Nokia is gearing up for the release of its new N-Gage platform, and I-play is supplying the software necessary to make the mobile phone/handheld console hybrid successful.

The first two games that I-Play will release are racing sim World Rally Championship and the intense puzzle title Super Mah Jong. In recognition to the casual gaming revolution that's taking the world by storm, the firm made necessary adjustments to make its creations more appealing.

According to I-play, their games will push the N-Gage hardware to its limits but will maintain the one-hand control scheme being pushed by Nokia. The idea behind it is fun and ease at the same time to lure in people of all ages.

"We’re very excited to be cooperating with Nokia. The awareness that the launch later this fall alone will bring to the consumer and the mobile industry will help propel mobile gaming to the front and centre of entertainment consumed on the mobile," says I-play CEO David Gosen.

In the mobile video games arena, The Fast & Furious: Tokyo is considered a behemoth as the total number of paid for downloads just reached a staggering seven million.

Developed and published by I-play, through an agreement with Universal Mobile Entertainment, Tokyo received Best Made for Mobile Game honors during 2007 3GSM Awards earlier this year.

This time, The Fast & Furious: Tokyo has been shortlisted by The MEF for the 2007 Meffys. I-Play CEO David Gosen commented that he is very proud of this franchise and is very much honored with the recognition. Gosen added,

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo is one of the most successful games in I-play's history to date and the franchise is unmatched by any other racing game on the mobile platform. This game was developed by our internal team who continually raise the bar in terms of innovation.

Speaking of which, Tokyo is the first game to re-create "drifting" on mobile phones. Likewise, SVP of Universal Mobile Entertainment Jeremy Laws is excited about the Meffys as he commented,

The Fast and The Furious is the most successful racing franchise and film franchise on mobile. We are thrilled that The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo and I-play’s game development capabilities have been recognized by the MEF shortlist for its 2007 MEFFYS.

Mobile phone owners are being informed that today, I-play is announcing the release of their new 4 Wheel Xtreme game. If the name didn't give its genre away, 4 Wheel Xtreme is an off-racer that puts the player's hands (or rather, thumbs) behind the wheels of one of several monster trucks and SUVs. The game comes in a 3D and 2D version, with both carrying these features:

• Various racing environments,ranging from mountains to deserts
• Three game modes: Duel, race and Time Attack mode.
• A physics engine that allows allows for intense vehicle bumps and tumbles
• Fast-paced arcade-style gameplay, with added speed from in-game nitro boost power-ups
  

The 3D version of 4 Wheels Xtreme is expected to launch in Europe and North America within this month. "Despite the gritty nature of off-road truck racing, this title stays true to our casual gaming philosophy with one-thumb playability, giving players instant accessibility to this challenging title" said I-play CEO David Gosen regarding this latest game release. In case you're wondering how the game looks, we've also loaded up with screenshots below to give you an idea of how both version (2D and 3D) will look. Enjoy your viewing.

The screenshots for 4 Wheel Xtreme's 3D version are available in the Full Article!

If you think mobile games are no fun, that may soon change for you. Mobile game maker I-Play has come up with a nice fighting game concept that will keep you coming back for more. It's called Sexy Pillow Fight and it's coming right for you.

The premise is simple, take control of jaw-dropping French maids or cheerleaders, grab a big, fluffy pillow and go nuts. It's a nice deviation from volleyball with babes and we welcome this innovation.

"We've all done it sometime in our life - squared up to someone with only a pillow for defence. Like our mobile game, the opportunity this month's MEET-UP event offers is highly unique and original and as I'm sure most of us will testify - will have to be seen to be believed," said I-Play CEO David Gosen.

The game is slated to be released late this year and will be distributed by most major cellular providers. Grab a pillow and pound the babes to pillow oblivion.

After launching a real-life Jewel Quest challenge a few days ago, I-play comes up with it's latest lineup of titles due to come this year. Check out them coming-up games right here:

1. The Fast and the Furious: Fugitive - This will have you play as an ex-cop running from the law and blazing through the streets of LA to Miami to prove your innocence. The Fast and the Furious franchise is actually the most successful racing franchise on mobile. This fact alone could be reason enough for you to watch out for this mobile game.

2. Pillowfight - We bet this mobile game will bring much energy to a lot of male groins. Slug it out as a French Maid, a cheerleader and several other racy characters. You can even plump up your pillows and unlock downloadable wallpaper rewards as you progress through the game.

3. Metal Slug Mobile 3 - Everybody loves a zombie run and gun. Play as Sergeant Allen in this third iteration of the hugely popular arcade classic franchise. The future of your troops lies in your hands.

Apart from believing that mobiles will eventually surpass consoles, I-play is noted to be one of the world's longest established brand in mobile development. David Gosen, CEO of I-play says that the company also believes that "Great brands, simple and intuitive entertainment experiences all lead to outstanding fun for existing and new mobile users of every age."

The latest installment to the Quest mobile game series, Jewel Quest II, was launched across the globe last January. It was an instant hit because of several features, most notably the fact that it's not just a straight-up action puzzler - it also sports a deep story line, along with challenges of skill, strategy, and cerebral fun.

Anyway, mobile entertainment company I-play has a treat for players of Jewel Quest. Beginning today, participants can enter a global sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Mexico.

What will they do in Mexico, you ask? Well, they will compete in a real-life Jewel Quest challenge through the Mayan ruins and find a US$ 25,000 diamond.

"I-play's Jewel Quest promotion is one of the largest sweepstakes giveaways on mobile to date. In honor of the release of Jewel Quest II and the success of the Quest series, one of the top selling mobile game franchises in history, I-play is giving gamers a true taste of adventure," remarked I-play CEO David Gosen.

The said competition is open to all Cingular Wireless, lusacell, Amp'd, and Sprint subscribers.

Mr. David Gosen is currently the CEO of company I-Play. Despite this affiliation, his love and fondness for gaming transcends beyond the scope of mobile phones. After all, he was previously the managing director of Nintendo Europe Sales and Marketing division. He was there when GameCube and GBA was launched.

During a recent interview, Gosen disclosed his belief that the mobile and handheld markets will soon surpass that of the consoles'. He mentioned that in terms of revenue, the consoles are still more lucrative as of now, but only because of its fanbase. However, he reiterated that mobile gaming is an emerging market. He explained:

2006 marks the first time that there will be more touch points for mobile gaming than there will for console. In terms of revenues, console's far greater but more games will be played on mobile than they will on console. So if you are a brand owner, if you're looking to get your content out to the mass market, mobile offers tremendous scope to do that.

Currently, mobile gaming is dominated by Sony and Nintendo with their PSP and DS respectively. Interestingly, mobile phone company Nokia has been expressing its desire to re-enter the market and challenge the two. With a market worth sure to balloon to US$ 17 million in just five years, who wouldn't?

Anyway, the CEO then mentioned that mobile games shouldn't be considered a threat. If anything, mobile games can be used as a starter for non-gamers. Gosen concluded,

I think mobile can be a recruitment device. Someone that gets a great gaming experience on mobile can easily move up to console or move to handheld and then move to console. The more people we get into playing games in general, whether it's on mobile or on DS, is a bigger pool for all of us.

NBC Universal and I-Play are set to bring the much-loved comedy TV series 'The Office' to North American Mobile users via on-demand video. The most memorable moments of the prime time TV show later this year, not too far away from The launch of The Office's 3rd season, launches on NBC today at 8:30pm ET.

"Offering select video clips from popular television series like The Office is one way that NBC Universal is looking to extend our audiences experience with the brand" said Jeremy Laws, Senior Vice President, Universal Mobile Entertainment. "We look forward to working with I-play, who has been a key strategic partner for us as we address consumers growing appetite for mobile video."

David Gosen, CEO of I-play also commented on this ground-breaking movement for comedy on the move: "I-play is continuing to build its library of video on demand entertainment and having the best scenes from The Office fits perfectly with the profile of today's burgeoning clip culture. Bite size chunks of comedy, with and innuendo delivered when the end user wants to see it is a compelling offering mobile on demand video really puts choice and control in the hands of the consumer."

If you haven't heard of the TV show (where have you been?), 'The Office' is executive-produced by Ben Silverman and Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American television, and features comedy-faces such as Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Howard Klein. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you do, we can almost guarantee that you will laugh all the way through - unless you don't have a sense of humour that is.

It seems that Freestyle Motocross has reigned supreme in the motocross mobile game department. Launched in April 2005, it has been downloaded one million times since then. It has become quite popular with fans and curious mobile users alike, and it even has a second version, FMX-II, released last May of this year.

The mechanics of the game? Just race through various terrain - from desert dunes to urban locations - while going as fast as you can and pulling off various stunts.

David Gosen, CEO of I-play, the mobile entertainment company says, "The FMX franchise is by far the most popular motocross game on mobile, offering a perfect blend of challenging game play and easy accessibility for both casual gamers and extreme motocross enthusiasts."

It seems then, that the future is bright for FMX.