I-Play and First Star Software Sign Global Deal for Boulder Dash® M.E.™ 2
San Mateo, CA & London, UK - 16th December 2005: Mobile gamers the world over will soon have a chance to renew their love affair with Boulder Dash®, First Star Software's multi-million unit selling, timeless and much-loved classic action-puzzle game, thanks to a global, exclusive co-publishing deal announced today between First Star and I-play, the mobile games company.
RockfordTM, the game's key character, thus makes a long-awaited return to mobile phones following a very successful debut in the first mobile version of the title, which launched in Spring of 2003. The original Boulder Dash-M.E. was released in 11 languages and was featured by leading carriers and portals thorough out the world having met with both critical acclaim and commercial success receiving a Number One Mobile Game ranking by international mobile games review website Midlet-Review as well as their coveted TIP/Star award.
The universally loved Boulder Dash franchise -- first released in 1984 for home computers, and the subject of a wide range of coin-op arcade, console, hand-held and PC games ever since - now will be available to a wider audience than ever before thanks to I-play's distribution to over 100 mobile network operators serving over a billion mobile phone subscribers. The simple-to-play but difficult-to-master game, boasting 3 difficulty settings and an incredible 90 caves but true to I-play's philosophy of accessible one-thumb games delivering instant fun, will be launching across a wide range of handsets on six continents in the Spring of 2006.
The familiar game play has been updated with new graphics, features (such as the ability to rotate the screen 90° at a time, kick objects, smash boulders with hammers and collect and use bombs) and puzzle challenges, requiring players to guide Rockford around scrolling caves of boulders, diamonds and animated enemies. The goal is to collect a set quota of diamonds and then find the previously concealed exit in order to advance to the next cave before time runs out. Boulders can be pushed or dropped by digging through the earth that supports them, but one must be careful and avoid being hit by a falling boulder, caught by one of the enemies, missing out on necessary diamonds, or burying the exit under an avalanche: a winning formula that has captivated gamers for over two decades.
Paul Maglione, I-play's Senior Vice President of Publishing and Marketing commented, "Boulder Dash M.E. 2 is a welcome addition to our 2006 portfolio, and we are delighted to be able to bring this updated version to the market in association with First Star Software. Arcade classics have proven themselves beyond a doubt in the mobile gaming space, and Boulder Dash has the added advantage of having already done very well on mobiles. Welcome back Rockford!"
Richard M. Spitalny, President of First Star Software, Inc., commented, "We're delighted to be working again with both our development partners at InstantCom and with I-play. Digital Bridges, as they were known back then, was one of our first distributors when we initially released Boulder Dash-M.E.; now, several hundreds of thousands of units later, we're looking forward to partnering with them exclusively as we prepare to launch Boulder Dash®-M.E.TM 2 throughout the world."
Contact:
Annabel Brog
PR Manager, I-play
Tel: 44 2079011770
annabel.brog@iplay.com