Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TOYA, the only publisher and developer of entertainment and video games designed to inspire children, especially young girls, announced it has teamed up with Dr. Jen Welter, the first female to coach in the National Football League (NFL), to create the Coach Jen game series, which consists of three games inspired by Welter’s Grrridiron Girls Flag Football camps.
Touchdown Battle is the first of game in the Coach Jen series, and released today, September 18, 2018, on the Minecraft Marketplace. The second game will be Obstacle Combo and will release in October. The third and final game is Football Camp - Roleplaying Spawn (working title) and will release in November 2018. Touchdown Battle is a multiplayer game in which players will battle to score five touchdowns in 1 vs 1 mode or team vs team mode. Obstacle Combo is a level-based game where players much successfully conquer all the obstacles within a given time in order to progress. The game will have 10 courses, the final two courses will unlock once the other eight courses are completed successfully. Courses will promote a mix of skills and capabilities related to specific football positions. The final game - Football Camp - is an open world where players can play as they wish.
“The Coach Jen game series, inspired by Dr. Jen Welter and her GRRRIDIRON GIRLS Flag Football camp, is designed to encourage all kids that sports like football, which are traditionally thought of as male only, are for everyone,” said Anat Shperling, CEO, TOYA. “Dr. Welter has spent her life running through barriers and breaking down harmful stereotypes to achieve her dreams, proving to the world that football is an all-inclusive sport, not just for boys. We are proud of her and glad she is on our team,” said Anat Shperling, CEO, TOYA.
Founded by Anat Shperling and Yifat Anzelevich, TOYA is a multi-platform entertainment content publisher and developer that creates content for the female demographic. As an official Minecraft Marketplace launch partner, TOYA has released seven games inside the world of Minecraft. “The female gamer constitutes 40% of the video game market and yet is dramatically underserved. We concentrate on the creation of non-stereotypical entertainment, like the Coach Jen game series, to provide gamers with strong female protagonists that address research based female motivations and competencies,” said Shperling.
Dr. Jen Welter is best known as the first female coach in NFL history, when in 2015, she served as the assistant inside linebackers coaching intern for the Arizona Cardinals. Currently, Dr. Welter – who has a PHD in psychology – runs her own national traveling flag-football camp for girls, GRRRIDIRON GIRLS, and works to empower women in sports around the world.
“I’m delighted and impressed with the women entrepreneurs of TOYA and their dedication to empowering young girls in the Minecraft universe,” added Dr. Welter. “I hope that girls playing the game will also be inspired to get into sports in real life. Knowing that TOYA builds its games for everyone, with an emphasis on females, I’m honored to be the inspiration for this game.”
Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkH0bIwEIEw
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzQSuhiCFjA
Images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AnE1BUY92W-PbiT61i6GaLEVx_9xMtAI?usp=sharing
For more information, please contact Jim Redner, jimredner@therednergroup.com.
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About TOYA
The Israeli startup TOYA, founded by Ms. Shperling and Yifat Anzelevich, is determined to provide a different kind of gaming experience, adventurous and aspirational, to grade-school-age girls – and to boys, who rarely see heroic female characters or sheroes in online games. The company’s first two Minecraft games, inspired by the work of renowned gorilla researcher Dian Fossey and Japanese mountain-climber Junko Tabei, were released in November and December 2017. In January 2018, TOYA had its first multi-product launch, including Desert of Secrets, set in Alexandria Egypt, and The Chocolate Factory Mystery, set in Brazil. The four games challenge players to become adventurers, explorers, scientists and/or businesspeople, using the accomplishments of real women and exotic locales from Mt. Everest to a secret Egyptian pyramid to stimulate gamers’ interest. More information about Toya is available at http://www.toyaplay.com/.
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