Freddie Flintoff Blast 'Em Cricket drives on to Vodafone live! this summer
(London, July 20, 2005)
The Freddie Flintoff Blast 'Em Cricket mobile game, fully endorsed by England's top all rounder and cricketing hero, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, is coming exclusively to Vodafone live! this summer. Launched during this summer's first Ashes Test Match at Lord's on the 21st July, the game will be compatible with most Java-enabled handsets.
Through his hard-hitting and fast bowling, Freddie Flintoff has quickly established himself as a firm favourite with the crowds. His aggressive and exhilarating style of play strikes fear into the opposition and he is already considered one of England's greatest cricketing all-rounders. Often compared to Ian Botham, Flintoff has already eclipsed Botham's six-hit record for one-day internationals, in half the number of matches!
Freddie Flintoff Blast 'Em Cricket is a fun arcade style cricket game in which players test their reflexes to the max. Working to a timer, players must use skill and accuracy to hit the correct key combinations and blast the ball for six in true Freddie style!
Players can choose from two game types: the fast-paced knockout Blast 'Em game or the more technical Hit For Six where players face 20 deliveries and attempt to hit as many sixes as possible. A series of key presses are required in succession to hit the ball for six and if at any time the sequence is broken, the player will fail.
Featuring varying levels of difficulty, depending on the nation you face, plus un-lockable levels for extra longevity, this is the ultimate cricket Java game for fans of the sport.
Andrew Flintoff commented, "I am delighted to be associated with this new mobile cricket game, Freddie Flintoff Blast 'Em Cricket. I've been practising and have become an expert at blasting the ball to all parts of the ground. It's certainly a good warm up before getting stuck into the Aussies when the real action begins on Thursday."
Tim Yates, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone UK commented, "The Freddie Flintoff Blast 'Em Cricket game is yet another area in which Vodafone, through its sponsorship of the England Cricket Team, is adding to the cricket experience for the fans. We have already launched video highlights of all England's home internationals this summer, including the Ashes, exclusively available on Vodafone live! with 3G. This new Java game compliments the existing sports content available on Vodafone live! and positions Vodafone as the mobile communications provider for sports and entertainment followers around the world."
The game has been produced by Player One Limited, a leading global publisher of games and content for mobile phones.
Pete Russell, Managing Director of Player One, commented; "Player One is extremely excited to be launching this fun and addictive title that will appeal to both cricket and non-cricket fans alike. Freddie Flintoff is a true international sporting legend and will contribute greatly in England's bid to win The Ashes this summer. With an amazing line up of fixtures this summer, cricket will be the focus of this season's sporting calendar and we expect this title to be extremely popular."
Vodafone UK
Vodafone UK has 15.2 million customers and is part of the world's largest mobile community offering a wide range of voice and data communications. On the 1st January 1985, the first mobile call was made by Ernie Wise on the Vodafone network. Since then, Vodafone was the first to introduce SMS in 1994 and to make a 3G voice call in July 2001. Vodafone UK was the world's first mobile operator to introduce international roaming, now connecting customers with standard roaming agreements in 182 countries, GRPS roaming in 53 countries and 250 cities worldwide using 3G.
Following the launch of Vodafone UK's 3G/GPRS Mobile Connect data card in April 2004, the company launched Vodafone live! With 3G in November 2004 offering services such as video-calling and music downloads. Vodafone's 3G UK population coverage currently stands at 65 per cent and the network is being continually expanded.
Player One Limited
Player One is a leading mobile content provider and games publisher, leveraging World renowned sports and entertainment IP. Formed in 1999, the company has grown its stable of properties across a range of applications and holds a rapidly expanding library of high quality sports branded content featuring some of the strongest brands in sport.
Player One has developed key relationships with the top tier mobile phone network providers and distribute to 89 distribution partners across 46 territories World-wide.
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For further information contact:
Ben Taylor, UK Corporate Communications, Vodafone Limited
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 33251
E-mail: Ben.Taylor@vodafone.com
Clare Turner, Player One
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7591 7747
E-mail: clare.turner@player-1.net
Will Prosser, GEM Group
Tel: +44 (0) 7810 820 820
E-mail: wprosser@gemgroup.com