Telcogames and Codies to bring Sensible titles to Symbian
Classic games make their way to a new generation of smartphones
Mobile publisher Telcogames has announced an alliance with British videogame publisher Codemasters which will see a range of classic titles from legendary development studio Sensible Software coming to new smartphones.
The deal, which covers four major titles - Cannon Fodder, Sensible Soccer, Sensible Soccer International Edition and Mega Lo Mania - is aimed at bringing the games to Symbian based platforms.
UK-headquartered Telcogames has significant experience of creating and distributing Symbian titles, and hopes to distribute the games through high street retail channels as well as traditional operator and portal channels.
As well as the four classic Sensible titles, the deal also covers one of Codemasters' own back catalogue classics - Pyscho Pinball.
This isn't the first time that some of Sensible's products have been converted to mobile devices, with Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder recently chalking up success stories on Java-enabled phones, but both companies involved claim that the Symbian versions will be as close to the original games as possible.
"The continuing growth of the mobile games sector, the growing number of Symbian handsets on the market and the incredible popularity of classic titles, provides video games publishers with an opportunity to reach an entirely new audience and an entirely new generation of gamers," enthused Codemasters Mobile boss Matt Davies, "who may otherwise never get the chance to play some of the games upon which the entire industry is built."
"Entering the market with such high end positioning... echoes Codemasters' ethos of quality products, which we want to reflect in Codemasters Mobile," he continued. "Creating games for Symbian handsets allows us to provide an entirely new experience for Smart phone owners and deliver a revival for these top titles. We're delighted to have a co-publishing deal with Telcogames as their excellent distribution network will not only maximize sales, but enable us to make direct relationships with key carriers and aggregators."
All five titles covered by the deal are expected to be made available through major mobile networks and portals by Christmas 2005. At present, over 39 million Symbian handsets have been sold worldwide, with the number expected to reach 100 million by 2007.