Digital Bridges To Open Major North American Operational Hub
Mobile Games Leader Consolidates Its Position In World’s Fastest-Growing Mobile Games Market
San Francisco CA, 1st December 2004: Digital Bridges, a world leader in the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment solutions, today announced the opening of a cross-functional operational hub in San Mateo, California, to complement its existing production and technology facilities in Scotland. Its San Mateo offices will become the company's North American headquarters, incorporating Development, Production and QA departments and a Sales and Marketing team.
The move caps a year in which Digital Bridges became one of the fastest-growing mobile game publishers in the dynamic North American market. Overall the company has seen its revenue in the third quarter of calendar 2004 grow by more than 30% over Q2. Digital Bridges recently closed a third funding round, for $18 million, from existing investors, funds advised by Apax Partners and Argo Global Capital.
The company, which had previously focused its content deals on its home European market, this year signed a number of strategically significant content partnership deals directly targeting the U.S. market. These include its license deals with Vivendi Universal Games, Universal Studios, MGM, the recently announced deal with Sports Illustrated mobile games and the US rights covered by its multi-region partnership arrangement with Electronic Arts.
Blockbuster titles launched in the U.S. so far this year include the phenomenally successful The Fast and the FuriousTM racing game, EA SPORTS Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004TM, Crash Bandicoot: Nitro CartTM and the critically acclaimed Gauntlet. Titles to roll out over the holiday period include RobocopTM, dbi 3D Pool and SpyroRipto QuestTM. Digital Bridges' line up of new premium-branded titles to launch before the end of the year includes: EA SPORTS 2005 Tiger Woods PGA TourTM; PlatoonTM; Crash Bandicoot: TwinsanityTM; EA SPORTS 2005 FIFA MIETM and 2Fast 2FuriousTM.
The rollout of these premium titles has enabled Digital Bridges to become a key publisher to highly successful wireless network carriers like Sprint PCS (FON), Verizon Wireless (VZ), T-Mobile USA (DT), Cingular, AT&T Wireless, Virgin Mobile USA, Bell Mobility and Rogers Wireless (RCN). The company's published titles are also available in a wide range of national retail outlets via its retail distributor, Playphone.
Commenting on the announcement, Brian Greasley, CEO of Digital Bridges said: "The North American market for mobile games has seen explosive growth in 2004. We are very excited to have been able to be part of that growth story, and with the content partnerships now in place and in particular with the calibre of staff we will now have operating out of San Francisco, we are looking forward to even faster growth in both revenues and market share in the coming year."
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About Digital Bridges
Founded in 1998, Digital Bridges is a world leader in the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment solutions. An industry pioneer, Digital Bridges provides the best in mobile entertainment to a global distribution network of operators, portals, retailers, interactive TV channels and other e-commerce outlets, representing over 400 million subscribers worldwide. The company possesses a unique combination of mobile technology, development and publishing expertise, and works with many of the world's leading media and entertainment brands including Crash BandicootTM, RollerballTM, RobocopTM, The Pink PantherTM, PlatoonTM, The Fast and the FuriousTM, Weakest Link, Space Invaders®, EA SPORTSTM FIFA Football 2004 Mobile International Edition and EA SPORTSTM Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 2004. UNITY, the company's best-in-class technology platform, supports all current and future mobile standards, protocols, technologies and operating systems. Digital Bridges' investors include funds advised by Apax Partners, Argo Global Capital and Openwave Systems Inc. Digital Bridges has its commercial and publishing headquarters in London, with technology & production divisions in Dunfermline, Scotland, as well as sales offices in Paris and New York.
For more information, please call +44 (0) 20 7901 1760 or visit us at our corporate site www.digitalbridges.com, our games publishing site www.dbigames.com or our mobile games retail packs site www.dbiplay.com
Contact:
Annabel Brog
Digital Bridges
1c Greencoat House
Francis Street
London SW1P 1DH
DD: +44 (0) 207 901 1770
Mob: +44 (0) 778 756 1352