London, UK & San Mateo, CA - April 4, 2005 ?? I-play, the mobile games company, today announced that it has secured the rights to distribute Skipping Stone, the highly compulsive ??one-thumb play?? game from Korean developer Gamevil, throughout North America, Asia Pacific and Europe. Skipping Stone is a perfect fit with I-play, which stands for making mobile gaming appealing and easily accessible to all audiences.
The game was featured at last month??s mobile gaming conference ??GDC Mobile?? in San Francisco as a ??game to watch?? in the World Tour Of Mobile Games review of the most promising new mobile games by Wireless Gaming Review??s founder Matthew Bellows. Skipping Stone is the first in a number of new ??one-thumb play?? titles that I-play will be launching over the coming months. The titles are being selected by I-play thanks to their originality, ??fun factor,?? and broad appeal to both gamers and non-gamers, and across all audiences.
Skipping Stone is already a hugely popular mobile game in Korea that has been tipped by game site IGN Wireless as ??perhaps the most frighteningly addictive action game we've seen in months ??Skipping Stone is pure entertainment that deserves to be enjoyed on handsets everywhere??.
The object of the game is to skip a stone across the surface of a lake as many times as possible. The power gauge on the right of the screen allows the player to dose the initial power of the release of the stone. As the user releases the stone at a higher level, the stone starts jumping at a higher initial point, affecting the stone??s trajectory. Subsequent skips of the stone on the water must be timed, using one-thumb presses of the key pad, in such a way as to maximize the stone??s traveled distance across the lake.
Paul Maglione, Senior Vice President of Publishing and Marketing, said: ??Skipping Stone provides instant gratification within the first few seconds of play, but the challenge to beat your highest score keeps the attraction of this game alive for months. The game is a perfect fit with our new name - I-play, which stands for making mobile gaming appealing and easily accessible to all audiences. This game will have even your Grandmother skipping this summer!?
