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Digital Bridges and Ideaworks3D to Join Forces in Bringing Connected Gaming to Global Audience

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 February 2004, 06:00 CST

CANNES, France, February 24 /PRNewswire/ -- - Collaboration to Deliver Advanced Multiplayer Gaming Across Smartphone Platforms

Digital Bridges, a world leader in the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment solutions, and Ideaworks3D, a leading provider of advanced mobile gaming technology and content today announced their intention to collaborate in delivering advanced connected gaming to a global mass-market audience.

The planned collaboration will combine Digital Bridges' market leading position in mass-market mobile game development, publishing and distribution with Ideaworks3D's Airplay(tm) 2.0 connected gaming platform, a carrier grade, commercially proven, turnkey solution for the global provisioning and administration of rich multiplayer mobile games. The Airplay platform consists of a connected gaming SDK for mobile operating systems such as Symbian OS, which Digital Bridges will diffuse to its development studios, and an end-to-end service solution that perfectly compliments Digital Bridges' comprehensive UNITY interactive content server platform. Together, the companies will offer connected gaming services that span the entire range of bearer and execution environments for mobile games, from Java capable handsets to leading smartphone platforms such as Nokia's Series 60.

Brian Greasley, CEO of Digital Bridges said, "The combination of UNITY and Airplay functionality allows us to extend our connected gaming portfolio to the ever increasing Smartphone environment."

"Leveraging our unparalleled track record in mobile gaming technology with Digital Bridges' leadership in the mobile entertainment market is a natural fit," said Adrian Sack, CEO, Ideaworks3D. "Our companies share a common vision for the future of connected gaming, together we can now deliver that experience to a global audience."

About Airplay 2.0

Launched at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, Airplay 2.0 features include true real-time multiplayer arcade gaming support, unique Push-To-Taunt(tm) in-game voice messaging, the patent pending Handcuff(tm) DRM, security and anti-hacking framework as well as support and optimisation for a wide range of Series 60 and Java-based handsets. These exciting new features boost the platform's existing feature set, which includes a full high score, match-making and tournament competition management system, over the air (OTA) game updating and downloads, and a uniquely advanced billing system integration engine. Together with sophisticated bandwidth conservation and management features, Airplay provides publishers and service providers with the most scalable and bandwidth efficient multiplayer gaming system over any air interface.

In 2003, Nokia licensed Airplay 1.0 from Ideaworks3D to power the launch of the N-Gage(tm) Arena, the world's first globally available multiplayer wireless gaming service. The N-Gage Arena today delivers the most advanced and compelling wireless gaming experience available on a mobile phone. Ideaworks3D recently received a BAFTA award nomination from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognising this outstanding technical achievement.

About Digital Bridges

Founded in 1998, Digital Bridges is a world leader in the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment solutions. An industry pioneer, Digital Bridges provides the best in mobile entertainment to a global distribution network of operators, portals, retailers, interactive TV channels and other e-commerce outlets, representing over 300 million subscribers worldwide. The company possesses a unique combination of mobile technology, development and publishing expertise, and works with many of the world's leading media and entertainment brands including Star Trek: First Duty(tm), Scooby-Doo(tm), Cartoon Network(tm), Men in Black II(tm), The Weakest Link(tm), Space Invaders(tm), Pac-Man(tm), EA SPORTS(tm) FIFA 2004 Mobile International Edition and EA SPORTS(tm) Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(r) Golf 2004*. UNITY, the company's best-in-class technology platform, supports all current and future mobile standards, protocols, technologies and operating systems. Digital Bridges' investors include Apax Partners, Argo Global Capital and Openwave Systems Inc. Digital Bridges has its commercial headquarters in London, with technology & publishing divisions in Dunfermline, Scotland, as well as sales offices in Paris and New York.

About Ideaworks3D

Ideaworks3D, Ltd. is a privately held technology company headquartered in London. Founded in 1998 with a strong Oxford and Cambridge computer science and electronic engineering pedigree, the company has an unparalleled track record of innovation and market leadership in the field of rich mobile gaming. Its Segundo3D(tm) game development and porting tool chain has become the smartphone technology of choice for many leading games publishers, bringing to market more of the world's top gaming brands than any other mobile 3D technology, including blockbuster titles like The Sims(tm) (Electronic Arts), Tomb Raider(tm) starring Lara Croft (Eidos), Tony Hawk's Pro Skater(tm) (Activision) & Atari's V-Rally(tm) (iFone). Segundo3D supports all major mobile operating systems including Symbian OS, Linux and Microsoft Windows Mobile, and standard 3D APIs such as OpenGL ES and JSR 184. Ideaworks3D commercialises its market leading technology and content through a network of clients and partners including Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, Symbian, T-Mobile, Orange, Digital Bridges, Texas Instruments, ARM, Intel, Macromedia, and Autodesk/Discreet. Ideaworks3D is online at http://mobilegames.com/

Digital Bridges and IdeaWorks3D Ltd

CONTACT: Digital Bridges: Paul Maglione, Senior Vice President ofMarketing, Tel: +44-207-901-1763,paul.maglione@digitalbridges.com, Ideaworks3D, Ltd: ThorGunnarsson, Director, Marketing and Sales, Tel:+44-207-853-2297, Email: press@ideaworks3d.com

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