LANGHORNE, Pa., Aug. 21, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Casual games developer and publisher eGames, Inc. (Pink Sheets:EGAM) and top developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games Sandlot Games(r) announced the impending release of the web version of top selling, award-winning casual game, Burger Island(tm) on major game portals including MSN(r) and AOL(r). Created to increase awareness of the popular burger-flipping title and generate ad revenue, the web version, published online by Sandlot Games, allows site visitors to try the game for free without additional downloads.
"As an ongoing strategy, eGames plans to release web versions of our popular downloadable games like Burger Island, along with dipping into our extensive library of Cinemaware(r) titles, bringing some of the line's classic mini-games to a new audience of casual gamers," said eGames Product Manager Greg Zesinger. "Web games are a powerful tool for increasing awareness, promoting trial, and creating additional revenue via ads, and we want to continue to capitalize on our brand new properties as well as our vault of popular and beloved Cinemaware games."
With development currently underway for three new casual titles including Puzzle City(tm), a block-dropping puzzler with city-building elements, Pet Shop(tm), a task management game set in a pet adoption center, and Rubik's(r) Cube Challenge, inspired by the popular cube puzzle, eGames plans to release approximately ten to twelve new properties through fiscal 2008.
"The initial response we've received for early versions of Puzzle City, Pet Shop, and Rubik's Cube Challenge from some of the industry's top game portals has been very gratifying," said Zesinger. "Through its success and award-winning gameplay, many have told us that Burger Island has established eGames as a developer capable of creating games that stack up with the best the industry has to offer. Based on the feedback we've been getting, our new games should only serve to reinforce those opinions."
eGames also plans to resurrect approximately forty mini-games from its portfolio of classic Cinemaware properties in the form of free-to-play web games. Featuring strong storylines, dominant characters, and ageless themes like ancient myths, time travel, gangster dramas, aerial combat, and science fiction epics, the Cinemaware titles including Defender of the Crown(r), The King of Chicago(tm), Rocket Ranger(tm), and It Came From the Desert(tm) mirror many of the most popular movies and television shows of the past and present. By reinvigorating the Cinemaware mini-games for today's growing casual audience, eGames will launch a brand awareness campaign and establish targets for future development of new downloadable versions of the classic properties.
"While the 35+ female remains the largest consumer of casual games today, the percentage is shrinking as more 'traditional' gamers, many of them young males, enter the casual space," said Zesinger. "The Cinemaware properties, just as the movies that inspired them, appeal to a wide audience, and our web game initiative will allow us to capitalize on this emerging market and create exciting content our customers want and demand."
In concert with serving the casual PC market, eGames intends to expands its scope of development to include today's popular handheld, mobile, and console devices as casual gamers continue to drive new growth on these popular devices and platforms.
"In summary, our business model transition from third-party game publisher to fully-functional publisher and developer is complete and we're very satisfied with our progress in assembling a world-class development team," said Zesinger. "For fiscal year 2008, we plan to continue to fill our production pipeline, produce additional top-performing games, explore new platforms, and unleash the value in our portfolio of classic Cinemaware properties. Our goals have been set, and now we are ready to play and win the game."
About eGames, Inc.
eGames, Inc., headquartered in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, develops and publishes casual games for the PC and the Internet which now include the eGames(tm), Cinemaware(r) and Cinemaware Marquee(r) brands. Additional information regarding eGames, Inc. can be found at http://www.egames.com.
About Sandlot Games
Sandlot Games Corporation, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, is the world's premier developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games. Sandlot Games boasts a captivating portfolio of popular game titles and franchises including Cake Mania(tm), Glyph(tm), Super Granny(r), Tradewinds(r) and Westward(r). Sandlot Games reaches millions of game players worldwide through a variety of distribution channels including online, PC, PDA's, handhelds, videogame consoles and mobile phones. Since 2002, over 100 million games have been downloaded by its loyal fan base. For more information or to play one of our award winning games, please visit us at www.sandlotgames.com.
Rubik's Cube is a trademark of Seven Towns Ltd. Used under license. MSN is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. AOL is a registered trademark of AOL LLC.