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Gamescampus.com, MLB Advanced Media to launch free online baseball game

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Game publisher GamesCampus has signed an online interactive licensing agreement with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, granting it the right to incorporate official Major League Baseball league and club marks and logos, MLB ballpark images and more in its upcoming micro-transaction based online baseball game, MLB Dugout Heroes. It will be a free PC-based baseball game, expected to be available in North America for the 2009 baseball season.

The multi-year agreement gives GamesCampus the rights to all current and historical Major League teams, ballparks, All-Star teams and jewel events such as the home run derby. GamesCampus will also have rights to the official 2009 Major League Baseball regular season game schedule, enabling fans to simulate real seasons through actual game and series matchups.

Fans can expect a casual online baseball experience with a three–dimensional, cartoon-rendered graphic style and easy to pick up and play mouse-only controls. The game will offer four different modes of play for fans to choose from: tutorial, practice, single player and multi-player. Fans will be able to experience the fun of strategically managing a Major League Baseball club by forming a team, fostering its players and making all of the base-running, batting and pitching decisions – providing true interaction with on-the-field baseball play. With realistic character motions and unique verbal exchanges occurring between pitchers, batters, and color commentary, MLB Dugout Heroes will offer a truly unique and engrossing baseball game play experience – free of charge.

Originally posted on November 18, 2008 @ 12:58 am

Glu launches Transformers G1: Awakening on mobile phones

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Glu Mobile Inc. has launched Transformers G1: Awakening, a mobile strategy game based on one of the most recognizable and hugely popular entertainment franchises, Transformers. Transformers G1: Awakening follows the highly successful 2007 mobile game Transformers and is the second title Glu has developed and published from Hasbro’s Transformers franchise.

Originally posted on November 13, 2008 @ 6:41 am

Revolution Games Network announces self-publishing services for game developers

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ECD Systems announced that the Revolution Games Network has signed dozens of developers from all around the world. RGNgames.com is the industry’s first self-publishing gaming portal and social networking community for game developers and avid gamers. Game developers are invited to join the Revolution Games Network, now in beta testing, which will provide an online, interactive community through which they can develop, share, market and distribute their games.

RGNgames.com developer services will help participants take more control over the business side of game development while enabling them to produce better games. Self-publishing capabilities, which are powered by ECD Systems’ FairShare technology, create a unique, multi-stream revenue sharing business model for developers that encompasses game sales, advertising, merchandising and distribution. As a result, developers are able to leverage the comprehensive marketing services to help them build game franchises, reach a broader audience, sell more games and maximize revenue.

RGNgames.com will allow independent developers to expand their reach to PC gamers, by far the largest audience of any gaming platform. By targeting PC gamers as opposed to gamers using proprietary consoles or mobile gaming platforms, developers are able to cultivate broader audiences with unprecedented reach and ROI possibilities.

Originally posted on September 16, 2008 @ 7:58 am

NBC Universal partners with Greystripe on mobile games

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NBC Universal (NBCU) has partnered with Greystripe to provides its entire catalogue of games to NBCU’s mobile web properties. In addition, Greystripe will distribute select NBCU mobile game titles from Bravo, SCI FI Channel and NBC to users through their 100 distribution partners. Greystripe will initially roll out their catalog of games on the Bravo, SCI FI Channel and NBC.com Mobile web sites.

Greystripe enables NBCU to expand its offering of free, ad-supported mobile content, helping drive traffic and repeat visits to its mobile Web sites. Greystripe’s ad supported games will also offer advertisers an opportunity to reach consumers with highly engaging, measurable in-game ads.

Greystripe recently announced that it has broadened its distribution reach to the iPhone platform, and is currently offering 900+ ad-supported games and applications from 120 publishers which has led to 90 million downloads.

Originally posted on September 11, 2008 @ 6:45 am

EA signs with United Talent Agency

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Electronic Arts Inc. has signed with leading Hollywood talent and literary agency United Talent Agency for representation in motion pictures and television.

UTA will help the company develop a comprehensive strategy for moving its intellectual property into the realm of large-budget motion pictures and television series. EA’s broad portfolio of titles includes top-selling franchises such as Army of Two and Need for Speed as well as eagerly awaited new titles such as Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge.

The relationship is expected to significantly ramp up EA’s film and television slate, which currently includes a feature version of the popular The Sims game in script development at 20th Century Fox with producer John Davis and a MySims animated television series in development at Film Roman. EA is also in production with Starz/Film Roman on an animated DVD feature version of its new title Dead Space to launch with the game.

Originally posted on July 25, 2008 @ 11:08 am