WonderPhone announces the launch of Manta, the first mobile content portal entirely consecrated to video games
Paris - December 9, 2005 - WonderPhone announces the launch of Manta, the first mobile content portal entirely consecrated to video games with a catalogue of 150 java games and more than 300 logos and ringtones. Manta will debut in the French marketplace and be available to mobile telephone subscribers from all three French mobile operators (SFR, Orange and Bouygues Telecom). With Manta, WonderPhone reinforces its position in the mobile game industry by establishing its own direct distribution channel.
The mobile telephone has become a media in its own right and provides instant access to a wide variety of content such as music, television and mobile games.
WonderPhone launched its mobile game division in May 2004 and currently is ranked among the top 5 European mobile game publishers. WonderPhone has notably signed exclusive publishing and distribution agreements in Europe with Vivendi Universal Games, one of the world's leading video game publishers, along with a dozen other major license holders such as Crazy Horse, the world famous Parisian cabaret. WonderPhone's game catalogue is distributed in 40 countries by more than 70 operators.
In the wake of its publishing successes, WonderPhone decided to launch Manta and its extensive product offer created specifically for gamers.
Manta's product catalogue contains more than 150 java games and 300 logos and ringtones sourced from the universe of video games. The catalogue is constantly growing and incorporates a dozen new titles per week on average. Manta proposes exclusive titles such as Alonso RacingTM (a racing game featuring the current Formula 1 world champion) along with a unique collection of mobile products taken from the world of video games: Crash Bandicoot®, South ParkTM, SWAT®, Monopoly®, WormsTM, Spyro the DragonTM, LemmingsTM...
To elaborate Manta's product offer, WonderPhone has concluded agreements with leading mobile game publishers such as THQ Wireless, i-Fone, Vivendi Universal Games, Digital Chocolate, Gaelco Moviles, Kaolink, Kuju Wireless, etc.
Manta is directly accessible on French operators' portals. A direct link to Manta is present on SFR's Vodafone Live! game portal. For Orange and Bouygues subscribers, access to Manta is provided via Gallery, the multi-operator mobile kiosk system available in France.
Direct access to Manta's products is also available via SMS premium messages - users can send a text message to WonderPhone's SMS number (33800) and the connection to Manta is automatically established once the compatibility with the user's mobile is verified.
Content purchased on Manta is billed directly on the user's phone bill and actual payment does not occur until the product has been correctly installed on the user's mobile phone.
Philip Plaisance, the President of WonderPhone states: "At WonderPhone, our objective is to make mobile content available to end-users where and when they want. With Manta mobile telephone subscribers can access a fantastic game catalogue at their leisure".
Press Contact: press.games@wonderphone.com
WonderPhone is headquartered in Paris, France and is the leading supplier of mobile video programming in Europe and a leading mobile games publisher. WonderPhone produces more than 5,000 mobile-specific video programs per month and broadcasts, on a daily basis, 35 mobile video channels of 'on demand' and live television (news, sports, live concerts, cinema, youth, people, cartoons, humour, etc.). WonderPhone sources its content from leading audio-visual production groups and artists.
The company was founded in 2003 and today has 70 employees and a turnover of 15m Euros. WonderPhone is present in 40 countries, distributes its programs to more than 70 operators and has international distribution agreements in place with Vodafone Global, Orange Group, Telefonica and T-Mobile. The Video division of WonderPhone boasts a catalogue of more than 2 million original, alternative and branded titles that are all specifically formatted for mobile telephones. It also provides a turnkey content management service for the mobile video departments of several leading European operators. The games division of WonderPhone produces and distributes a collection of java games that is consistently ranked among European operators' best selling products. WonderPhone signed an exclusive international master distribution agreement with Vivendi Universal Games for mobile games.
www.wonderphone.com