Wireless Industry's First Carrier-Sponsored Mobile Community Caps Off a
Successful Year and Adds Status Points
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and LOS ANGELES, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
(E3 2005) -- Sprint (NYSE: FON) today announced several milestones for the
Game Lobby from Sprint, a virtual mobile community for gamers to meet,
recommend games and challenge each other, which is available nationwide on the
Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. Launched in March 2004 with M7 Networks as the
world's first carrier-based mobile games community, the Game Lobby from Sprint
boasts:
-- More than 500,000 members
-- 67 games from 12 leading mobile game publishers
-- Nearly six million game scores posted by members to leaderboards
-- More than 40,000 game reviews uploaded by members, which help other
customers buy the best games
-- The just-launched status points program where customers earn points for
their activities to enhance the fun, competitive nature of the virtual
games community
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )
"As the first carrier to recognize the consumer demand for a virtual
gaming community, Sprint created the Game Lobby to provide a ubiquitous mobile
experience for both hardcore and casual gamers," said Jason Ford, general
manager - Games, Sprint. "We are enhancing this community experience by adding
a status points program to the Game Lobby so members can accrue points for
community-related activities, such as posting scores, updating profiles and
recommending games to buddies."
Powered by M7 Networks' Application Community Platform, the Game Lobby is
a free service to Sprint customers who purchase a Game Lobby-enabled game.
"A key to the success of the Game Lobby from Sprint is the compelling game
content provided by the world's leading mobile game publishers. The fact that
the games are community-based is appealing to the end user because it allows
them to be connected to other gamers," said William Erickson, CEO of M7
Networks. "Additionally, our vision for the Game Lobby, and for all of our
technologies, is to build a strong community that benefits not only the
carrier and publisher but also provides value for the consumer as well.
Community loyalty benefits the carrier financially, and with the information
gained from the Application Community Platform subscribers are able to
leverage their feedback into improved deck placements for popular games and
influence new games that are offered."
The Game Lobby from Sprint, which is accessible from the fixed Internet,
the mobile web and within the game, includes features such as:
-- Single-gamer username across games and publishers
-- Centralized listing of high-score postings
-- Ability for users to manage their identity and determine what
information is stored in their profile, such as pictures
-- Opportunity to rate and review games
-- Ability for users to create a buddy list of other members for
challenging and instant messaging
-- Option to opt-in to receive new game alerts
-- Interoperability with other carriers' mobile games community to enable
cross-carrier buddy communication, game ratings and leaderboards
-- The hottest, new games as well as mobile classics including:
-- Block Breaker Deluxe from Gameloft
-- Golden Tee(R) Advanced by IN-FUSIO
-- Tony Hawk's Underground 2 by JAMDAT Mobile
-- Ms. PAC-MAN by Namco
About Sprint
Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than
26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 68,000
employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, Sprint is
widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art
network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-
digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone.
Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of
Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless
network in the United States. For more information, visit
http://www.sprint.com .
About M7 Networks
M7 Networks is a neutral, trusted partner providing solutions and services
for the creation and management of intelligent mobile communities. M7
connects wireless carriers, content providers and end users around a wide
variety of data-related content such as games and music. M7's services
provide a CRM foundation for increased brand awareness and loyalty, an
enhanced end user experience, and incremental revenue streams. Based in La
Jolla, California, M7 Networks was founded in 2000 with funding from QUALCOMM,
Enterprise Partners, and Sienna Ventures. For more information, visit
http://www.m7networks.com or email info@m7networks.com .
SOURCE Sprint
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.sprint.com
http://www.m7networks.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Laura J. Tigges of Sprint, +1-913-794-3604,
laura.j.tigges@mail.sprint.com
|
