EA Mobile launches classic game titles for the holidays

December 20, 2007

ESPN Darts is one of EA's classics to make it into mobile

It seems there’s nothing gamers love more than a good sequel.

Tapping into these sensibilities, EA Mobile, the mobile division of Electronic Arts Inc., is launching two mobile adaptations of classic titles for sports and board game fans and one for music enthusiasts.

To stay entertained while standing in long holiday-shopping lines, players can compose a rough sketch or a work of art and have their friends guess with Pictionary, create customized mixes and turn them into ringtones with The Sims DJ, and hit a bull’s-eye with ESPN Darts.

“We wanted to release products that the mobile audience will want to play over and over,” said Neal Alcaraz, senior manager of product marketing for EA Mobile, Los Angeles.

All three games allow users to play alone or with friends on the same handset. They can also compete in multiplayer mode with gamers using separate handsets.

EA Mobile traditionally markets games through outlets such as a “presence on social networking sites, posting theatrical trailers on enthusiast gamer Web sites, SMS text campaigns, promotion on the EA Mobile Web site and newsletter… and top deck placement on major US wireless carriers,” Mr. Alcaraz said.

Games up
Gamers can buy the game through their carrier’s wireless deck and Web site, via the EA Mobile Web site, or through a short code that directs consumers back to the carrier deck.

The games are available on major wireless carriers this month.

Meanwhile, The Sims DJ offers music fans a chance to create their own songs and ringtones in a variety of popular genres, including pop, rock, hip-hop and dance on their handsets. Users can play with six drum beats, bass lines and effects tracks from the games’ collection of music samples.

Players can store the ringtones they produce onto their mobile device and also earn Simoleons – The Sims’ version of currency – to spend on new music samples and equipment such as speakers, turntables and headphones.

ESPN Darts offers rich graphics and multiple game modes for users to play popular dart games such as X01, or choose popular pub games such as Cricket and Around the Clock. It also offers tournament mode, automatic on-screen scoring and high-energy sound effects, such as the sound of darts hitting the board and a cheering crowd.

The mobile game version of Pictionary allows players to compete against the phone in a race against time, challenge another player using the same handset or play with up to four friends in multiplayer mode.

Also, the mobile Pictionary game preserves the simple interface that makes it easy for all levels of players to sketch with a pencil, paint bucket, shapes and stamps using the phone’s D pad.

“The mobile business is a little like the movie business – people go to the theater or, in this case, the carrier’s mobile game deck on their phone, because they’re ready to watch an anticipated sequel or … buy the follow-up to a critically acclaimed game,” Mr. Alcaraz said.