I know you're all very excited to read the lengthy press release below, but for those of you who demand summaries, I have something for you just below here...
I-play, a developer of mobile games, has scored themselves the official license to develop games with the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) branding. But why are we interested in this bit of news? Well, they're developing the 2D version of the rally game for mobiles and they're passing the much more challenging to develop 3D version to our very own Firemint. If you know Firemint, you know that they're very much more than capable of doing 3D on mobiles justice, achieving very impressive results with Madden NFL 07 and The Fast and the Furious: Fugitive 3D on the handset platform.
Now, for what you're all waiting for, the press release!
(press release)
Largest spectator sport in the world revs up for mobile!
San Mateo, CA. and London, UK- July 24, 2007: I-play, the mobile entertainment company, has signed a global deal with the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), one of the largest spectator sports in the world, to bring the license to a mobile games audience for the first time. Mobile gamers will soon be able to experience the most dynamic and challenging motorsports imaginable, pitting the skills required to overcome every weather condition possible against the commercial aspirations of the world's leading car manufacturers. The game is set to launch in the fourth quarter of this year across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The WRC is one of the largest spectator sports in the world, with over 8 million fans attending live WRC events every year. The WRC website alone regularly attracts over 500,000 visitors a month from five separate continents. The target audience for the mobile game includes the 18-35 year old racing fans, speed enthusiasts and thrill seekers who make up WRC's male fanbase. The game will be one of the most demanding and challenging motor-sport competitions on mobile in the world. Rallies will take place in 16 different countries, through all terrains and weather - against the clock!
The World Rally Championship is the only mobile game to carry the official WRC license, carrying with it a huge weight of authenticity. This world-renowned franchise is recreated through original visual settings with the intense environments that the World Rally Championship epitomizes. High speed frenzied action, with detailed and incredibly high quality graphics, will raise WRC above and beyond any other mobile rally racing game. Staying true to I-play's casual development philosophy, the game will incorporate?one thumb? play and will be easily accessible, yet difficult to master.
Leighton Webb, SVP of Content Strategy&Licensing for I-play, commented:?The World Rally Championship is one of the most dynamic and challenging motorsports imaginable. Mobile gamers will be able to experience the dangerous and gruelling nature of the racing sport under every weather condition possible as they aim to master the rally circuits to become the ultimate champion in this authentic mobile iteration of the World Rally Championship.?
John Illsey, Director of International Sportsworld Communicators (ISC), commented:?We are delighted to partner with I-play in introducing the first Official World Rally Championship game on mobile. This platform delivers WRC content in a new format to a new generation of gamers who are able to experience the high-octane challenge of the World Rally Championship, on demand. High quality full rally simulation is now accessible in bite-size chunks relevant to modern lifestyles bringing WRC directly into the hands of a global supporter base.?
The 2D version of the game is being developed by I-play's internal team and the 3D version by I-play's developer partners at Firemint. Both games will be distributed globally across I-play's extensive network.