I haven't blogged on mobile games for a while so here are a few collected news snippets from my in-tray. Those of a non-mobile gaming disposition may want to look away now...
Play Super Miners for free Mobile developer Infinite Dreams is offering visitors to its website the chance to download a free beta demo of forthcoming Boulder Dash-style dig 'em up, Super Miners. The game is compatible with Series 60 handsets, and anyone who plays the demo can leave comments and suggestions on the site. Few companies have offered demos of mobile titles so far - possibly because the games are often so simple, most players would be satisfied with a limited version. However, as gameplay becomes more complex, this is bound to catch on.
Lotus Challenge goes multiplayer Earlier this month, Kuju Wireless launched a two-player version of its racing title Lotus Challenge, allowing real-time competitive play over GPRS. The games makes use of a "unique mobile multiplayer network solution" created by Terraplay. I talked to Kuju about the game at 3GSM and they assured me it runs pretty seamlessly despite the obvious latency problems over the 2.5G infrastructure. Apparently some pretty tricksy coding ensures that players always feel as though they're competing closely against each other, even if data packets go astray for several seconds. Manchester-based mobile developer, iFone, is another supporting the Terraplay solution - it plans to create two-player versions of its Cluedo, Monopoly and Tetris titles before the end of the year.
In-Fusio snaps up Universal licences Mobile games companies love retro brands - they appeal to the twenty-something technophiles who download Java titles. Which is why In-Fusio has secured the rights to two Universal Studios licences - Battlestar Galactica and The Munsters. The first title to exploit this agreement will arrive by the Autumn, but In-Fusio has yet to confirm what it'll be exactly. The question is, will they go for the old seventies Battlestar or the new one with the lady Starbuck? And will this cause an ironic mudslide of seventies sci-fi conversions? Buck Rodgers, Space 1999, Blake's Seven and UFO must all be on someone's crazy licensing shopping list.
So far, however, our favourite licensing decision is iFone's procurement of the Lassie rights...
In-Fusio strokes Neopets Rapidly expanding French publisher In-Fusio has inked a deal to create a mobile portal for the well-established "online youth community", Neopets - a sort of massively multiplayer Tamagotchi... thing. As the press release intones, "This major step for the mobile industry is the first Wireless-to-Web (W2W) application of its kind, giving players full access and interactivity from their mobile phones to the online Neopets world."
This is quite an interesting development with all sorts of ramifications. It hints toward a future where, say, World of Warcraft and Everquest players can manage their avitars while on the move. Possibly not the best news for those of us considering a trip to the Priory for MMORPG addiction. Still, at least we'll be able to play WoW on the way...
