Indie developer competition
Cipher Prime's Auditorium scoops the top award.
NEW YORK – July 7, 2009 – 2BeeGames, the premier online community for independent games, has announced the conclusion of their first indie game developer competition. The competition kicked off with an open call for game submissions from independent developers. More than 80 submissions were received and posted on 2BeeGames.com for the community to play, rate, and provide feedback. After several rounds of voting and eliminations, the fans and a panel of judges have selected the winning title: Auditorium by Cipher Prime.
The grand prize winners will receive $10,000 in prize money and have entered negotiations on a publishing contract for their title with Zoo Games, Inc. Community favorites Terence Lee, creator of Storm, and Edouard Mercure, creator of Save the Planet, will receive $5,000 and $2,500 respectively.
Tony Tran, the community manager (“Beekeeper”) for 2BeeGames was impressed with the enthusiastic participation from The Hive, “We couldn’t have been happier with the way the contest turned out. There were amazing games submitted, we had brilliant finalists, and the community chose deserving winners.” Tony added, “The Hive really rallied around the concept—that they were instrumental in bringing their favorite game to market. By supporting indie developers, the community truly shapes the future of gaming.”
Thousands of users played submissions from the 10 finalists in the competition, voting each week to keep their favorite in the running. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, one game emerged as the clear winner. Auditorium is a unique, abstract puzzle game that involves elements of light, sound, and physics, making it a challenging game unlike any other.
“2BeeGames provided us with a platform to show our project to a much wider audience than we could have reached by ourselves,” said William Stallwood, one half of the two-man development team at Cipher Prime, developers of Auditorium. “2Bee was an invaluable resource for us and basically served as our beta. The Hive was our QA team and focus group, and without the contest we wouldn’t have won this incredible prize and been given the opportunity to publish our game commercially.”
Terence Lee, the only student among the finalists, saw this competition as a unique platform to showcase his game, get feedback from fans, and hone his skills. Lee said, “This contest was an excellent experience and a great opportunity to bring myself one step closer to creating games professionally.”
The first contest has ended, but all of the games from the competition are still playable online or available for download at 2BeeGames.com. Keep an eye on the site to follow the story of the contest winners and find out how fame and fortune has changed their lives. Visiting the site often and registering as a user is the best way to be notified when the next contest will take place.
2BeeGames is a showcase and gaming destination as well as a community for indie developers and casual game enthusiasts. Visit www.2beegames.com to play the latest games.
About 2BeeGames.com
2BeeGames.com is a community for independent game developers, gamers, and video game fanatics. Developers can post games to the community during any stage of the development process. The site currently features nearly 100 online and downloadable games from indie developers worldwide. Anyone in “The Hive,” the 2BeeGames community, can give feedback to help the developers improve and refine their games. In addition, games rated highly by the users can be considered for a publishing contract to see their games released on home and handheld gaming consoles. 2BeeGames.com is owned by Zoo Games, Inc.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about Zoo Entertainment, Inc. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements, based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Zoo Entertainment, Inc.'s management, are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: general economic conditions; geopolitical events and regulatory changes; requirements or changes adversely affecting the businesses in which Zoo Games is engaged; demand for the products and services that Zoo Games provides, as well as other relevant risks detailed in Zoo Entertainment, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Zoo Entertainment, Inc. assumes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release.
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Media Contacts:
Sam Dalsimer
TriplePoint for 2BeeGames
sam@triplepointpr.com
212-730-9744
Alison Kain
Marketing Director, Zoo Games
akain@zoogamesinc.com