MLB.COM LAUNCHES NEW ARCADE SECTION; 'PLAYBALL' AMONG HUNDREDS OF ONLINE GAMES NOW AVAILABLE
New York, NY, August 9, 2005 - At MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, it's all about the game. As if listening, watching and following the game of baseball live weren't enough, MLB.com has now opened the MLB.com Arcade, offering fans hundreds of popular Internet gaming titles, with literally thousands of hours of free gameplay available across more than 750 products.
The new MLB.com Arcade, the first-of-its-kind in the Internet sports industry, provides online gamers a perfect home and, in addition to MLB.com developed original games, offers all the online game favorites including Scrabble, Zuma, Civilization and more, with new titles being added regularly.
"This addition to the site is another example of MLB.com's commitment to provide fans with compelling and entertaining content," said Noah Garden, senior vice president of e-commerce for MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, which runs MLB.com and the 30 individual team sites. "We believe it is the perfect compliment to the robust, exclusive baseball content that fans have come to expect on our site."
The appropriate name of the first of what will be many baseball offerings being developed by MLB.com, is "MLB.com Playball". Available now, fans can download the free trial version and get a feel for it, and then buy the full version for just $19.99.
"'MLB.com Playball' is a game that makes you want to play again and again," said Jamie Leece, president, Play at Joe's, the gaming company that has teamed up with MLB Advanced Media to create the game. "It combines all of the great elements of baseball in a fast-paced and exciting product."
"MLB.com Playball" is an objective-based Match 3 game with a twist. You can play over 75 challenging game boards, all within a baseball theme in which you can choose your favorite team and reveal different player photos as you progress. In this unique take on the classic-style matching game, you must rearrange baseball icons into sets, all the while scoring singles, doubles, triples, and home runs. Enjoy the sounds along the way, including the crack of the bat, the whiff of a strike and the roar of the crowd.
Each inning you complete leads you to a more challenging inning, with later levels having special "throwback" and "target" tiles. Play in either regular or time-attack game mode. Replay unlocked innings and games to improve your score. Save your high scores by inning, game and season, and then compare them to other players online. You can even replay innings, games and seasons to improve your score. If you are fast enough, Frenzy Mode will help you get lots of bonus points. Who in an Arcade doesn't love bonus points?
Fans can access the MLB.com Arcade through the Fantasy tab on the site's top navigation bar, or directly at arcade.mlb.com.
Contact:
Jim Gallagher
212-485-3182
jim.gallagher@mlb.com
Jamie Leece
416-840-7529
jleece@playatjoes.com
www.playatjoes.com
Linda Meyers, Communication Specialist
meyerspr@earthlink.net
ph 925-408-9565
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