Tokyo Gaming for Barbie: Oasys Teams with Mattel for More Mobile Titles

RALEIGH, N.C. – Oasys Mobile will soon be taking Mattel’s Barbie and Ken to the Far East with some new mobile games.

Oasys, a developer and provider of content for mobile devices, is expanding its relationship with Mattel for several new mobile games targeting different geographic regions.

The company, which helped make Sports Illustrated swimsuit models a big seller over mobile phones then lost the contract, will develop games for Barbie, Max Steel, UNO and Magic 8 Ball.

“Our new agreements with Mattel for these great brand franchises positions Oasys to make an even greater impact in the global marketplace in 2007,” said Doug Dyer, who recently was named chief executive officer at Oasys.

The mobile gaming market in the United States generated more than $560 million in revenue in 2006, according to research firm Telephia. Oasys is one of 90 vendors competing for revenues and is among a handful holding between 2-6 percent of the market, Telephia said in a recent report. In recent quarterly statistics, Oasys held 21 percent of revenues for mobile card and casino games, Telephia reported.

The Barbie games will be targeted at the Japanese and Taiwan markets.

Oasys also plans to offer UNO across the Far East. It already owns distribution rights for UNO in the United States, Australia, Europe, Central America and other regions and countries.
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asys will launch Magic 8 Ball on a worldwide basis in June. The Max Steel game, featuring a security agent, will be offered in Latin America and South America.

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Oasys Mobile,” said Cynthia Neiman, vice president of marketing, Mattel Games. “They have solid relationships with top carriers around the world and will deliver an entirely new line-up of mobile games featuring our popular brands to markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America.”

Oasys, which recently went through a reorganization and layoffs of some 20 workers, said it would introduce several new games and enhanced versions of existing titles this year. Its biggest seller is the poker game Texas Hold’em with Phil Hellmuth.

“Our solid relationships with companies like Mattel and many of the leading carriers worldwide will enable Oasys to expand its distribution to numerous audiences worldwide and increase revenues for 2007,” Dyer said.

Oasys’ target list for 2007, by region, includes:

US Market:

• Mattel’s UNO Classic 2007, UNO Solitaire, UNO Freefall 2.0, and a series of games and applications based around the timeless Magic 8 Ball;

• Texas Hold‘em 2007 with Phil Hellmuth with new multi-player features;

• Branded versions of White Water Tubin’ and Casino Tycoon;

• AROD MVP Baseball Challenge; and

• Original titles Houdini: Escape from Dead Water, Alice: Ripple in Time, Playground Legends and Zombies.

Asian Market:

• Mattel’s UNO Classic 2007, UNO Freefall 2.0 and Barbie.

South American/Central American Market:

• Mattel’s UNO Classic 2007 and the popular Max Steel

European Market: