Chris Henschel, Cellucity business development manager, says Thumbtribe founder Graeme Haley, who works in the UK gaming market, launched Thumbtribe to bring mobile games like Fifa 2004, Rayman 3, Splinter Cell, Rainbow 6 and Speed Devils to SA.
"Initially, Cellucity will provide the titles through their flagship stores at the V&A Waterfront, Cavendish and Canal Walk shopping centres in Cape Town from the beginning of December. In 2004, we will expand distribution to all the Vodashop Rentafone outlets at SA`s international airports."
Henschel says because the local mobile gaming market is so young, the games will initially only be sold in-store so that staff can assist users to set up their phones and download the games.
"The game will then be sold at airports in January, because international tourists are more likely to have been exposed to mobile games or even have them on their phones, and so will be more likely to buy them," he says.
Thumbtribe will also soon provide the option to purchase games via credit card off its site. Henschel says all games will sell for R69, as they are premium titles adapted from popular PC/consul game titles.
Cellucity will only consider premium SMS as a retail option in the third quarter of 2004.
The games will be available for all Java-enabled Nokia cellphones and the Motorola T720 and T720I. Henschel says when users buy the game, they will receive a PIN number, which they will SMS to a number provided on the pack. They will then receive a WAP URL, which they will use to download the game.
He says Cellucity will also provide other types of Java applications once the market is more aware of what can be downloaded onto a Java-enabled phone. "Apart from mobile games, we also have a prepaid top-up application for Java-enabled phones."
The games will be available for prepaid and contract users across all three networks and will also be sold at Jet, CNA and through Autopage Cellular.
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