It's Game-On For New Mobile Reviews Site
London, UK, 13th March 2006, Hold onto your handsets and hang on to your handhelds - www.pocketgamer.co.uk has just launched to bring you news, previews and reviews exclusively dedicated to mobile and handheld games.
The brainchild of six veteran games industry journalists, Pocket Gamer puts mobile games on an equal footing with PSP, DS and GBA titles, identifying a new market segment that its creators have dubbed 'Pocket Gaming', and offering a more mainstream voice than existing games fansites.
"Pocket gaming is the games revolution that's happening right here, right now," says Chris James, managing director of Pocket Gamer. "Sony and Nintendo have each sold over a million of their next-gen handhelds in the UK alone, whilst Informa predicts that some 280 million mobile games will be downloaded in Europe during 2006. Who needs the World Cup for excitement - let alone PlayStation 3?"
The mobile industry in particular has been crying out for a new way to reach consumers, rather than simply relying on big licenses or precious real estate on operator's portals. Mobile games are given the same in-depth reviews on Pocket Gamer as PSP and DS games, and the site will launch with dozens of the most important games on all formats already reviewed. Meanwhile, the news and previews sections will provide a new option for mobile games publishers looking to better inform and excite gamers about their upcoming titles.
"Everyone in our industry agrees we need new ways to reach potential mobile gamers," comments I-play's Annabel Brog. "It's great to see that Pocket Gamer is stepping up to the mark, and with a real dream team, I've no doubt the site will quickly gather momentum and a strong following."
BEYOND THE FANBOYS
A key strength of Pocket Gamer's editorial content is its deliberately welcoming tone - reflecting a desire to reach out to the new wave of mobile gamers who might never have read a specialist press magazine.
"Existing sites and magazines are fine for hardcore PC and console gamers," says James. "However, reading them can feel a bit like joining a private conversation that you've never been part of. In contrast, we're looking beyond the fanboys to welcome everyone to our site. You don't need to have been a PlayStation fan, let alone a die-hard Sega console veteran, to enjoy our articles. You just need to want fun, fast - and to go."
To this end, articles on Pocket Gamer focus on getting more out of your mobile phone, PSP, or DS, as well as directing you to the latest and greatest games.
"We realise that for some new phone and even handheld owners, the games experience can be a bit daunting," explains James. "Therefore, as well as becoming the indispensable buyer's guide to mobile games - and we'll say if a game has missed the mark just as readily as we'll salute the winners - we believe Pocket Gamer has a valuable role to play in educating the market, particularly in how to download and play mobile games."
Other journalists working on Pocket Gamer include former Develop, MCV and Edge frontman Owain Bennallack; technology and mobile phone specialist Mike Abolins; Joao Sanches, former editor of Edge; and veteran games journalist Jon Jordan. Heading up the design side is Jez Bridgeman, former group art editor of the Computing and Games Division of Future Publishing.
www.pocketgamer.co.uk goes live on March 10th. High resolution images suitable for print and online use are available upon request.
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Pocket Gamer is the UK's number one destination for mobile phone, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GBA and Nokia N-Gage game news, previews and reviews. Launching in March 2006, Pocket Gamer is Steel Media's first original editorial publication.
Steel Media was formed in 2006 by six publishing professionals with over 50 years of newsstand and customer magazine experience between them. Steel Media takes pride in creating innovative and exciting publications both for itself and for selected third parties.
For further information, please contact:
Chris James
Managing director, Pocket Gamer
Steel Media
Tel: 07811 135 982
Email: chris@pocketgamer.co.uk
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