Block Dropping Beats

Denki | March 31st. Tetris^TM, one of the most successful videogames ever created, can now be played live and head-to-head by two players on Sky Gamestar's new Liveplay games service, thanks to Denki, a developer of digital toys and games.

Liveplay Tetris^TM brings authentic Tetris^TM play to a brand new multiplayer game, which allows players to compete against each other through their Sky digital set top box. When players create two or more lines, they are sent to the other player's screen, pushing their pieces ever closer to the top. The Liveplay service tracks each player's progress within the game, so that each player can compete and play against another with the same skill level, to ensure that all matches are fair and challenging for both competitors.

Colin Anderson, the managing director of Denki, said, "Working on a game with a history and fanbase like Tetris^TM has been an exciting challenge for Denki. We wanted to ensure that the simple and addictive gameplay was faithful to the single player game and make it as easy and convenient as possible for players to find and challenge others. Denki has a great deal of experience in bringing original and branded games to digital television and we're very proud to have been involved in bringing Liveplay Tetris^TM to life."

Players use their Sky remote controls to play the game, rotating pieces and placing them to make complete lines as quickly as possible. Liveplay Tetris^TM includes all of the classic Tetris^TM features as well as a number of new options including an 'instant drop' button and a 'holding area', where a piece can be stored until needed. Liveplay Tetris^TM also features a 'chat' option, which allows players to communicate by choosing messages to send to their opponent. Congratulations, commiserations and curses are all included to ensure every eventuality is catered for.

Adrian Pilkington, the Commercial Director ETV and Games at Sky Gamestar, said, "Tetris^TM is an ideal title for Sky Gamestar. It's instantly recognisable, very playable and enjoyed by everybody. Tetris^TM is a huge single-player title and so we're very excited about launching a multiplayer TV version with our Liveplay service. With the Liveplay Tetris^TM it's wonderful to think of housewives competing against school kids and business people. That's what TV gaming is all about."

Denki, creator of both the Liveplay and new single-player Tetris^TM games for Sky Gamestar, is one of the world's most advanced and capable creators of games for interactive digital television (iDTV). The company has created over twenty original and branded games for Sky Gamestar as well as award winning titles such as Denki Blocks! for the Nintendo Game Boy and Java-enabled mobile phone handsets. Liveplay Tetris^TM is Denki's third Liveplay title for Sky.

ENDS

About Denki

Founded in 2000 by veterans of the console games industry, Denki is a digital toys and games company. Denki believes anything can be made fun to play with in digital form - no matter how constrained the technology. Denki toys are attractive, easy to pick up and fun to play with. The company is the creator of the multiple award-winning Denki Blocks!, winner of 'Overall Best Game of the Show' and 'Best Handheld Game of the Show' at ECTS 2001a BAFTA Award nominee in 2002.

Denki is a pioneer of gaming on interactive Digital Television (iDTV). In the past several years, the company has created a wide range of titles for Sky Television's Gamestar service, including many based on famous entertainment brands and licences.

Denki's branded iDTV catalogue includes: Super Breakout, Bust-A-Move, Pac-Man, Hulk, Courage The Cowardly Dog, Sky Sports Darts, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Codename: Kids Next Door, Scooby-Doo, Thunderbirds, Tetris, Shrek and Boggle*.

Denki has also created a range of original titles including Denki Blocks!, Caterpillar Crunch, Bips!, Word Crunch, Letter Box and Genie's Cave

The company is continuing to explore the possibilities presented by new 'non-dedicated' platforms such as iDTV and mobile phones, as they present a real possibility of penetrating the mass-market like no other games technology before.

In 2005 Denki is exploring opportunities to take their unique experience and expertise out to a rapidly growing global market. The company is creating a dedicated new initiative to allow it to translate it's market leading position within the advanced UK market into a similar position in the global iDTV industry.

Contact:

Denki

Penny Malcolm

Media Liaison

T: +44 (0) 1382 308645

E:[email protected]

Brian Baglow

Indoctrimat PR

M: +44 (0) 7747 792247

E: [email protected]

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