Amazon Kindle Fire Getting Bubble Saga

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King.com has announced that they are launching Bubble Saga on the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet first. The game will soon release on other Android devices, and will connect with the Facebook version.

“In 2011, there were over 67 million tablets sold worldwide according to Strategy Analytics. The Android platform had a record 39 percent of the world’s share and the Kindle Fire is increasingly leading that drive,” said King.com CEO Riccardo Zacconi. “We’re excited to be exclusively teaming up with Amazon as a part of our multi-platform games initiative, building on our Facebook games successes and providing more access points for our consumers to play their favorite games whenever and wherever they want.”

Zwei — A Shinji Mikami Joint

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Shinji Mikami has revealed that his first game at Tango Gameworks will be Zwei. Mikami, who helped create Resident Evil, reinvent the franchise in Resident Evil 4 and responsible for more recent titles Shadows of the Damned and Vanquish, will be an executive director on Zwei.

First image of Zwei.

 

Coke Goes To Antiques Roadshow For Old-Fashioned Ads

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Coca-Cola is teaming up with Antiques Roadshow to try and find three iconic paintings by Norman Rockwell. The three paintings, worth an estimated $1.5 million, will be part of the shows “most wanted” list.

The illustrations were created by Rockwell in the 1930s for the beverage company’s calendars and billboards. The illustrations are in Rockwell’s imitable style, showing young boys enjoying a Coca-Cola, are estimated to be worth about $500,000 apiece.

Coke has searched for years for the pieces, through private collections, auctions and at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts and the American Illustrator Museum in Rhode Island. They are named as the biggest missing pieces of the company’s extensive collection of memorabilia.

“These paintings have been the top of the list for us as long as I have been here and that’s been about 15 years,” said Ted Ryan, a spokesman for Coke’s archives.

While three of the six Rockwell Coke illustrations have been found, the company is hopeful to complete the set. “The interesting thing is that there is someone out there with a winning lottery ticket,” said Adam Monahan, an associate producer for Antiques Roadshow.

Source: Boston.com

Friendster Focuses On Games In Asian Relaunch

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Friendster has announced that they are relaunching in Southeast Asia, with a launch party set on April 27 in Manila, capitol of the Philippines. Complimenting the launch is a partnership with MOL Group, an e-payment platform in Asia that will allow Friendster to push virtual currency sales in various games.

“The Philippines has always been one of our biggest markets with a vibrant online community, making the country exceptionally important to us,” said Friendster chief operating officer, Nikolai Galicia. “Therefore it is a joy to roll out Friendster’s inaugural event here, to a community that is continuously growing. We are committed in continually bringing the latest content and giving the most compelling rewards to our users.”

“Friendster pioneered the social networking industry and paved the way for the emergence of other sites. As the global gaming communities grew, it was essential for Friendster to find its unique proposition in order to remain competitive,” said MOL Group chief executive officer, Ganesh Kumar Bangah. “By leveraging on Friendster’s strongest asset in the form of its millions of users and harnessing MOL’s strength as an e-payments and content distributor, we were able to successfully redesign Friendster to become a social discovery and gaming platform, host to the largest online community in Southeast Asia.”

Are You A Schemer?

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Courtesy of IGN, a new site called Schemer {link no longer active} has launched with recommendations on cool spots and things to do related to games, movies, TV, gadgets, and more. Fans can connected with their Google account and connect with friends, plan and scheme something to do!

Angry Birds In Your Mouth With Dr. Fresh

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Dr. Fresh has announced that they have landed an agreement with Rovio. The company will be the exclusive U.S. manufacturer and marketer of Angry Birds branded oral care products.

“We are thrilled to partner with a brand whose fan base is ardent, large and growing, and to leverage that appeal in products designed to encourage healthy oral care habits, especially among children,” says Daniel Enriquez, Vice President of Sales at Dr. Fresh.

The FireFly Angry Birds Squirt ‘N Brush Tooth Foam is squirted into the mouth rather than on the brush. The design will allow for easier cleaning of hard-to-reach places and is especially user-friendly for kids who wear braces.

ESPN, GameSpot Become Xbox Live Advertising Partners

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Microsoft has announced that it is adding ESPN, CBS Interactive Properties, GameSpot, Last.fm, Manga Entertainment and MUZU.TV to its roster of advertising partners on Xbox Live. The companies join the likes of AlloCine, Crackle, Halo Waypoint, MSN and MSNBC.com, TMZ, Today and UFC.

“With the growth of Xbox Live, advertisers no longer have to choose between digital and TV advertising — we’re offering the impact of TV and the interactivity and addressability of digital in one platform,” said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising at Microsoft. “As more and more industry leaders like ESPN work with us to help monetize their content on Xbox Live, TV media buyers win with the ability to extend their standard TV spots to this highly engaged consumer audience.”

“When we began offering ESPN content on Xbox Live in 2010, it was an entirely new way for fans to interact with ESPN. These new advertising opportunities will give clients a new way to interact with those fans,” said Eric Johnson, ESPN’s executive vice president of multimedia sales. “The Xbox Live platform offers a TV experience with the accountability and interactivity of the Web — all while reaching the right audience at the right time.”