VIVENDI GAMES MOBILE’S SWAT® FORCE WINS BEST WIRELESS GAME AT SPIKE TV VIDEO GAME AWARDS
Los Angeles, CA – December 13, 2006 – Vivendi Games Mobile, a division of Vivendi Games, scored a major win at the 4th annual Spike TV Video Game Awards held on Friday, December 8th in Los Angeles. Less than a year into its emergence as a global games publisher for mobile phones, Vivendi Games Mobile won the Best Wireless Game award for its action shooter title SWAT® Force, beating out contenders Diner Dash, Tower Bloxx and Super K.O. Boxing.
“I can’t think of a better way for Vivendi Games Mobile to celebrate its successful entry into the business,” said Paul Maglione, president of Vivendi Games Mobile. “The quality of our games is being recognized across our entire slate of titles, but to receive this special acknowledgement for SWAT is indeed an honor. We look forward to building the SWAT franchise and evolving the title to deliver an even better game for mobile devices worldwide.”
Virginie Grange, director of Corporate Business Development for Vivendi Games Mobile, accepted the Spike TV Video Game Award and gave a brief acceptance speech. “This award is a great validation for Vivendi Games Mobile and its ability to successfully translate popular video game franchises such as SWAT into a superlative mobile game.”
Over the course of 2006, SWAT Force has racked up accolades from major game reviewers, including a Mobie Award nomination from CNET Networks Games & Entertainment and an IGN Editor’s Choice Award. In its review, IGN stated, “SWAT Force is one of the better PC-to-mobile games we have played.” SWAT Force is currently available to Cingular Wireless, Sprint Wireless, and Amp’d Mobile customers in the US, and will soon be available to Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile customers as well. SWAT Force has also launched on mobile carriers throughout Europe.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson hosted this year’s Spike TV Video Game Awards event, which featured performances by Tenacious D and AFI, and special guest appearances by 50 Cent, Tyrese, Heroes’ stars Hayden Panettiere and Masi Oka, Eva Mendez, Rachel Leigh Cook, Sarah Silverman, and others. The Spike TV Video Game Awards broadcast will debut this Wednesday, December 13, at 10pm ET/PT.
About SWAT Force
SWAT, or Special Weapons and Tactics, is Los Angeles’ elite rapid intervention police force. It is specially trained and equipped to deal with the most dangerous urban crisis situations: hostage situations, armed robberies and bomb threats. Based on the popular PC franchise published by Sierra Entertainment, SWAT Force has faithfully translated the tactical police action to mobile.
SWAT Force puts you in the shoes of a SWAT squad leader. Take tactical control of a 2-man SWAT squad and lead them through seven authentic crisis situations. Choose the equipment and tactics for both your sharpshooter and your explosives expert. Use each one at the appropriate moment and defuse the traps that lie in your way. Remember that your ultimate goal is to protect life and not necessarily to shoot to kill. The game, developed by Kaolink, offers detailed animation and an intuitive control scheme that makes the gameplay experience highly rewarding.
About Vivendi Games Mobile
Vivendi Games Mobile, a division of Vivendi Games, is dedicated to publishing quality titles for the worldwide mobile games market. The division has a global presence, with its headquarters, operations and an internal development team in Paris and a US-based team in Los Angeles. Following the acquisition of the award-winning mobile games publisher Centerscore in September 2006, Vivendi Games Mobile also has an internal development studio in San Mateo, CA. The company publishes a diverse portfolio of action, strategy, casual and arcade games based on original IP, high-profile entertainment licenses and classic Sierra IP, distributed by more than 90 operators and dozens of Web portals in 60 countries around the world. Top-selling titles include: Black Hawk Down®, Crash® Racing, Empire Earth®, Eragon™, Leisure Suit Larry®, Spyro the Dragon®, Surviving High School and SWAT® Force. For further information, visit http://www.vgmobile.com/.
About Vivendi Games
Vivendi Games (www.vivendigames.com) is a global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. The company is the leader in the subscription-based massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG) category, holds leading positions in the PC, console, handheld and mobile games markets, and is an emerging player in casual online games. Vivendi Games’ two principal studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, headquartered in Irvine, CA, the creator of World of Warcraft®, Diablo®, StarCraft®, and Warcraft®; and Sierra Entertainment, headquartered in Los Angeles, which includes Radical Entertainment, Swordfish Studios, High Moon Studios, and Massive Entertainment. Sierra’s IPs include Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Empire Earth®, SWAT®, Darkwatch™, TimeShift™, Ground Control® and Leisure Suit Larry®. Vivendi Games is also home to Vivendi Games Mobile, publishing games for the mobile market, and Sierra Online, dedicated to publishing casual games for online play and distribution on all platforms. Vivendi Games maintains strategic relationships with industry leading content partners, including Universal Music Group, NBC Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ludlum Entertainment. The company has 16 offices around the world conducting business in 75 countries.