Digital Jesters Reaches For The Stars

Welwyn Garden City, Herts UK - 14 October 2004 - Digital Jesters a new British games publisher is to make its first foray into broadcast sponsorship after signing a major deal with Sky Media that will see its forthcoming title The Moment of Silence become the exclusive sponsor of Sky One's co-production Battlestar Galactica. In addition to sponsorship of the exclusive worldwide premiere of the new 13-episode series from Monday 18 October 2004, the deal includes sponsorship of the highly successful mini-series on 14 and 15 October 2004.

Battlestar Galactica is a complete re-imagining of the original 1970s hit series with an appeal beyond the sci-fi genre. The new series picks up where the mini-series finished with the 12 colonies of man destroyed after a 100-year war with the Cylon Empire. Now, President Roslin (Mary McDonell) and Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) gather up the few remaining humans left on all the twelve worlds and embark on a journey to find the mythical planet Earth. The huge technical advances and the award-winning special effects give viewers a heightened sense of being immersed in the action, excitement and confusion that was unimaginable in the 1970s.

Digital Jesters' new sci-fi political thriller The Moment of Silence, a cinematic adventure game set in a futuristic version of New York City, will be promoted via a series of opening and closing credits, break bumpers and branding on all promos across Sky's wholly-owned channels. Creative will be produced in house by Sky Creative Agency,

The deal was negotiated by Mark Gibson from Badge Media.

"With its lavish production values, a complex sci-fi storyline and brilliant action sequences, The Moment of Silence is the perfect game to sit either side of such a breathtaking TV show," says Leo Zullo, marketing director, Digital Jesters. "Just as The Moment of Silence breaks new ground for adventure games, so Battlestar Galactica redefines television science fiction. As this is our first ever TV sponsorship deal, we needed to pick the right vehicle, and Battlestar Galactica hits exactly the audience we're aiming for."

Mark Wood, commercial director at Sky Media, said: "We are delighted that Digital Jesters has chosen Battlestar Galactica as a platform to promote its forthcoming new title. This groundbreaking co-production promises to draw in both long-time fans of the original cult series and a new generation of fans, providing the perfect opportunity to drive momentum behind Digital Jesters' new title."

The Moment of Silence will be released on 5th November 2004.

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About Digital Jesters

Founded in 2003, Digital Jesters is a British-based publisher of computer and video games. Set up by the duo responsible for launching and establishing the Sudden Strike and Cossacks series of games in the UK, the firm's remit is simple: to source and publish the best games available. The company's commitment to originality resulting in it snapping up the original TrackMania game from French developer Nadeo and DJ's ethos of community development strategy resulted in the game becoming one of the sleeper hits of the year. A tie-in with record-breaking yachtswoman Ellen Macarthur for the firm's second release Virtual Skipper 3 ensured the game received widespread attention among the elusive non-gamer, and firmly placed the publisher on the map. The firm has enjoyed three top 10 PC hits and is expanding its operation to cover additional territories. It has also published its own comic book to widespread critical acclaim.