Game Trust, the global leader in premium play infrastructure for casual games, announced today that five finalists have been selected in the first "Casual Game Evolution Challenge," co-sponsored by Shockwave.com and Macromedia.
Open to any and all game developers, the contest launched before GDC seeking to identify the best single-player Shockwave game concepts for online, tournament, and download play. The contest was designed to help developers successfully release their games and to help the casual game market evolve with innovative new game concepts.
The five finalists will be awarded Game Trust licensing contracts with a revenue share and guaranteed distribution to millions of casual game players worldwide including an exclusive premiere on Shockwave.com. The Grand Prize winner, who will be announced March 28th, will also receive a specially modified, high end Vespa.
"For this first-ever contest, we saw an enormous response of mind-blowing games that really push the limits of online casual games," states Adeo Ressi, CEO of Game Trust. "We couldn't have been more impressed with the caliber of games so choosing five finalists was very difficult. Together with Shockwave.com and Macromedia, we are pleased to reward innovation and to help advance these very talented developers to fame and fortune through the Game Trust platform."
And the Five Finalists are:
DigiPet: Munch Madness, by Mockworld Games (www.mockworld.com): A spectacular 3D Pac-Man variant, where players shoot and dodge gun-wielding trolls while collecting cookies.
Writer's Block, by Blockdot (www.blockdot.com): A fast-paced word game where players twist and rotate a lettered and cubed surface to form words.
Dodge That Anvil!, by RabidLab (www.rabidlab.com): A 3D game where players dodge anvils and use dynamite, magnets, and other fun objects to help harvest and collect food.
Johnny and Tommy, by Nikitova (www.nikitova.com): A unique and fun old-school western shooter where players chase and defeat robbers to retrieve a loved hostage.
Oshiro, by Walking Ideas Inc. (www.walkingideas.com): A beautiful and utterly addictive Japanese-themed puzzle game that has both single and multiplayer game play.
Game Trust, Shockwave.com and Macromedia all contributed judges for the Evolution Challenge. Games were evaluated based on their potential for commercial success, innovative storyline, and "fun factor." The finalists and winner must agree to complete all versions of the game in exchange for the revenue sharing agreement, and distribution opportunity on Shockwave.com and beyond.