Touchscreen innovation: Yetisports exclusively on PHOTO PLAY 2009!

funworld, Europe’s market leader for linked touchscreen terminals is continuing its remarkable success strategy with the new PHOTO PLAY 2009. The new SYSTEM is however far more than a game update. It corresponds much more to an innovative technology platform, which successfully supports funworld’s innovative concepts for usage optimisation, such as online linking, the Master’s tournament system, the Multiplayer Cup and profitable game cooperations.

PHOTO PLAY 2009 includes a total of 14 new games, four of which are the well-known and exciting Yetisports games. In addition it contains a wealth of innovations in game management as well as the tournament and online segment. PHOTO PLAY 2009 is not only available as a DVD but also through funworld’s advanced technology also ONLINE, which significantly increases the distribution speed and saves hosts’ service and logistics costs.

The innovations

In addition to the four Yetisports games: Pingu Throw, Orca Slap, Icicle Climb and Flamingo Drive, there are also 10 brand new games on PHOTO PLAY 2009: Aviator, Bloxxy, Duo, Pengu Flip, Shanghai Pro, Concentration, Super Sonic, Tutti Frutti, Football Fever and Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture. Find it also scores points with fresh images and Solitaire AM can now be played in duel mode as well.

“To further increase the PHOTO PLAY 2009 games’ attractiveness and hence increase game figures, a new tournament series, Masters PRO, is also being issued in the framework of this year’s anniversary, ‘10 years of Masters’. PHOTO PLAY Masters is the most successful touchscreen-based tournament system in Europe and a highly effective game loyalty tool, which will receive an added boost with Masters PRO,” according to Josef Öhlinger, funworld ag CEO.

As pioneer and innovative leader in the multiplayer segment funworld has also further developed and expanded this through the two newly formatted successful games of Kniffler Pro and TP Genus Ed. The multiplayer area of PHOTO PLAY 2009 consequently not only enables players to play live every day against one another around the globe, they can now chat with each other via the messaging function.

“The new multiplayer area moreover includes an innovative tournament ranking system, which makes it possible for players to take tournament play beyond the encounter at hand. The new multiplayer ranking system increases the attractiveness once again of the PHOTO PLAY 2009 multiplayer area, which meanwhile includes a total of 14 games and accounts for 40% of all PHOTO PLAY network game played,” emphasises Öhlinger.

PHOTO PLAY 2009 moreover has an optimised user interface as well as an appealing demomode, which dynamically puts classic games and current casual games in a gallery with a light background.

Furthermore, PHOTO PLAY 2009 has an additional game category in “FUN”, which in addition to the three existing categories of “cards”, “quiz” and “skill” includes all casual games offered, such as the game of the year, Kick the Fish, or the previously most successful net.game Pengu Flip.

The main menu of PHOTO PLAY 2009 is displayed in a fresh design and with an innovative “full screen teaser tool”, which enables strong branding via creative promotions based on game content or current events. In addition, the set-up is accompanied by innovations and extra game settings.

Yetisports for the first time and exclusively on touchscreen

Yetisports games Pingu Throw, Orca Slap, Icicle Climb and Flamingo Drive crown the broad PHOTO PLAY 2009 game offer. They are within an entire series of Yetisports games and, in addition to the grouse game, are among the most successful casual games on the Internet in recent years. All four are exciting games revolving around Yeti and his fascinating world full of penguins, whales and flamingos.

The Yetisports games were optimised to be touchscreen compatible in close cooperation with the manufacturing company Root9 MediaLAB GmbH to offer their community of fans a unique game experience, which is clearly better than game playing on a PC, due to the interactive touchscreen technology.

“Through the cooperation with Root9 funworld is launching the unique Yetisports games for the entertainment machines branch and is bringing these exclusively on PHOTO PLAY 2009 for the first time in the restaurant/bar/arcade segment. Hosts can thereby profit from the major brand recognition and the high affinity of the Yetisports games. Players, who are already familiar with Yetisports, will intensely enjoy the new touchscreen option and the accompanying game experience. Newcomers will in turn be attracted by this magic and guarantee hefty increases in profits,” explains Öhlinger with confidence.

The Yetisports games are characterised by unique creativity, strong emotionality and high affinity levels. With their distinctive brand philosophy they will also guarantee major game pleasure, new players and high playing figures in restaurants/bars and arcades. “In a field test of all linked PHOTO PLAY terminals Flamingo Drive, for example, has set benchmarks as a net.game throughout Europe within a very brief period of time reaching Number One on the most popular game charts, and has achieved 22,000 games played per day,” Öhlinger reports with enthusiasm.

Following the successful cooperation with Hasbro, funworld is continuing the proven strategy of license partnerships with Yetisports, whereby this extends far beyond the mere provision of the four Yetisports games. funworld has thus also developed a twelve-month action programme, based on the Yetisports games for linked PHOTO PLAY terminals. Online machines receive monthly game updates via the link so that within a year the entire Yetisports series of 11 games will be available on the terminals.

Moreover, a yearlong Yetisports tournaments will be held, a special competition, which will captivate players for the entire year. Select merchandising materials for optimised POS marketing rounds out funworld’s sophisticated Yetisports concept, which is entirely oriented to optimum usage of the attractive contents.

Internet shapes PHOTO PLAY 2009

“Innovation is when you do it!” is the proven axiom of Josef Öhlinger, funworld ag CEO, which is also manifested in PHOTO PLAY 2009 via the strong integration of the Internet. Funworld’s innovative leadership is shown, among other ways, in the complete online distribution of PHOTO PLAY 2009 and in the regular Yetisports games updates at terminals linked online. Öhlinger discusses this:

“PHOTO PLAY 2009 is particularly shaped by the integration of the Internet, whereby individual divisions are particularly strongly determined, such as the PHOTO PLAY Masters or the multiplayer segment, which has only become possible to begin with through online linking. ‘Embedded Internet’ is the innovative core of what makes PHOTO PLAY 2009 unique.”

A further dimension is being experienced via integration of the Internet in PHOTO PLAY 2009, through the new content management system. The aim of this is to custom tailor promising touchscreen optimised game content in the broadest sense to users and market circumstances, as has already been realised, for example, in the new “DSAB-Login” cooperative project between funworld and DSAB/VFS. German dart players can thereby enter and call up information on PHOTO PLAY 2009 about the German dart league at any time.

Further similar types of cooperative projects with strong Internet affinity are currently being tested (e.g. You Tube) and are soon to follow, as funworld will in future even more intensively promote integration of the Internet in PHOTO PLAY 2009 through the expansion of the progressive online technology.

Information for enquiries:

funworld ag

Public Relations, Christina Hinterleitner

Photo Play Straße 1, A-4860 Lenzing

Tel.: +43 (0)7662 6785 450; Mobil: +43 (0)699 16785 450

Email: christina.hinterleitner@funworld.com