Game-Changing Features Position Flipstones 2 for Holiday Success

December 7, 2010 – Seattle, WA – PressOK Entertainment, a leading mobile application developer and publisher is releasing its feature-packed new title, Flipstones 2 today.  Flipstones 2, available as a Free update of PressOK’s popular title Flipstones, is a line-drawing puzzle game that was re-built from the ground-up with additions including the new Frenzy mode, Boosts and PlacePlay integration, a location-based mobile gaming platform developed by PressOK Entertainment.

Frenzy mode is an addictive, fast-paced race to score as many points as possible before time runs out – a new concept for the game that has a lot of appeal and quickly hooks players.  Challenge mode is still available for players who loved the original Flipstones, but now players can earn stars throughout gameplay which can be used to buy Boosts to better their score in Frenzy mode.  With both modes feeding off each other users are consistently able to keep the game fresh and exciting.

Players will also notice the addition of PlacePlay.  PlacePlay made its debut last week in PressOK Entertainment’s Feed Al: A Finger Physics Odyssey with rave reviews making Flipstones the second PlacePlay enabled title to hit the market.  PlacePlay introduces a new dimension to mobile gaming that enables consumers to post their scores to location specific leader boards to earn virtual currency, virtual content and compete in location specific competitions.  By competing locally, users earn virtual currency which can be redeemed in-game for Boosts to play better, flip stones faster, increase the length of Frenzy mode, and rise to the top of their local leader boards.

“We’ve been working diligently on the PlacePlay integration with Flipstones 2, so we’re looking forward to getting the app into users’ hands” said Ryan Morel, CEO of PressOK Entertainment.  “Flipstones was fun, Flipstones 2 is more fun and I think our users will agree.”

Flipstones 2 is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch for $.99 and is currently available on Apple’s App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flipstones/id379345229?mt=8

PlacePlay is currently in beta with plans to release an SDK for developers in early 2011.  For more information, please visit www.placeplay.com.

PressOK Entertainment Releases New iPhone Game with Location-Based Gaming Platform, PlacePlay

12.01.2010– Seattle, WA – PressOK Entertainment, a leading mobile application developer and publisher is launching Feed Al: A Finger Physics Odyssey, a new game for iPhone and iPod touch users. Feed Al is an extension of the chart-topping hit Finger Physics and has many of the characteristics that mobile gamers loved about the original with totally different game play and a fresh new face – Al Newton!

Al Newton, the star-eating Alien, needs help gathering as many stars as possible to keep him from starving. Players guide the gravity-abiding Collector thingamajob through a myriad of obstacles, blocks, tunnels, and more to gather as many stars as possible to FEED AL!

Feed Al provides endless game play with an enormous amount of levels that differ each game session with a guarantee to churn out new levels and challenges on an on-going basis. The massive amount of levels and constantly changing game play has a major impact on the level of difficulty which makes the game addicting, challenging and endless.

Making its beta debut in Feed Al is PlacePlay, PressOK Entertainment’s location-based gaming platform. PlacePlay introduces a new dimension to mobile gaming that enables consumers to post their scores to location specific leader board to earn virtual currency, virtual content and compete in location specific competitions. By competing in local challenges users earn virtual currency which can be redeemed in-game for Boosts to play better, go farther, Feed Al (most importantly), and rise to the top of their local leader boards.

“We’re very excited to launch the beta version of PlacePlay in Feed Al today” said Ryan Morel, CEO of PressOK Entertainment. “Feed Al combines the favorite aspects of Finger Physics with a fun new spin. We really think our fans will enjoy the new title. Plus, PlacePlay introduces a new dimension of competition for mobile games – we hope our fans enjoy it as much as we do” continued Morel.

Feed Al is currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch on Apple’s App Store for $.99: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/feed-al-a-finger-physics-odyssey/id405263677?mt=8

PlacePlay is currently in beta with plans to release an SDK for developers in early 2011. For more information, please visit www.placeplay.com.

September 28, 2010

[PressOK's VP of engineering describes how iOS App Store success Finger Physics was conceived, greenlit, developed, and marketed -- with tips on how to change small side-projects into big successes.]

At PressOK Entertainment, our product strategy is pretty simple: make games so fun that people want to share them with others. As most developers or publishers will tell you, this is much easier said than done. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail, but the goal never changes.

One of the biggest challenges we face in meeting that goal is making sure that the team working on the game is invested in it, not only because it’s their job, but because it’s their baby. As anyone who has kids or friends who have kids will tell you, no one is as interested in your baby as you are. It’s no different in game development.

The Original Concept

In an attempt to overcome this challenge we instituted the “Rogue Development Project” program. The idea is simple: let our developers spend a certain amount of their time working on whatever game idea they want.

If the resulting ideas or prototypes fit our broad product strategy, they become full-scale projects, led by the developer or team who came up with the idea. Six months after the program started, it was already paying dividends.

Vladimir Agafonov and Efim Voinov, who work in our Moscow, Russia office, were the first to submit a rogue project called “Block-it” to the review team three weeks after the program started.

The process for reviewing games submitted under this program is not scientific by means; it is really basic: is the first five minutes of the game fun? Do we believe the can game be marketed? If our management team answers yes to both questions, then we are off to the races.

Evolution

Our initial feedback included several points that could be improved to help turn this game from a good idea to an outstanding, marketable contender in the puzzle genre.

Starting with the name, we suggested a change from Block-it to something that better described the mechanics and play style of the game itself; ultimately concluding in what we think was a home-run of a title in Finger Physics.

The original game also featured just one basic game mode. Our suggestion of adding more content would help Finger Physics stand out from the crowd of “stacker” games and countless other puzzle games on the App Store.

For the interface and overall look of the game we listed a few improvements that could help bolster the game’s appeal and a player’s likelihood to be entertained for longer periods of time. First off, we opted for more backgrounds and different visuals to keep the player intrigued.

The original background was a stark contrast to the moving pieces of the puzzle and we felt that the “hard” background should blend more with the game to help minimize any distraction from the gameplay itself. The UI underwent a major overhaul; everything from the main menu to the level selection mode was reevaluated and redesigned to polish the game, preparing it for the market.

Agafonov and Voinov took our feedback and ran with it, all while completing development on other projects. Three weeks later, they provided us with an updated build that integrated all of the suggestions, including multiple game modes and addicting gameplay — needless to say, they quickly changed our opinion of the game.

The following week, Agafonov and Voinov teamed up with Anton Antonov, Ilya Koryakin, Dmitry Chernenko, and Grigory Kireev to further develop Finger Physics and make it into the game it is today.

> Read the whole story & view images at Gamasutra.com

SEATTLE – September 16, 2010 – Today, PressOK Entertainment announced its first iPad title to hit the App Store, Finger Physics HD. PressOK Entertainment is a developer and publisher of mobile games with numerous hit titles on the App Store including Finger Physics, Finger Physics: Thumb Wars, and Gin Rummy Multipack.

Finger Physics for iPhone has been downloaded more than 5 million times and PressOK Entertainment continues to extend the reach of the franchise to an eager and loyal fanbase.

“We’re excited to launch our first iPad title today” said Ryan Morel, CEO of PressOK Entertainment. “Finger Physics HD is a natural progression for the franchise and we’re looking forward to getting it into the hands of Finger Physics fans everywhere. The graphics are amazing and the iPad helps to make an already great experience even better” continues Morel.

To celebrate their first iPad title, PressOK Entertainment is having a launch sale and for a limited time, Finger Physics HD is only $1.99 – a very inexpensive price for the iPad App Store. The purchase of Finger Physics HD includes:
- 270 Levels
- 7 Modes
- OpenFeint Integration
- Free access to the iPhone’s paid level packs
- Exclusive iPad-only content to be released in the coming weeks

PressOK Entertainment wants to get their new title on as many iPads as possible, so they’ve sweetened the pot with an astonishing amount of levels and more iPad-only ones to come – a promise that PressOK has continued to deliver on with all of their Finger Physics titles to date.

To download Finger Physics HD today, please visit:
http://itunes.com/app/finger-physics-hd

Flipstones is Line-Drawing-Puzzle-Action for the iPhone & iPod Touch Delivering the Ultimate Mobile Gaming Experience

July 29, 2010 – Seattle, WA – Today, PressOK Entertainment launched Flipstones, a line-drawing puzzle combo game for the growing iPhone developer. Flipstones combines line-drawing, strategy, puzzle and sequence to create an exciting challenge for all gamers. Get flippin’ on your iDevice and download the game today for $1.99 from the App Store: http://itunes.com/app/flipstones

The full version of Flipstones is packed with two game modes, 18 stages, more than 80 levels, and OpenFeint integration. The goal? Tap a stone, draw a path, combine like-colored stones to make shapes and then explode them before more shapes fill the board hindering your progress. Sound tough? It is! Plus, each colored stone has a special effect; some speed up play, some slow it down, some even make stones fly. These special effects plus unique missions on each level keep gamers on their flippy toes and keep the game fresh.

“All of us love line-drawing and puzzle games, so Flipstones was extremely fun to develop. We had a lot of invaluable input from our beta testers during the process which helped get the game to where it is today. We think the final product will do really well on the App Store and we’re excited to be launching it today” says Ryan Morel, vp of business development for PressOK Entertainment.

For screenshots, game trailers and early reviews of Flipstones please visit PressOK Entertainment’s website at http://pressokentertainment.com.

Get flippin!

Finger Physics: Thumb Wars by PressOK Entertainment Delivers a New Battle Concept and 80 Levels of Finger-Teasing Awesomeness

SEATTLE – July 22, 2010 – PressOK Entertainment, a leading developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced the launch of the highly anticipated second entry in the hit Finger Physics franchise, Finger Physics: Thumb Wars. The original game, Finger Physics: Finger Fun, hit #1 in the App Store at the end of 2009 and has been downloaded more than 3.3 million times to date. The new title is available on the App Store immediately, with both a Free version and a Full version for $1.99.

Finger Physics: Thumb Wars continues the tradition of addictive, physics-based gameplay, packing in achievements, global battles, brain-teasers, puzzles, and amazing graphics.

“The original entry in the Finger Physics brand has received around 3.3 million downloads – that’s over 33 million fingers and thumbs! We’re excited to have released another entry in the series for all those crafty digits to consume,” said Ryan Morel, vice president of business development at PressOK Entertainment. “Fans of Finger Physics will discover new gameplay and challenges that allow you to battle your neighbor, a different region, or a different country to find out who is the champion of Thumb Wars!”

With a totally rebuilt physics engine allowing for more unique and challenging puzzles, Finger Physics: Thumb Wars will keep players intrigued and constantly ready for battle. States, regions, and countries will be playing head-to-head to discover where the best and brightest fingers reside.

Finger Physics: Thumb Wars is packed with OpenFeint achievements and leaderboards, giving players plenty to fight over with their neighbors near and far. Just like the original title, Thumb Wars will be updated monthly with new puzzles, new challenges and new fun for fingers everywhere!

View the game trailer on YouTube where you can see screenshots, gameplay, and an overview of challenges.

To download Finger Physics: Thumb Wars, follow these links:
Full Version: http://itunes.com/us/app/fingerphysicsthumbwars
Free Version: http://itunes.com/us/app/fingerphysicsthumbwarsfree

About PressOK Entertainment
Formed in 2008, with the merger of Mobliss, Inc. and Reaxion Corp., PressOK Entertainment is a market-leading developer and publisher of mobile gaming products. By providing fun, connected, mobile games, PressOK enables mobile operators and distribution partners to increase data usage, drive consumer uptake and increase revenue. PressOK Entertainment’s portfolio of games include: Finger Physics, Spinzizzle, Gin Rummy Multipack, Bumper Stars, Fantasy Date, Dungeon Run and Go Fish. PressOK Entertainment is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices in Moscow, Russia and Minsk, Belarus. Please visit PressOK Entertainment online at http://pressokentertainment.com.

A Dynamic Mash up of Pinball and Pool, Bumper Stars Mobile is One of a Short List of Games That Connect Mobile Players to Their Facebook® Friends Using Facebook Connect

SEATTLE & NEW YORK– (BUSINESS WIRE) — Today, PressOK Entertainment and Large Animal Games announce the release of Bumper Stars Mobile. Using Facebook Connect, Bumper Stars Mobile combines mobile and social networking capabilities and gives over 40 million iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to play one of the most popular Facebook games either solo or against their friends. With more than 200 million active users, Facebook is the fourth-most trafficked website in the United States.

“As a publisher of mobile entertainment products, PressOK Entertainment is always trying to make games more accessible and dynamic for players,” notes Ryan Morel, vice president of business development, PressOK Entertainment. “iPhone and iPod touch users will love playing Large Animal’s very entertaining game and connecting to the thousands of Facebook users playing it every day. Using Facebook Connect, we are able to provide Facebook users the ability to play, score and challenge their existing Facebook friends straight from their handsets.”

Already available on the Facebook Platform and now for mobile, Bumper Stars is an addictive mixture of pinball, pool and shuffleboard. Players propel, bounce and bump their favorite characters off customizable bumpers to earn points. By logging in to their existing Facebook account, players can invite and challenge their friends playing either on their mobile device or on Facebook.

“The iPhone and iPod touch are the perfect formats for Bumper Stars, enabling existing fans to play, challenge and enjoy Bumper Stars wherever they are. This version also opens the game up to a whole new set of players that may otherwise have missed out on the fun,” said Wade Tinney, CEO and founding partner of Large Animal Games. “With over seven years in the mobile game business, PressOK Entertainment is the perfect partner to bring Bumper Stars to mobile.”

Bumper Stars Mobile keeps the game fresh by allowing players to earn points by playing, creating, participating in and winning challenges, along with inviting their Facebook friends to play. These points can be used to purchase a variety of downloadable content including backgrounds, bumpers or new characters. In addition, PressOK and Large Animal plan to offer new content and features available for download on a regular basis.

Bumper Stars Mobile works on any iPhone or iPod touch and is available now on the iTunes App Store for $2.99. To access the game, visit http://itunes.com/app/BumperStars or www.BumperStars.com. Bumper Stars Mobile will also be available on Blackberry, Android, J2ME and BREW platforms at the end of Q3.

For Bumper Stars Mobile game graphics, please visit: www.bumperstars.com/press_pack.zip.

About PressOK Entertainment:
Formed in 2008, with the merger of Mobliss, Inc. and Reaxion Corp., PressOK Entertainment is a market-leading developer and publisher of mobile gaming products. By providing fun, connected, mobile games, PressOK enables mobile operators and distribution partners to increase data usage, drive consumer uptake and increase revenue. PressOK’s portfolio of games include: Bettie Barista, Parisian Puzzle Adventures, Detective Puzzles, Gin Rummy, Go Fish and Secret Agent Puzzles. PressOK is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices in Moscow, Russia and Minsk, Belarus. Please visit PressOK Entertainment online at www.pressokentertainment.com.

About Large Animal Games:
Large Animal Games® is an independent developer and publisher of games for a broad range of players. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in New York City, Large Animal has developed over 75 games for a variety of platforms, including award-winning casual titles such as Snapshot Adventures: Secret of Bird Island™ and Rocketbowl®, as well as social network games like Bumper Stars™, Lucky Strike Lanes™, and Fashion Planet™: What to Wear™. Their Toga™ platform enables social games to deeply integrate with and combine audiences across multiple social networks as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch. More information about Large Animal can be found online at www.largeanimal.com.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

> Read article on Smartbrief.com

Posted by Andrew Podolsky, July 7th, 2010

Finger Physics wasn’t the type of game we’d expect to cause international conflict. While the sequel maintains the peaceful settings of the first game, Finger Physics: Thumb Wars will let you compete with other nations on a global scale.

Finger Physics: Thumb Wars, like its predecessor, is based on two main types of gameplay: gravity puzzles, where you must break blocks to help an object reach a target, and balance puzzles, where you must stack objects and keep them steady. We’ve seen these gameplay types before in Saving Private Sheep and Perfect Balance, but Finger Physics keeps it all in one neat package.

And this time around, the package is even neater. The diorama-style backgrounds return, offering the illusion that you’re playing with real objects on a stage. This time, you’re also assisted by anthropomorphic thumbs that take the roles of a country bumpkin or steely drill sergeant.

But the most interesting addition to Finger Physics: Thumb Wars is the worldwide scoreboard. In addition to OpenFeint high scores, you can choose a “team” based on your country or state. High scores from your team will be added up, so it raises the stakes quite a bit. A map of the world on the main title screen will remind you where your country ranks every time you start playing.

> Continue Reading on SlidetoPlay.com

Seattle, Washington – July 6, 2010 — PressOK Entertainment today announced that its Finger Physics application has been selected as a finalist within the “Best iPhone Application” category for The Gettie Awards 2010, the mobile app world’s equivalent of the Oscars hosted by GetJar. The Gettie Awards will honor the successes and innovations of the best application developers across all major platforms from around the world. Developers will have an opportunity to showcase their work in front of industry luminaries, investors, technology press and peers at this prestigious event.

Finger Physics started as a side project that has launched into an App Store sensation. Since its launch in September 2009, Finger Physics has been downloaded more than 3.3 million times and was #1 overall on the App Store in December 2009. Since then, PressOK Entertainment has delivered additional levels every month for free, giving the $.99 game tremendous value.

The game offers a variety of brain teasing levels and modes that include floating blocks, exploding magnets, egg dropping and shape balancing. The difficulty in gameplay varies, making some levels easy enough to enjoy and others sheer agony as players wrack their brain trying to solve each puzzle. This combination of difficulty and strategy is what makes Finger Physics so appealing and addicting to gamers of all levels.

“We’re very honored to be among the top talent represented at the Getties this year” said Ryan Morel, Vice President of Business Development for PressOK Entertainment. “To be a finalist in the Best iPhone Application category means a great deal to us, especially coming from the industry leaders behind the top cross-platform app store” continues Morel.

About The Gettie Awards
This year, The Gettie Awards will take place in conjunction with the first evening of VentureBeat’s annual MobileBeat conference scheduled for July 12, 2010, 7 PM at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California. The Gettie Awards had an overwhelming 7,000 nominations from more than 100 countries. Seven total awards will be presented to the winners within the following categories:
• Best Android application
• Best Blackberry application
• Best iPhone application
• Best Java application
• Best Symbian application
• Best Windows Mobile application
• The Gettie Award for best overall application

Winners from each category will be determined by review of the actual physical applications by a panel of five judges including prominent industry heavyweights, press and analysts. The Gettie Award winner will be determined by nominations and the panel of judges. Developers get the chance to be the best within each category and best for overall application at this prestigious event.
Judging Panel

The distinguished list of judges:
• Rich Wong, Accel Partners
• Kevin Thau, Twitter
• Mike Rowehl, Silicon Valley Mobile Monday and Chomp
• Jessica Dolcourt, CNET
• Matt Marshall, VentureBeat

“The response from the mobile application developer community to The Getties has been incredible,” said Patrick Mork, CMO of GetJar. “The talent, innovation, and diversity in apps we’ve seen across all mobile platforms truly speaks to the fact that the mobile apps industry is global and cross platform. We are excited to showcase and honor the rising stars of the mobile development community at an awards event that is designed to recognize the achievements of those who are really driving this industry forward: application developers.”

# # #

About PressOK Entertainment
Formed in 2008, with the merger of Mobliss Incorporated and Reaxion, PressOK Entertainment is a market-leading developer and publisher of mobile gaming products. By providing fun, connected, mobile games, PressOK enables mobile operators and distribution partners to increase data usage, drive consumer uptake and increase revenue. PressOK’s portfolio of games include: Finger Physics, Spinzizzle, Gin Rummy Multipack, Bumper Stars, Dungeon Run and Go Fish. PressOK Entertainment is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices in Moscow, Russia and Minsk, Belarus. Please visit PressOK Entertainment online at www.pressokentertainment.com.

About GetJar
GetJar is the world’s second largest apps store, second only to the Apple App Store, with over 1 billion downloads to date. The company’s key point of difference is its open market approach, which allows it to deliver applications for both feature phones and smartphones across all major platforms such as Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Symbian among others. The company provides more than 65,000 mobile applications to consumers in more than 200 countries. In 2009 GetJar won the Meffy, Tiecon50 and Mobile Excellence awards for its achievements and products. GetJar is backed by Accel Partners and is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in the UK and Lithuania. For more information: www.getjar.com and follow us on Twitter @getjar.

Press Contacts:
PressOK Entertainment
Stephanie Casey
206-344-8142
stephanie.casey@pressokent.com

GetJar
Diana Vincent-Galvan
650-288-3230
diana@getjar.com

Brew MP Games and Applications Go Social with Facebook Integration

June 30, 2010 – Seattle, Washington – Today, PressOK Entertainment announces the availability of its Facebook extension for Qualcomm Incorporated’s Brew® Mobile Platform operating system (Brew MP™). With social services on the rise, Facebook for Brew MP gives developers a chance to catch that elusive viral component previously reserved for smartphones.

The Facebook extension allows any Brew MP application to connect with the popular social media site, immediately increasing the ability to share. From within an application, the Facebook integration allows users to connect to their Facebook account, post scores or achievements on their wall, and share a comment about the application with their friends. This type of social experience can dramatically increase a title’s discoverability and awareness, two crucial components to its success on any platform. Moreover, this Facebook integration is being made available for use with any Brew application on handsets that support Brew. This flexibility makes it extremely useful for developers to implement – something PressOK Entertainment felt strongly about during development.

The Facebook extension is already available on PressOK Entertainment’s recently released title, Bumper Stars, with additional titles launching shortly. Bumper Stars started as an application on the Facebook Platform and was ported to mobile as a joint venture with Large Animal Games. “Bumper Stars is innately social, so implementing Facebook was a must if we were going to take the game mobile” says Ryan Morel, Vice President of Business Development for PressOK Entertainment. “Whether a mobile application is innately social or not, social sharing is a trend that can’t be ignored by developers.” Morel continues, “Facebook for Brew MP is an easy way to integrate that must-have social component without steering the entire project. We believe all mobile games in the near future will have some kind of social component and this offers Brew MP developers access to those features right now.”

“The ability to leverage social networks such as Facebook presents a tremendous opportunity for developers,” said Mitch Oliver, Vice President of Ecosystem Development for Qualcomm. “We are excited to see the Facebook extension available for Brew MP as it will help our developers create the kind of highly interactive experiences that consumers are looking for in mobile.”

Facebook integration is available on Brew 3.X, 4.X and Brew MP, and can be licensed from PressOK Entertainment. For more information about licensing, please email info@pressokentertainment.com.

About PressOK Entertainment
Formed in 2008, with the merger of Mobliss, Inc. and Reaxion Corp., PressOK Entertainment is a market-leading developer and publisher of mobile gaming products. By providing fun, connected, mobile games, PressOK enables mobile operators and distribution partners to increase data usage, drive consumer uptake and increase revenue. PressOK Entertainment’s portfolio of games include: Finger Physics, Spinzizzle, Gin Rummy Multipack, Bumper Stars, America’s Next Top Model, Fantasy Date, Dungeon Run and Go Fish. PressOK Entertainment is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices in Moscow, Russia and Minsk, Belarus. Please visit PressOK Entertainment online at www.pressokentertainment.com

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

Qualcomm and Brew are registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Brew MP is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

> Read the article on Uplinq.com