Acclaim gets in on mobile gaming

Acclaim has drafted in mobile games specialist IOMO to promote its forthcoming Urban Freestyle Soccer, due for release on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PC this October. The developer was recently recognised by Develop magazine as one of the UK's leading mobile game studios.

The mobile version of the game - shortened to Urban Freestyle - should be available on Vodafone live! now, or at least in the very near future, and has been developed for a range of Vodafone live! handsets including Sharp's GX10, GX10i, and GX20, and Nokia's 7650 3650 handsets.

Apparently the mobile game focuses on ball skills and the player's dexterity, with timing and arcade challenge games set against the clock. The mobile version of the game will also work in conjunction with the console releases via special cheat codes that will unlock exclusive bonus areas. IOMO Managing Director John Chasey is keen to highlight the cross-platform synergy.

"This is one of the first instances of a game extending across all technologies including mobile phones and we're very excited to be involved," he said in a statement. "We expect the mobile game to help drive players to the Urban Freestyle Soccer console game and vice versa. This could be the start of an interesting trend for major games brands in the future."