Montreal, Quebec (Canada) – Artificial Mind & Movement, a world leading independent game studio, is strengthening its activities in the Online, Social and Mobile spaces with the appointment of Patrick Minotti as Head of Studios, Online, Social and Mobile, and Wayne Meazza as Game Executive.

Mr. Minotti has been recognized for his outstanding creative and technical leadership in the interactive multimedia industry for almost twenty years. He comes to Artificial Mind & Movement from EA Mobile, the world leader of mobile video games, where he was responsible for all internal studios around the world. Prior to EA Mobile, he was Vice President of Production for Hexacto, a multiplatform video game company, which he helped create. The company was acquired by Jamdat Mobile in 2003, and subsequently merged with Electronic Arts.

Throughout his career, Mr. Minotti has contributed to win numerous awards and mentions for productions of multiplatform content, notably Lemonade Tycoon (Hexacto),as well as Scrabble Mobile, Skate Mobile and Tetris Multiplayer (EA Mobile).

"We are thrilled to add Patrick to our executive team. His deep understanding of both the mobile and casual game worlds will be a tremendous asset for us. The current and upcoming slate of technologies allows for achieving true connected experiences across multiple platforms. With Patrick’s leadership and Artificial Mind & Movement’s world-class development capabilities, we are ready to deliver those experiences to consumers around the globe," commented Remi Racine, President and CEO of Artificial Mind & Movement.

Reporting directly to Patrick Minotti as Game Executive will be Wayne Meazza. Mr. Meazza brings 18 years of senior management experience within the video game industry, with a focus on production management, sales and marketing. His strategic input in development, publishing and distribution has lead seasoned teams to make and sell dozens of highly successful video game products.

Most recently, Mr. Meazza was Head of Production at Ideaworks3D, a privately held technology and game development company headquartered in London, where he oversaw all ongoing projects as well as assisted in business development. Before that, he was Managing Director and Executive Producer at Cenega. In these capacities, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of multimedia computer entertainment, marketing and sales strategies across the United Kingdom, as well as daily operations. Throughout his career, Mr. Meazza has contributed to obtaining many awards and #1 selling titles, including: Best Game Developer 2008 – ME Awards, Best Mobile Studio 2008 – Develop Industry of Excellence, and Mobile Game of the Year in 2006 and 2008.

"Mr. Meazza has consistently lead teams to excellence and commercial success", said R?mi Racine. "His passion to produce renowned products while working with our industry’s most famous brands will be an invaluable advantage for our studios."

About Artificial Mind & Movement
Based in Montreal, Quebec, Artificial Mind & Movement (A2M) is Canada’s largest independent game developer, employing 450 talented people in Montreal, Quebec and Santiago, Chile. Since 1992, the company has developed 120 titles across every game platform, including its highly-stylized third person shooter WET. Our studios work with the industry’s top publishers and licensors, including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Disney, Electronic Arts, Fox, Konami, LucasArts, Viacom and Warner. Artificial Mind & Movement is committed to producing unparalleled game experiences with original or licensed Intellectual Properties. From 2006 to 2008, the company has ranked simultaneously amongst the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and also as Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies.

As part of a three-way deal with THQ Wireless and Team17 Software, EA Mobile has confirmed that it has picked up the Worms license, giving the publisher rights to all past and future releases in the series on mobile.

The move has long been common knowledge, talk that EA was interested in a deal having emerged back in April last year.

Team17 previously had a similar agreement with THQ Wireless, but the publisher has reportedly handed control over to EA as part of a wider restructuring that will see it focusing on ‘high-end’ portable devices.

EA Mobile has already released its first title following the link-up. Worms 2010 launched earlier this month, but the company will now also publish and promote previous releases in the series, such as Worms 2008, Worms 2007, Worms Forts 3D, Worms Crazy Golf and Worms 2.

"At EA Mobile we are great fans of the Worms series and are pleased to be able to expand the hugely successful franchise with new exciting content as seen in the all new Worms, and make it available to a larger fan base around the world through more channels and in more countries than ever before," says EA Mobile’s VP of publishing, Luca Pagano.

The deal only grants EA access to standard mobile releases, Team17 holding on to Worms games on iPhone and iPod touch – as was the case with THQ. However, the developer believes EA’s brand power and reach could push the series forward overall. […]

"Tetris on mobile will never go away," said Henk Rogers, CEO of Blue Planet Software. "As mobile devices get into the hands of more people, so does Tetris. People are always looking for ways to fill their time — be it in waiting rooms or on the bus — and with the advent of touch screens and improved platforms, our eyes are opened to a whole new way to develop games. After Tetris’ success with the Game Boy in 1989, we always hoped that potential would carry over into today’s mobile devices. It’s a testament to the game’s staying power that it remains popular on today’s most modern technology."

Over its 25-year history, the Tetris game has been sold on almost every gaming platform. Currently, the game’s greatest growth is occurring on mobile platforms.

"Tetris is the biggest franchise in mobile gaming, which speaks to the evergreen nature of the brand and the fact that it translates to any platform," said Adam Sussman, VP Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. "Our strong relationship with Blue Planet Software has enabled us to optimally adapt Tetris to the ever evolving handset market while keeping the true spirit of the game alive. 100 million paid downloads are testament to this."

Created in 1984 by Russian-born mathematician Alexey Pajitnov, the Tetris game has become a worldwide success model for the gaming industry. Tetris was first available on mobile in 2001, the product of collaboration between Rogers and Takeshi Miyaji of Japan’s G-mode.

"Tetris provided the crucial building blocks for our company when we started 10 years ago," said Miyaji, president of G-mode, the exclusive distributor of Tetris in Japan. "Just this past year alone our ‘Tetris League’ game in Japan has been played nearly 100 million times. As G-Mode and Blue Planet Software grow alongside each other, we hope to continue our contributions to Tetris’ recognition and popularity."

In addition to reaching this mobile milestone, the Tetris brand has created numerous headlines in the past year. It is currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary, which officially kicked-off in June 2009 at an event attended by thousands of videogame enthusiasts and journalists from E3 in Los Angeles. And in September 2009, a scientific study published by BMC Research Notes showed that participants who played the Tetris game over time had increased efficiency and a thicker cortex in areas of the brain linked to critical thinking and coordinated movement.

* EA Mobile internal data, includes iPhone and iPod touch downloads

About the Tetris(R) brand

The Tetris(R) brand is one of the leading and most distinctive video game brands and franchises in the world. In the game’s 25-year history, over 125 million units have been sold. Loved globally by people of all ages and all cultures, the Tetris game continues to be one of the most widely recognized video games of all time. According to researchers, the Tetris game is an excellent tool for neuroscience research and has been used in over 30 scientific studies. Research published in 2009 in BMC Research Notes found that study participants who played Tetris showed increased brain efficiency and, relative to controls, an increase in brain tissue. Tetris Holding, LLC is the owner of Tetris rights worldwide and The Tetris Company, LLC is its exclusive licensee. The Tetris Company, through its agent Blue Planet Software, Inc., licenses and manages the Tetris intellectual property and franchise worldwide. Today, Blue Planet Software continues to work with licensees to deliver top quality Tetris products that are relevant, fun and challenging for its millions of players. For the latest information about the Tetris brand and Tetris products, please visit www.tetris.com.

About EA Mobile

EA Mobile(TM), is the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris(R), Bejeweled(R), The Sims(TM), and Need for Speed(TM). The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s partnership with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS(TM) brand, including Madden NFL Football, EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R). EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone(R) and iPod(R). For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, Pogo, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Tetris is a registered trademark of Tetris Holding, LLC. Bejeweled is a registered trademark of PopCap Games, Inc. MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE are trademarks of Hasbro and used with permission. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Apple is a registered trademark, and iPhone, iPod and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Jeudi prochain [21 Janvier], le créateur de Tetris, Alexey Pajitnov, sera à Montréal pour rencontrer les médias au studio d’EA Mobile (le principal éditeur/développeur de versions de Tetris depuis 5 ans).

J’ai bien l’intention d’y aller (surtout que l’invitation venait sous la forme d’un cupcake avec des pièces de Tetris en guimauve sur le dessus, miam!) Est-ce qu’il y a des questions particulières auxquelles vous aimeriez obtenir les réponses? […]

With Apple dominating the portable games space thanks to its App Store and thousands of videogames, Palm used CES 2010 to go virtual. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Palm showed off 3D games for its Palm webOS platform. Palm has partnered with leading mobile game developers like EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu Mobile, and Laminar Research to bring the first batch of games to its Palm Pre customers. Demonstrated at Palm’s CES event, the games are now available in the Palm App Catalog for Palm Pre customers.

"We are very excited about the potential of webOS as a platform for mobile 3D gaming," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president, product marketing, Palm. "This is a key application category, and we’ve worked closely with some of the leading game developers to deliver a great game experience for our customers."

The first seven games available for Palm Pre are EA Mobile’s Need for Speed Undercover, The Sims 3 and Monopoly, Gameloft’s Asphalt 5: Elite Racing and Let’s Golf, Glu Mobile’s Glyder 2 and Laminar Research’s X-Plane. […]

Read the rest on at GamerLive.tv…

Have any of you used a Pre, or even developed on one?

“If you needed more proof of the fierce rivalry that’s developing between EA Mobile and Gameloft, look to the former’s latest mobile game licensing deal.
EA has nabbed the UK rights for Deal or No Deal, and will release its first version of the game this November.
The existing version of the game, released by Gameloft, has been a huge seller since its release in November 2006.”

Read more…

From mobile-ent.biz:

“Market tracker Screen Digest says Gameloft will be rewarded for amassing a huge catalogue and prolific release slate by usurping EA Mobile’s market leadership for the rest of 2008 and then retain its position as the top publisher ‘for the foreseeable future’.”

Read more…