UI Magic Launches Mobile Games

UI Magic, an emerging wireless technology and platform services company today announced that it has launched new mobile games developed by its strategic partner Net Village's subsidiary Shanghai Net Village. NetVillage Co. Ltd. and UI Magic, Inc. jointly announced that the alliance began distributing four titles of the game contents developed by Shanghai NV through UI Magic's "mtogo" portal site. UI Magic and NetVillage formed strategic alliance in November of 2005 which involved capital investment in the former by the latter, and this is the first material commercial operation stemming from the alliance. The two will continue to launch more contents and services through the "mtogo" portal site as well as through the US telecom carriers and aim to aggressively grow the mobile content distribution business in the North American market.
The mobile game contents being distributed are four of the titles that Shanghai NV developed and are currently being distributed in the local market of China. For this particular project, Shanghai NV has localized these contents with the North American Market in mind; they are Shanghai NV's first original contents ever launched outside of China. Shanghai NV will continue to launch more contents through UI Magic's marketing channel and seek to capture more business opportunities, such as CHC, while taking measures to improve its brand recognition in the global market with focus on North America.

Kodo Mobile Gaming

Kodo – the hungry mobile action puzzle game developed by Swedish Jadestone was awarded SDSI's "Best Independent Game of the Year" award at yesterday's Expressen Game Awards. All the Kodos are reported to happily nibble away at the trophy.The ceremony was held last night at well-known landmark Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm, Sweden last night. This year Game Awards marked the introduction of the new "Best Independent Game of the Year" Award. The award has been instituted by Svenska Datorspelsinstitutet, SDSI, in recognition of the important and increasingly growing independent scene, i.e. games being developed without financing or support from established publishers.

Vivendi Expands into Mobile Gaming

Los Angeles-based Vivendi Universal Games has recently created a new division to specifically focus on the mobile gaming industry.
The firm announced yesterday that its new division, VUG Mobile, will publish games for the growing mobile games market. Former I-play/Digital Bridges executive, Paul Maglione, has been hired to lead the new unit, which will be based in Paris, France, but have regional headquarters in Los Angeles.
In addition to creating new games, the mobile gaming division will focus on existing gaming franchises, including Crash Bandicoot line, Spyro the Dragon, Leisure Suit Larrey, and Empire Earth.