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Playing cellular games
JAMDAT expanding horizons of mobile-phone gamingDate published: 1/1/2005
By MICHAEL ZITZ
Bored to tears with the conversation in your car pool? Thanks to the latest wireless phone technology, you never need to listen to them again--even if no one else is calling. New downloadable games for mobile phones are cheap, absorbing--and they're a hot trend, both for players and investors. Earlier this year, only about 10 percent of cell phone users played games on their phones, according to In-Stat/MDR wireless mobile research. In-Stat says mobile gaming revenues were expected to more than double this year, from $91.3 million in 2003 to $203.8 million, As cell phones become more sophisticated and capable of running complex graphics, the market is expected to grow to $1.8 billion by 2009, In-Stat says. One of the most ambitious wireless entertainment publishers is Jamdat Mobile, which recently introduced several new games that can be downloaded directly to most mobile phones. Jamdat Mobile has content deals with Nickelodeon, New Line Cinema and Major League Baseball. Jamdat raised over $100 million in an October initial public offering. The mobile-phone format has obvious limitations, but Jamdat is gaining a reputation for taking mobile gaming to a new level of seriousness. One is "Tony Hawk's Underground 2," which features a smorgasbord of real skateboarding moves. Another is Jamdat NBA 2005, which lets players shoot jumpers, drive to the hoop, dunk and steal the ball in full-court, two-on-two games. Jamdat NFL 2005 has won critical raves for authenticity in its seven-on-seven football action, which works better on a small screen than full-team competition. And as boring as it may sound, Jamdat Bowling 2 can become addictive. New Jamdat mobile games include "MTX Mototrax," "Bejeweled," " Neverending Nights," "The Lord of the Rings" and "Scrabble." Download prices range from $1.99 to $2.99 a month. Another company, Namco, is offering retro-type arcade game downloads for mobile phones that include Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga. And this month mobile game maker Mforma Group signed a contract with Marvel Enterprises to use Spider-Man, the X-Men, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk--among many other characters--in cell phone games. Mforma is expected to go public in 2005, and the Marvel deal could create considerable investor interest. To reach MICHAEL ZITZ: 374-5408 mikez@freelancestar.com
Date published: 1/1/2005
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