Gameloft wants gamers to reach out and touch

Mobile gaming company Gameloft has become the first games publisher to cater to the new generation of mobile phones, launching more than a dozen games designed especially for touch screen mobile handsets. Eventually, it announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week, all its games will be adapted to the touch-screen…

Gameloft has taken a leap forward in its effort to make all of its games accessible to every commercially-available phone model on the market.

Using the company’s expertise from developing stylus-based games for the Nintendo DS, Gameloft sought out ways to best utilise the new generation of touch screens, which transform gameplay into a more intuitive experience and remove the limitation of small keyboards.

“The hype for 2008 will focus on the emergence of these new handsets and Gameloft has already gotten a head start,”” said Michel Guillemot, President and CEO of Gameloft. “”This is a new step in terms of development, one that leads us to rethink how we approach our game controls so that players can interact directly with the screen and get a greater gaming experience. Touch screen games are perfect examples of how modern technology can advance the gaming industry.””

Next for your mobile? One of the mobile games that made Gameloft’s reputation in the industry

Gameloft already has more than 15 touch screen games in its catalogue, including Block Breaker Deluxe, Brain Challenge and Brain Challenge 2, Bubble Bash, Platinum Solitaire, Chessmaster, Miami Nights: Single in the City, Sexy Poker Manga, Catchphrase, Deal or No Deal, Shrek the Third, Real Football: Manager Edition, and CSI Miami.

Shrek’s mobile touch

These games were developed for the first touch screen mobile phones available on the market, including the LG Viewty, LG KS20, the HTC touch screen line, and the Samsung SGH-F700. Gameloft’s touch screen games were initially developed in Java, though some will also be developed on the Windows Mobile platform.

The creation of touch screen games is part of Gameloft’s overall effort to make all of its games accessible to every commercially-available phone model on the market, which today stands at 1,200 different models for 180 carriers in 80 countries.

Gameloft also announced last week that it has been selected by Nokia for the launch of the N-Gage platform. Out of 18 games, six Gameloft games will be offered on the launch date.

N-Gage is Nokia’s made-for-mobile games service and will be available in compatible Nokia N series and other S60 3rd edition devices.

“”Nokia gives us daily proof of its very strong commitment into the wireless game market and we’re very happy to be a strong partner”” said Guillemot. “”When the world’s number one mobile phone manufacturer makes such a tremendous breakthrough in terms of ergonomics, ease of use and technical support, the entire mobile game industry can expect to take a giant leap forward towards a new generation of games.””

The select Gameloft games to be offered with the platform’s release are: Brain Challenge, Dogz, Midnight Pooll 3D, Block Breaker Deluxe, Asphalt 3: Street Rules and Brothers in Arms 3D.

¬∑ Gameloft’s videos are available at YouTube.

About Gameloft

Gameloft is a leading international publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones. Established in 1999, it has emerged as one of the top innovators in its field. The company creates games for mobile handsets equipped with Java, Brew or Symbian technology. The total number of games-enabled handsets is anticipated to exceed two billion units in 2008. (Source: Arc Group)

Partnership agreements with leading licensors and sports personalities such as Ubisoft Entertainment, Universal Pictures, ABC, Touchstone Television, DreamWorks Animations SKG, Endemol, 20th Century Fox, Viacom, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Paris Hilton Ent., FifPro, Lamborghini, Lleyton Hewitt, Gus Hansen, Kobe Bryant, Robinho, Patrick Vierra, Christophe Dominici, and Jonny Wilkinson allow Gameloft to form strong relationships with international brands. In addition to the partnerships, Gameloft owns and operates titles such as Block Breaker Deluxe, Asphalt: Urban GT and New York Nights.

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