat.com
Brian Baglow
Indoctrimat Ltd.
M: +44 (0) 7747 792247