IRM and Glu Mobile bring Mastermind to mobiles

Following the recent update and re-release of classic seventies board game Mastermind, Glu Mobile has announced a new partnership with International Rights Management for the creation and publishing of a dedicated mobile phone game.

Founded in 2004, IRM is an independent interactive rights investment and exploitation company, committed to the creation, acquisition, licensing and commercial exploitation of interactive rights.

IRM develops and manages paid for interactive consumer services across a wide range of platforms on a global basis. The firm is responsible for the worldwide success of Celador's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on mobile SMS, pay-for-play Internet and interactive TV and DVD applications.

In bringing Mastermind to mobiles for the first time, Glu hopes to create a uniquely popular title based on the hit code-breaking board game. The mobile game will include features such as Quick Play, Tournament mode - giving players the chance to compete against six Mastermind professionals - and will offer multiplayer matches for up to five players in Pass and Play mode.

The title will also feature six board game styles, multiple difficulty levels and an online score system. Mastermind will be available internationally early in 2006 for a wide range of handsets.

Chris Meredith, vice president of publishing EMEA for Glu Mobile said: "Mastermind has been a global phenomenon since the 1970s and we're delighted to be bringing it to mobile, especially given the current love for everything retro. It's a perfect time to launch this kind of simple and fun game, especially with the re-release of the board game with a massive marketing programme for Christmas 2005. This will raise awareness of the brand among both original players and also introduce a brand new audience of young families, kids and teenagers."

Valerie Bottezzo of IRM added: "We're particularly excited about Mastermind which has consistently performed over the last 30 years, selling more than 60 million units worldwide and Glu is the perfect partner to bring this mass-market title to mobile and to a new global audience."

"Mastermind is simple to understand and to play, yet massively addictive and challenging. Classic games like Mastermind have proven to be big sellers on mobile, and we look forward to working with Glu to bring the game a new generation of play-anywhere gamers."