EA/Taito deal
Mobile versions of Space Invaders, Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble et al on the way.
London, UK – May 20, 2008 – Electronic Arts has announced that it has signed an agreement with Taito Corporation, which sees the exclusive distribution and licensing rights to the entire Taito catalogue being granted to EA Mobile™, a division of EA’s Casual Entertainment Label, for mobile devices across Europe.
Effective immediately, the agreement assigns rights across all existing mobile channels and mobile devices as well as developing new channels and platforms such as smart phones. The first games to be covered under this new agreement include Cooking Mama, Space Invaders®, ArkanoidTM, Bubble BobbleTM, Puzzle BobbleTM and Rainbow Islands among others.
“Taito has produced some of the all time games classics – such as Space Invaders, Puzzle Bobble and Arkanoid - as well as innovating with new titles such as Cooking Mama,” said Javier Ferreira, VP of European Publishing, EA Mobile. “This deal gives EA Mobile immediate access to an incredibly popular catalogue on existing devices while offering us the opportunity to bring these titles to new mobile platforms.”
“EA Mobile has an extensive presence across Europe with excellent carrier and OEM relationships, giving us the capability to expand our offering and reach new audiences,” said Shinichiro Kasama, Executive Officer of Taito. “By aligning ourselves with a market leader in the European mobile space, we can bring an even stronger focus on what we do best, which is creating amazing games.”
For more information on EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com. For more information on Taito, please visit www.Taito.co.jp/english.
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About Taito Corporation
TAITO Corporation (TAITO) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. With headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, TAITO operates core businesses such as game arcade operations, coin-operated game machines, and mobile phone content services. A seminal part of gaming history, TAITO caused a worldwide sensation with its arcade legend, SPACE INVADERS, and developed such fan favorites as EXIT® and ARKANOID™. Today, TAITO continues to thrill game lovers of all generations by offering both classic and new family-oriented titles on the latest gaming platforms. TAITO delivers a wide range of entertainment experiences with the goal of providing consumers with fresh surprises and new discoveries.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
ARKANOID, BUBBLE BOBBLE, COOKING MAMA, PUZZLE BOBBLE, RAINBOW ISLANDS, SPACE INVADERS and TAITO are trademarks or registered trademarks of TAITO Corp in United Kingdom and/or other countries.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.