In 2007, the mobile games from Fishlabs really hit the jackpot. Our sci-fi mobile game DEEP, with over 20 hours of thrilling underwater adventure, received the best test result (94 percent) to date from the on-line mobile game magazine Airgamer for all mobile games. Our action game still dominates the top spot in the list of the best mobile games. In second place is Galaxy on Fire (test result 93 percent and also from us).

But we have also cleaned up in the role-playing game (RPG) genre. Our action-RPG Blades & Magic is not just on the list of best games at Airgamer, Pocketgamer, MobilegameFAQS, and Midlet-Review. The jury at the German Developer Prize was so taken with it that they named it the best mobile game of 2007. Encouraged by our successes and your praise, we will once again make sure that you mobile gamers don’t get bored this year. We want to really rock your mobile phone again. So we are working on eight great mobile games.

Three new mobile racing games at the starting line

A lot of you sent us e-mail, saying we should develop more racing games, after we were one of the first to bring 3D racing games to mobile phones with V-Rally, Speed Spirit, and Motoraver. We have listened to your pleas and will bring out three mobile racing games this year. However, only in one of them will a car stand at the starting line, because we will be underway on your mobile phone not just on land, but also on the water and in the air. Look forward to thrilling duels with your friends, because all of our upcoming racing games offer multi-player via Bluetooth and also on-line ghost racing with high score uploads. You can play directly against each other or upload your best-driven races with your best time and the course to our server and challenge other players around the world. Unfortunately, only a very few network operators are offering mobile games with multi-player functionality, so that initially this version will be exclusively at www.fishlabs.net.

3D mobile sports games now also from FISHLABS

Before we get to our new action games, we want to turn to the fans of sports games, whom we so far may have neglected somewhat. We are daring to enter a new genre, but we are sure that we can make a hit in this area, too. No, we aren’t making a 3D football game for mobile phones; there are enough good titles from other developers on the market, even if our mobile games engine ABYSS would be really well-suited for it. Instead, we are focussing on a sport that is equal parts speed, dexterity, and body control for this new mobile game.

Four new action mobile games for serious gamers

Of course, we have thought of our action friends and are developing a couple of tough mobile action games. Look forward to a shoot’em-up based on Heli Strike in a completely new setting. The 3D graphics in Heli Strike are some of the best ever seen on a mobile phone, but we are going to go one better. Overall, nine missions may have been a bit few and the game play too easy. We’re going to change that. Getting started will be as simple as ever, but over 24 missions things will get continually harder, until the final boss really makes you sweat. But, of course, he can be beat…

The mobile fighting game from FISHLABS gets down to business

After the tremendous success of Blades & Magic, we have decided to launch a real fighting game. Many of you asked for more freedom in combat, which could not be implemented in such a comprehensive role-playing game with 48 skills (!). Our upcoming mobile game has less to do with magic and experience points, instead focussing heavily on the art of swordplay. Instead of all this being round-based, you will have to dodge attacks in real time and attack when your opponent is unprepared. Only with the right timing will you be able to execute powerful combos and land hard hits. In addition, several characters with different characteristics will be available on your mobile phone for the first time for you to choose to go into battle with. All of this is embedded in a coherent historic scenario that will really get under your skin.

Terrific first person shooter coming to mobile phones

First person shooters (FPS) are not exactly a new genre on the mobile phone for us, but they are certainly very underrepresented. At the beginning of 2005, we launched the first real 3D FPS as a mobile game for Sony Ericsson with our FPS Robot Alliance, and since then almost nothing has been done. Many representatives in the industry are firmly convinced that there are almost no hardcore gamers among mobile phone players and that mobile phones are also not suitable as a gaming platform. No wonder, the top-selling mobile games are simple puzzle or card games or are widely known retro games that aren’t going to lure serious gamers. Our games have shown that mobile phones are capable of much more, and, with the right games, PC and console gamers can indeed be enthused by mobile games. Robot Alliance may have been a bit ahead of its time and only ran on Sony Ericsson. But in the meantime, there are many more high-performance mobile phones on the market, and we believe the time is right for a real 3D first person shooter, with all that entails. You will cross broad terrains on foot, but also explore with a variety of vehicles. We will give you a full arsenal of weapons, and you will encounter opponents that will make your palms sweat. Look forward to especially tough fare for serious tough guys.

Sequel for the best mobile game of 2006

So, now there is just one title left on our list, and what else could it be but the often demanded by the press and long-awaited by fans sequel to Galaxy on Fire? Yes, we are working on a sequel to the mobile game that was selected in 2006 by Mobilegamefaqs, an international on-line magazine for mobile games, as the best action game, the game with the best graphics, and the mobile game of the year 2006. Never before had there been a game for mobile phones that offered so much lush 3D action combined with a stirring story and countless hours of playing motivation. That sounds hard to beat. And yet, at the time we had to leave a lot out that we would have liked to implement but just couldn’t fit into 512 KB. Today, we have approximately 1 MB of RAM on mobile phones and network operators no longer have a limit on downloads for mobile games. So, you will not only be underway in your own galaxy, you will also be able to explore more mysterious regions of the universe. Of course, there will also be new spaceships with significantly more upgrades for weapons, shields, and the like. We will also take over the expanded trading system from DEEP. Naturally, we will seamlessly continue the thrilling story from part one of Galaxy on Fire, and you will meet one or two old acquaintances again. Now isn’t that going to be a fantastic autumn for all serious mobile gamers…