Good news for mobile gamers in the east: starting immediately, mobivention will sell our mobile games through more than 20 local mobile network operators and other on-line portals. Many of our fans come from Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia (yes, we know that these countries are actually part of central Europe, not the east). Our mobile games may be available from our website, but we don’t support payment via mobile phone bill for all countries. For younger gamers who don’t have a bank account or a credit card, this is often the only way to pay for mobile games.

Specialist for mobile games in central and eastern Europe

Our new colleagues from mobivention have long been successful in central and eastern Europe with themes, wallpaper, video, and mobile games. For us, this is, of course, a terrific cooperation. Besides the direct contracts with local mobile network operators, mobivention also has an extremely competent team with lots of local employees. This is essential for smooth communication in the individual countries and, of course, also helps us enormously to understand the local conditions better and to respond to them. Thus, we will also offer our mobile games in more local languages.

And here is the complete list of the new sales regions for our mobile games: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

We are releasing our new 3D mobile game Powerboat Challenge™ somewhat earlier than planned. Starting today, you can get the game for your mobile phone from our website without download fees. Then it’s time to select one of the zany characters with a cool racing boat, and off to the starting line for the first race! Of course, performance will also depend on what sort of mobile phone you are using to play Powerboat Challenge™.

Graphics options also in 3D mobile games

Depending on the performance of the various end devices, mobile games run at differing speeds or in varying quality. In Powerboat Challenge™, the choice is yours. We have taken the quality right to the absolute limit of what is possible for Java mobile games (Java is the programming language that is used for most mobile games). If the game doesn’t run fast enough for you on your mobile phone, you can turn various effects on or off by choosing Options from the main menu and then Graphics. You may be already familiar with this from PC games.

Sufficient performance for 3D mobile games?

Some mobile phones are almost able to match PCs in terms of computing performance. The Nokia N95, for example, has a 3D-chip that allows 3D mobile games to run very well. But for racing games, what matters is high computing power for calculating the 3D physics. This is necessary, for example, to simulate realistic handling of the racing boats. If you have one of the state-of-the-art Sony Ericsson phones, like the K800i, then you are well-equipped. More than just the 3D graphics run very smoothly on those. They also have enough computing power not to lose their oomph even in races against three other boats. Then you can enjoy your Powerboat Challenge™ with all of the water, light, and wave effects.

One final tip: on some mobile phones, Powerboat Challenge™ runs a bit faster if the sound is turned off. So 3D mobile games aren’t quite up to PCs (yet), but you can’t stick a PC in your pocket

Game on!

Your Fishlabs Team

Who says mobile games just cost money? Starting right now, you can win 200 Euros or one of four cool Fishlabs bags every week with our 3D racing game Coast Racer! All you have to do is test your skills with Coast Racer, and upload your best times to our server via SMS. The deadline for the competition is always Sunday at 10:00 PM.

In Coast Racer, you race a fast sports car along the French Riviera. The curving roads lead you through a picturesque 3D landscape with small villages and through typical well-lit open tunnels along the coast. We have kept the technical requirements for Coast Racer particularly low, so that the game will run on as many mobile phones as possible. You can also upload your best times very simply, right out of the game via standard SMS, because that also functions problem-free on older phones.

This is how to earn your easy money: download the mobile game Coast Racer from our website to your mobile phone for free. We also guarantee that there will be no download fees, because we send you the mobile game to your PC via e-mail. Then you have to connect your to the PC via Bluetooth or a data cable to transfer the game.

Then put the pedal to the metal on all the courses and drive your best times. Every time you set a new course record, you can upload the new best time to our server with a standard SMS (maximum 19 cents) right from the mobile game. You can then compare your best times with those of other players at www.coastracer.com. Then, every Sunday at 10:00 PM, we will determine the winners of the 200 Euros and the Fishlabs bag and inform them by SMS.

Gentlemen – start your engines!

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Choose 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.

But 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

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!

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…

Welcome to our blog about FISHLABS. We will post news about our upcoming titles, news about the mobile games industry and other things we think are worth sharing with you.

Of course this is also about some back stage stories from our talented mobile game developers. You will read about their work in general, the games they are working on but also about themselves. So stay tuned and read more about this later.

Of course, you can read this blog on your mobile when you are on the go as well. Just start the browser on you mobile phone and enter http://blog.fishlabs.net/en/.

Alright, enjoy our blog now.

Game on!
Your FISHLABS Team
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3D Mobile Games For Real Gamers - www.fishlabs.net