JUMP GAMES WINS MAN UNITED MOBILE DEAL

8 February 2008

Indian developer will produce six games by April 2008


Mumbai-based mobile games developer Jump Games has clinched a deal to initially produce six mobile games for the famed Manchester United football club.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Reliance Entertainment says the three-year deal with Manchester United will make it the club’s official mobile games partner globally, and that the value of the deal is in excess of $100 million.

The plan is to publish six games in the first year. The first game will be released in March and is called Manchester United Word It. This is a casual crosswords game and tests the participants’ knowledge of the club's history. The next game will be a 3D soccer game. Manchester United spokesmen said that the club has 20 million fans in India and is looking to tap into this market.

Announcing the deal, Reliance Entertainment president Rajesh Sawhney described it as 'historic'. “Soccer is the biggest sport globally and Manchester United is the world’s biggest sports club. In the mobile content space, this deal is one of the biggest globally. We see mobile as becoming a dominant force in the entertainment space given the fact that three billion people own a mobile. With Manchester United on board, we can look forward to setting global standards in the mobile entertainment space."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that it is an opportunity for fans to get more closely involved with the club. "Manchester United, all of us, are delighted in our new arrangement with Jump Games," Sir Alex said. "I think it's a fantastic venture. And to all our fans all over the world it's an opportunity to get yourselves involved in it."

Jump Games CEO Salil Bhargava says that the aim of Jump Games, which has been in operation for two years, is to expand not just in India but also abroad. “At this time interest is being expressed by operators to go beyond just voice revenues. We can help operators add content to their lineup and thus cater better to an entertainment-hungry audience," he said.

Bhargava added that that the new Man (U) games will be both hardcore soccer and casual games oriented. “Our aim is to create a fan affiliation with the club. We will price our products reasonably. We are also looking at the pay per play model where a consumer pays around each time he or she plays the game. Manchester United has 300 million fans globally. Beyond soccer, Jump Games is also looking at cricket, racing, tennis.

"The racing game will be released in three to six months time. It is a question of finding the right partner. For tennis, we could look to sign up with a star or be associated with a major event like a Grand Slam.”

20-25 percent of Jump Games’ revenue comes from India. The Asia Pacific region accounts for around 55 percent.

For the new deal, Korea, China and Japan are key markets. Korea has 30 million Manchester United fans. Bhargava notes that when high profile player David Beckham toured Japan as a member of Manchester United, the country almost came to a halt. In Europe, the UK is the biggest market, and Jump Games will open an office in the United States next month.

Jump Games has partnerships with 80 networks in 40 countries. They include Vodafone, Telstra, Virgin Mobile, Telefonica, O2. The company will be coordinating marketing activities with operators. These will include contests where some winners will be flown down to watch key matches. Others will win club merchandise.

There will be six games in the Manchester United suite available in Europe in 2008. The first game will be priced between three and five Euros or around three UK Pounds. Other network charges may apply. Further IP partnerships will be announced during the course of the year.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa