Game Trust Names Walking Ideas' "Oshiro" Grand Prize Winner In Casual Game Development Contest
“Casual Game Evolution Challenge” Co-Sponsored by Shockwave.comä and Macromedia
For Immediate Release
Oshiro's Developers Win an Exclusive Premiere on Shockwave.com and a Specially Tricked Out Vespa
New York, NY and San Francisco, CA - March 29 - Game Trust, the global leader in premium play infrastructure for casual games, announced today that "Oshiro" by Walking Ideas, Inc. is the Grand Prize Winner of Game Trust's first "Casual Game Evolution Challenge," co-sponsored by Shockwave.comTM and Macromedia.
Developed by San Francisco-based Walking Ideas, Inc., Oshiro is a Japanese-themed strategy board game that plays both like a puzzle and a chess-match. The game features stunning graphics, three game modes, and single and multiplayer game play. It's a time-killer in the office, a brain-teaser for cerebral minds, and a chess match for competitive spirits. A demo version of Oshiro is currently available at www.walkingideas.com.
As Grand Prize Winner of Game Trust's Casual Game Evolution Challenge, Oshiro wins a five-figure revenue share advance, a Game Trust Game Frame licensing contract, and an exclusive premiere on Shockwave.com. In addition, Game Trust will also award Walking Ideas with a specially "tricked out" Vespa that was commissioned specifically for this contest. The Vespa was on display earlier this month at GDC.
Open to any and all game developers, the contest launched before GDC seeking to identify the best single-player Shockwave game concepts for online, tournament, and download play. The contest was designed to help developers successfully release their games and to help the casual game market evolve with innovative new game concepts.
"We couldn't be more pleased to name Oshiro the first Grand Prize Winner of the Game Trust 'Casual Game Evolution Challenge,'" said Adeo Ressi, CEO of Game Trust. "The game is highly addictive and will appeal to casual and competitive gamers. Its elegant graphics and beautiful music will challenge most people's notion of what a casual game can be. We look forward to introducing Oshiro to millions of gamers exclusively on Shockwave.com."
"Walking Ideas is proud to work with Game Trust, who values creativity and original game play," said Rick Hou, Founder of Walking Ideas, Inc. "We are extremely excited about the opportunity this collaborative effort can bring."
Game Trust, Shockwave.com and Macromedia all contributed judges for the Evolution Challenge. Games were evaluated based on their potential for commercial success, innovative storyline, and "fun factor." Over 50 developers submitted games for the contest.
About Game Trust
Founded in 2002, Game Trust (www.gametrust.com) is the economic engine of innovation in games with the leading platform for premium game play. The Game Frame platform is the industry standard for deploying community and transactions within online casual games. Licensed by leading distribution outlets worldwide, the platform reaches a combined audience in excess of 130 million players per month. Award winning games, such as "Shroomz," are released by leading developers on the platform to reach millions of players with new premium play models. The Company is venture backed with offices in New York and Denmark.
About Shockwave.com
Shockwave.com is the world's leading destination for online games, serving a large, loyal audience the best in interactive entertainment since 1998. The award-winning Shockwave.com Web site (www.shockwave.com) attracts millions of players of all ages with a broad selection of entertainment -- action-packed arcade-style games, jigsaws and puzzle games, creativity software titles, multiplayer games, and more. Originally founded as a division of Macromedia Inc, Shockwave.com is a service of San Francisco-based AtomShockwave Corp. For more information, please visit www.shockwave.com and www.atomshockwave.com.
About Walking Ideas, Inc.
Walking Ideas, Inc. (www.walkingideas.com) is a privately held company founded in 1999 in Southern California. It was set out to create a flavor of games that are thought provoking, exciting, and suitable for everyone. Currently, the company operates out of San Francisco/Bay Area and has a handful of game inventions that are being presented to toy companies around the world. It is also implementing online versions of these games, which will be available to the public in 2005.
Media Contacts:
For Game Trust
Andy Morris
Andy Morris & Co.
212-561-7465
For Shockwave.com
Elisa Greene
PR Manager, AtomShockwave.com
415-503-2490