I-play Signs Jenga® for Edge-of-Your-Seat Mobile Fun™!
The Licensing Show, New York - June 20, 2007: I-play, the mobile entertainment company, today announced that it has secured the license to take Jenga, the classic family and party game, to mobile phones worldwide in the first half of 2008. The licensor is Pokonobe Associates, which is exclusively represented for interactive gaming by Dimensional Branding Group and the leading interactive representation firm Fog Studios.
Jenga, the classic wooden brick stacking game enjoyed for nearly 25 years by millions of consumers throughout the world, is a game of tension-building excitement, mental skill and precision, where players tease blocks from the stacked tower, aiming to grow its height and hoping not to send it crashing down on their turn! Jenga is true to I-play's gaming philosophy, being simple to learn, quick to play and providing portable fun for all ages. With suspense, tension and captivating fun, Jenga lets players be as serious or silly as they want.
Jenga is now sold in over 50 countries around the world, enjoyed by millions of people and has become a household name worldwide. The console and handheld versions of Jenga also are slated to release globally in time for the 2007 holiday season.
The design of the game on mobile will make Jenga instantly recognisable to anyone who has played it and elementary to learn for anyone who hasn't. By offering a wide variety of game modes beyond casual play, Jenga will also offer greater depth for more experienced gamers, who will aim for faster times, bigger scores and unlockable features.
Leighton Webb, Senior Vice President for Content Strategy & Publishing, at I-play commented: "Jenga's universal appeal and accessibility makes this game a perfect fit for mobile gamers who represent a broad age demographic and even split across both genders. We hope that gamers of all ages will be able to enjoy this game as a family, with their kids."
David Grebler of Pokonobe Associates adds: "We are pleased to sign I-play to bring Jenga's universal entertainment appeal to cell phone gamers. Enthusiasm for Jenga extends across all ages and cultures, regardless of gender, race or language. This new platform for Jenga not only will extend the opportunity to enjoy this international game favourite, but will generate innovative play patterns and experiences. Jenga now will connect people in fresh new ways! We are confident that I-play will convey Jenga's Edge-of-Your-Seat Fun and party game style brilliantly to every mobile game player."
About I-play
I-play brings the best in mobile entertainment to an audience of over one billion people via a network of over 120 carriers worldwide, including Sprint (NYSE:S), Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), Cingular, Vodafone (LSE: VOD.L) and Telefonica Moviles (NYSE: TEM), amongst others and online portals including http://www.iplay.com/. I-play has been creating mobile games since 1998 and continues to spearhead the creation of mobile entertainment for the next generation. As one of the world's longest established and respected creators of mobile entertainment, the I-play brand stands for quality and the best in mobile development. A move into mobile video content via a license agreement with Universal Mobile Entertainment sees I-play offering the best clips from Universal Studios' most popular blockbuster movies.
I-play's investors are Apax Partners and Argo Global Capital. I-play is headquartered in London, with North American Regional HQ in San Mateo, California and European Regional HQ in Dunfermline, Scotland; development studios in Macclesfield, UK and Bucharest, Romania as well as sales offices in Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, New York and Singapore.
For more information, please call +44 (0) 20 7031 8160 or visit us at http://www.iplay.com/
I-play is a trademark and trading name of Digital Bridges Limited.
About FOG Studios
FOG Studios has been responsible for the creation of over $3 Billion dollars of revenues for its clients and customers via the placement of over 5,600 interactive titles into the international marketplace since 1979. The world's first and most successful interactive representation agency, FOG exclusively represents independent videogame development studios, brands and intellectual property owners, and service providers to the interactive entertainment industry from around the world. FOG creates opportunity for its exclusive list of clients on all platforms from cellular phones to next generation console games by packaging intellectual property rights with the developers and resources necessary to bring them to market, helping publishers and other potential distributors of the products to make fully informed decisions expeditiously and with confidence based on the longstanding proven track record of success FOG has uniquely achieved. Noteworthy gaming franchises created in FOG's history include but are not limited to; ESPN, Command & Conquer, Test Drive, Kings Quest, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania and Warlords. FOG has placed titles with all of the Top 10 publishers and countless other smaller publishers as well. FOG's roster of over 550 clients have included, among others: United Media, BMI, Ubisoft, Atari, Sierra, Westwood Studios, Sega, Paramount, Viacom, Robert Maxwell, Koei, FROM Software, Platinum Studios, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, the US Army Rangers, the Foreign Legion, Jenga, Arthur C. Clark, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, The Three Stooges (Estate), Paramount, Warner Brothers, Wham-O, Marvel, America On-Line, Yahoo, Ebay, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For more information, please call 506-459-5604.
About Dimensional Branding Group
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dimensional Branding Group (DBG) focuses on brand licensing with a unique emphasis on strategic marketing and consumer research. DBG specializes in developing evergreen toys, children and iconic brand trademarks into entertainment placement and new extension markets. For more information, visit www.dimensionalbranding.com or call 415-442-5110.
Contact:
Anna Brog
I-play
+ 44 (0) 20 7031 8165
anna.brog@iplay.com