Archive for February, 2008

FISHLABS mobile games without download fees!

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Heads up! Depending on your mobile data-plan, you may have to pay download fees in addition to the purchase price when you buy a mobile game. But not with FISHLABS! We now provide a premium service to customers who buy our mobile games directly from us online. As of now, we will send our mobile games to you via e-mail. This means that you save the high data transfer costs typically charged for downloading games via mobile network. Our 3D mobile games with their sophisticated graphics and long gameplay are fairly large, so this makes a big difference. You can transfer the mobile game quite simply from your PC to your mobile phone via data cable or Bluetooth connection. And, of course, we will still send you an SMS message with a link so that you can download directly to your mobile phone if you have no access to a PC.[full]

Mobile game backup copy included

Not only do you save a lot of money on download fees with our premium service, you also get a backup copy. Normally, all your data is lost if you accidentally delete a mobile game or update the software of your mobile phone, but with our service you can simply reinstall the game.

Fair play with FISHLABS mobile games

FISHLABS is the first and only vendor to offer our customers hassle and cost free delivery of mobile games. We have also made the conscious decision not to use any expensive and technically involved copy protection on our games. Instead, each mobile game we send will be flagged beforehand with a watermark. This will enable us to trace any illicit copies of our mobile games back to the originator. Because giving away our mobile games to friends, or making them available for download on the Internet is obviously not allowed. So if you play fair, we can continue to offer you our unique service. Cool deal, huh?

Game on!

Your FISHLABS team

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GDC Mobile: Games independently of mobile operators?

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

A fundamental change seems to be underway that will affect the way mobile games and other mobile content are distributed in the future. The keynote speakers at the GDC Mobile – among them CEO of Gameloft Michel Guillemot, head of Nokia’s multimedia division Anssi Vanjoki, former Managing Director EMEA of Glu Mobile Kristian Segerstrale, VP Content Licensing at Jamba Thomas Richter, and mobile games veteran and co-founder of the GDC Mobile Robert Tercek – all predicted the same thing: In future, only a small percentage of mobile games, if at all, will be distributed through mobile operators. They seem to be right; only one representative of a mobile operator was sighted at the well-attended event. Apparently none of the mobile operators were really interested in finding out more about Ovi, Nokia’s new portal for mobile games and other mobile content, or other new platforms for mobile games such as Google’s Android or Apple’s iPhone.[full]

And this although mobile operators will be missing out on a huge opportunity, or perhaps even the business model that will dominate the future. Revenue from mobile voice services has been on the decline for years, and the future is clearly in mobile data services. All the analysts agree on this. What is particularly remarkable is that mobile operators have always protested that they have not just been a “pipeline” for mobile content, but have actively cultivated  the market.

Who will make money from mobile games in future?

Yet this is exactly where the mobile operators have pushed an entire industry into a corner with high data transfer charges, low margins for content suppliers, and last but not least their restrictive policy on which mobile games are offered for sale and which handhelds are supported. In particular, the fluctuating quality of mobile games on offer (i.e. those selected and sold by mobile operators) and hidden data transfer costs have put off many consumers and slowed down the growth of the mobile game market. Why a real music ringtone should cost far more than the original song in MP3 format is another thing that defies explanation.

So it’s no wonder that mobile game publishers, music publishers, and technology companies such as Nokia with the N-Gage and Ovi, Apple with the iPhone, and Google with Android are looking for ways to position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities the mobile games market promises for the future. Ultimately it will come down to the question of who has more clout: the mobile operators, with direct customer relations thanks to their control of the mobile networks and the possibility of easy payment via mobile phone bill? Or the manufacturers of mobile devices for which, thanks to the success of mobile Internet access, mobile games, ringtones and music can be purchased and downloaded directly from the Internet via Sideload, independently of mobile operators?

What remains to be seen is whether distributing mobile games through  iTunes will really be more attractive for publishers and not face restrictions similar to those of distribution through mobile operators. It certainly gives one pause that neither Apple nor Google were at the GDC Mobile to promote developers’ interest in their new platforms. Does this mean that it was all just mobile castles in the air? At any rate, we from FISHLABS will take a close look at the new technologies, and as soon as the chance arises we will distribute our mobile games via the new channels.

Exciting things to come. Game on!

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Next level mobile games at the Games Developer Conference

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Our bags are packed and today we leave for San Francisco and the Games Developer Conference, the Mecca for computer, video, and mobile games. The GDC is the world’s most important event for game developers, publishers, and those who would like to enter the field. For five days, the entire focus will be on games for the PC, consoles, or mobile phones. Naturally, we will be there too, to track down the latest trends in mobile gaming and to set a few ourselves.[full]

FISHLABS presentation: Mobile phones as game consoles

This time, we will even give a presentation about mobile games. Our topic: “Console Game Experience on Mobile Phones with Immersive Games and Innovative Gadgets”. What is that about? Quite simple: to date, most mobile games have had a rather simple design and either the fun is over after a few minutes or  things repeat endlessly with limited variations. Of course, simple games don’t have to be bad. If the game play is so good that even the 99th still motivates and challenges, there are many hours of fun in the game. Actually, this kind of mobile games is even extremely popular with a very large target group. But they usually fail to excite real gamers who are used to something completely different in terms of graphics, game depth, and interaction on PCs or consoles.

Mobile games have to get by with limited technology

Thus far, mobile games have been at a disadvantage, because mobile phones simply do not have enough processor speed or storage and the displays were too small. In addition, the downloading of mobile games was limited by network operators, so that the potential of high-end mobile phones simply couldn’t be used. No wonder that most implementations of PC or console games are disappointing. The game play and the scope of the games was not originally designed for such end devices and thus suffered from the technical limitations. That is more than enough for classic games such as Pac Man, Tetris, and so on,  which mobile phones have offered since the beginning of the new century. That is another reason why this game genre is so popular on mobile phones.

Enormous graphics and computing power in your pocket

Of course, mobile phones are becoming more and more powerful and in particular devices from Sony Ericsson have been on par with the first Playstation since at least the K800. Some mobile games which were developed especially for the Symbian devices from Nokia and Sony Ericsson with 3D graphics chip need not even shy away from comparison with games for the PSP. Upcoming mobile phones will even be able to compete with the latest generation of consoles, and most network operators have lifted the size limitation on game downloads. Only one thing is still poor: the controls of mobile games. The buttons on the phone were not developed to control mobile games. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to the controls in developing game play, especially for 3D mobile games, so that gaming on a mobile phone does not turn into a frustrating experience due to the controls.

Your mobile phone becomes a true game console with a separate game controller

All FISHLABS mobile games have simulated analogue controls, similar to a game controller. Given the limited options of a mobile phone keypad, they are certainly among the best in the market. Still, they can never achieve the touch & feel of a real game controller which allows, for instance, sensitive aiming in first person shooters. This is probably why some clever US American boys and, most notably, a girl decided to invent an analogue game controller for mobile games. Beth Marcus, founder and CEO of Zeemote, and her team developed the first and so far only analogue game controller for mobile games worldwide. Beth certainly knows her way with joysticks. She’s the one who invented the force feedback joystick and later sold her company to Microsoft. And now she seems to have landed another major hit. Here at FISHLABS, we spontaneously redesigned our shooter Heli Strike in order to test the new game feeling. Mobile phone in one hand, the Zeemote in the other, it is possible to navigate the helicopter elegantly across the phone display via Bluetooth and fire salvoes with the buttons on the front. Not only can the helicopter be steered much better with the Zeemote, you can also relax much more looking at the display and concentrate better on the action. This makes Heli Strike even more fun, and you will eventually put down your phone and the Zeemote with great reluctance.

FISHLABS mobile games support Zeemote

We were so pleased that from now on, we will adapt all our mobile action games to be used with the Zeemote. The device will not be released for a few more months, but we will keep you updated and our fans will be the first who get to order the Zeemote directly from us. If you happen to be visiting the GDC in San Francisco as well, you can try out our mobile games with the Zeemote in the North Hall, room 111, on Tuesday at 4 pm.

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Powerboat Challenge – Mobile Game with Hot Racing Boats and Snappy Comments

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Go full throttle in Powerboat Challenge™, the new mobile game from FISHLABS! This mobile game isn’t just about speed on the water, it’s also about cool dudes, hot women, cheeky comments, and the right racing style. Both casual players and hardcore gamers will really get their money’s worth.[full]

Select your mobile game character in Powerboat ChallengeCPowerboat Challenge Mobile Game Splashscreenhoose from four not exactly everyday drivers and their speedboats. The boats differ in looks and, of course, in their handling characteristics, such as top speed, acceleration, and manoeuvrability. But the drivers themselves also have their own personalities and make cheeky comments. Over the course of the game, you will complete different types of races held all around the world. These include lap races against three other boats, elimination races where the last boat in each lap drops out, and solo races against a time target for each course.

Pass the buoy on the correct side to fill up your boost barBut this mobile game isn’t just about speed. The courses are marked by buoys that you have to pass on the correct side and as closely as possible. The closer the better, because then you can ignite the turbo for a short time. But be careful: if you pass a buoy on the wrong side, you will receive a penalty point. If you miss three buoys in a race, you will be disqualified. In addition, you will also get style points for every skilfully rounded buoy. Earn enough style points and tuning sets will be unlocked, that you can then buy with your prize money from the races.

Pimp my boat – the shop has cool gadgets for your racing boat

If you have demonstrated enough style on the course, head for the shop. Choose from among bigger engines, chip tuning, fatter turbos, or extra spoilers for better manoeuvrability. Of course, looks aren’t neglected either. All the changes to your powerboat are immediately visible and really stand out during the races. Fully equipped, you then start the next race. If you have successfully completed enough races, the next location will be unlocked, where you will have to prove yourself anew against tougher opponents, who naturally have also pimped up their boats.

Mobile game with unbelievable visual effects

Unbelievable particle effects and real water reflections of the environment in a mobile game!This game will blow away everything that’s ever been seen in the field of water racing games on mobile phones. The detailed 3D graphics run smoothly, despite numerous light and particle effects, the environment is even reflected realistically on the surface of the water. And all of that with up to three opponents to make life difficult for you. It’s time to game on your mobile phone like it was a console! Of course, if your phone isn’t one of the fastest, you can reduce the graphics.Overall, around ten hours of fun are waiting for you, before you have played through all the drivers and courses. Don’t let anyone tell you that mobile games are just for casual players and every now and then!

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