iDevGames

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — JANUARY 13th, 2006 — Representatives of Freeverse Software announced the winners of the OMG (Original Mac Games) Cup 2005, honoring the three best of the six finalists that were selected by the Mac gaming community in December 2005. The OMG Cup is a new game programming contest established by iDevGames, in connection with Freeverse Software, to encourage unique Mac game development. “The OMG Cup was created to recognize the need for original Mac games as well as to highlight the bright future of Mac gaming,” said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. “They, along with many talented independent game developers in our community, are advancing the state of Mac gaming at a grass-roots level.“The challenge of the contest was to create innovative Mac OS X games that emphasize engaging gameplay — in only six weeks. A distinguished panel of industry-leading professional game developers, artists, and software engineers selected the three winners based on a combination of gameplay, originality, and overall presentation. The OMG Cup 2005 Winners are:

• Escort Wing by William Hogben, Stephen Johnson
• Pawns by Matt Diamond
• Tracktor Beam by Will Thimbleby

The first place winner, Escort Wing, will receive “The OMG 2005 Cup Trophy”, $300 US dollars, one game from Freeverse Software, one year of high volume file hosting from Pure Static, and a contract with Freeverse Software to turn their winning entry into a finished product. (Either a shareware or retail product at Freeverse Software’s discretion.) The second place winner, Pawns, will receive $150 US plus any three Freeverse Software games, and 10 months of high volume file hosting. The third place winner, Tracktor Beam, will receive $50 US, any three Freeverse Software games, and 8 months of high volume file hosting. The other finalists will also be receiving various prizes.Ian Lynch Smith, President of Freeverse has said, “Working with iDevGames to sponsor the Original Mac Games contest has been a great experience. We feel encouraging original Mac game development is the only way to keep the Mac a vital entertainment platform. I’m happy to say that I’ve been overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of games submitted during the six week development time allowed by the rules.

It’s an exciting time to be in Mac Games.“To play the three winning OMG Cup 2005 games along with 30-plus other entrants’ games, please visit the OMG Cup downloads page at:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest

The official rules and more information may be found at:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest

About iDevGames:
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

About Freeverse:
Freeverse strives to develop and publish seamless software, with a particular concentration on the Mac OS. Our titles have received numerous awards including four Apple Design Awards, two MacWorld “Best of Show” awards and a Macworld Magazine “Game Hall of Fame.” Our original characters have appeared in TimeDigital, Wired, and Animation World magazines, as well as television commercials for Blockbuster Video. Headquartered in New York City, Freeverse draws upon the talents of artists, programmers and sound designers from around the globe.

For More Information Contact:
Carlos Camacho

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• OMG Cup 2005 Official Rules
• Freeverse Software

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — JANUARY 13th, 2006 — Representatives of Freeverse Software announced the winners of the OMG (Original Mac Games) Cup 2005, honoring the three best of the six finalists that were selected by the Mac gaming community in December 2005. The OMG Cup is a new game programming contest established by iDevGames, in connection with Freeverse Software, to encourage unique Mac game development. “The OMG Cup was created to recognize the need for original Mac games as well as to highlight the bright future of Mac gaming,” said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. “They, along with many talented independent game developers in our community, are advancing the state of Mac gaming at a grass-roots level.”

The challenge of the contest was to create innovative Mac OS X games that emphasize engaging gameplay — in only six weeks. A distinguished panel of industry-leading professional game developers, artists, and software engineers selected the three winners based on a combination of gameplay, originality, and overall presentation. The OMG Cup 2005 Winners are:

• Escort Wing by William Hogben, Stephen Johnson
• Pawns by Matt Diamond
• Tracktor Beam by Will Thimbleby

The first place winner, Escort Wing, will receive “The OMG 2005 Cup Trophy”, $300 US dollars, one game from Freeverse Software, one year of high volume file hosting from Pure Static, and a contract with Freeverse Software to turn their winning entry into a finished product. (Either a shareware or retail product at Freeverse Software’s discretion.) The second place winner, Pawns, will receive $150 US plus any three Freeverse Software games, and 10 months of high volume file hosting. The third place winner, Tracktor Beam, will receive $50 US, any three Freeverse Software games, and 8 months of high volume file hosting. The other finalists will also be receiving various prizes.

Ian Lynch Smith, President of Freeverse has said, “Working with iDevGames.com to sponsor the Original Mac Games contest has been a great experience. We feel encouraging original Mac game development is the only way to keep the Mac a vital entertainment platform. I’m happy to say that I’ve been overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of games submitted during the six week development time allowed by the rules. It’s an exciting time to be in Mac Games.”

To play the three winning OMG Cup 2005 games along with 30-plus other entrants’ games, please visit the OMG Cup downloads page at:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest/downloads/

The official rules and more information may be found at:
http://idevgames.com/index.php/contest/omg_info/omg_cup_2005

About iDevGames
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

About Freeverse:
Freeverse strives to develop and draft seamless software, with a particular concentration on the Mac OS. Our titles have received numerous awards including four Apple Design Awards, two MacWorld “Best of Show” awards and a Macworld Magazine “Game Hall of Fame.” Our original characters have appeared in TimeDigital, Wired, and Animation World magazines, as well as television commercials for Blockbuster Video. Headquartered in New York City, Freeverse draws upon the talents of artists, programmers and sound designers from around the globe.

For More Information Contact:
Carlos Camacho

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Official Rules
Freeverse

iDevGames, in connection with Freeverse Software, launched the OMG (Original Mac Games) Cup 2005 contest on October 18, 2005. The OMG Cup’s challenge is to create fun Mac OS X games with a focus on gameplay. In a successful inaugural year, the contest drew thirty-six developers from around the globe — competing for cash prizes and games from Freeverse Software, pro-level file services from PureStatic, and fame. The public voting phase, which determined the six finalists of the OMG Cup 2005, concluded on December 15. Voters were asked to download (http://www.idevgames.com/contest/downloads) entries and score them between one (1) and ten (10) on the criteria of “gameplay.”

iDevGames is pleased to announce the OMG Cup 2005 Finalists, and they are as follows:

• Escort Wing (William Hogben, Stephen Johnson) 8.72
• Nball (Matteo Guarnieri) 8.28
• MacBornes (Alexandre Colucci) 8.27
• Tracktor Beam (Will Thimbleby) 7.88
• Pawns (Matt Diamond) 7.86
• Pakimono (Joachim Ante, Aras Pranckevicius, Raimund Schumach) 7.81

On behalf of the staff and community of iDevGames, congratulations to the six finalists, and to all entrants of OMG Cup 2005! The six games will now move on to the second voting phase of the contest, which will be conducted by an industry Nominating Committee. The three finalists of the OMG 2005 Cup will be announced on January 12, 2006 at MacWorld 2006 by representatives of Freeverse Software.

To learn more about the OMG Cup 2005, please visit:

http://idevgames.com/index.php/contests/omg/2005

ZENTSUJI CITY, JAPAN — DECEMBER 12th, 2005 — iDevGames, the Mac game developer website, would like to remind Mac gamers that voting for the “OMG Cup,” sponsored by Freeverse Software (http://www.freeverse.com) and PureStatic (http://www.purestatic.com) ends on December 15, 2005. The OMG (Original Mac Games) Cup is a new game programming contest established by iDevGames (http://www.idevgames.com) to encourage unique Mac game development. “We’re very pleased with the entries in our first ever OMG Cup”, said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. He adds, “The talent of independent Mac game developers in our community bodes extremely well for the future of Mac gaming as we move towards the Intel-based Mac era.”

The public is encouraged to download and vote for the free contest entries. The finalists will be announced on January 12, 2006 at MacWorld 2006 by representatives of Freeverse Software. OMG Cup 2005 features a broad range of game genres including, side scrolling shooters, classic arcade and even some entries that have created entirely new ways of playing games.

To download contest entries visit:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest/downloads/index.php

To vote for your favorite games visit:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest/voting/

About iDevGames
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

For more information contact:
Carlos Camacho

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — NOVEMBER 29th, 2005 — PureStatic (http://www.purestatic.com) supports original Mac games, and the developers who produce them with on demand High Volume File Hosting for the OMG Cup 2005 Finalists. “As iDevGames’ preferred on demand High Volume file hosting partner, we are delighted to offer the six finalists of the OMG Cup 2005 the following prizes: 1st place — 1 year, 2nd place — 10 months, 3rd place — 8 months, 4th place — 6 months, 5th place — 4 months, 6th place — 60 days”, said Jay Menna, CEO of PureStatic. (Information related to these prizes is available at http://www.macminicolo.net/omg05.html.)

The OMG (Original Mac Games) Cup is a new game programming contest established by iDevGames (http://www.idevgames.com) in connection with Freeverse Software (http://www.freeverse.com), the Mac platform’s leading game developer of original Mac games, to encourage unique Mac game development. The public is encouraged to download the free entries and vote from December 1, 2005 12:01 to December 15, 2005. The three Finalists of the OMG 2005 Cup will be announced on January 12, 2006 at MacWorld 2006 by representatives of Freeverse Software.

“The developers who participate in our contests produce some of the best original Mac games for our platform and are the key to the future of Mac gaming. Since PureStatic is built from the ground up for heavy loads, their support will be vital in giving the Finalist the ability to meet the expected rush for the games”, said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames.

To download OMG Cup Games, visit:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest

To vote for OMG Cup games, visit:
http://www.idevgames.com/contest

More information about the OMG Cup may be found at:
http://idevgames.com/contest

About iDevGames
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

About PureStatic
PureStatic is dedicated to providing high volume, on demand bandwidth, for static files. Their clients include many household names in the press, entertainment industry and enterprise class software developers.

For More Information Contact:
Carlos Camacho

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ZENTSUJI CITY, JAPAN — OCTOBER 18th, 2005 — iDevGames, the Macintosh game developer website, announced today the first “OMG Cup,” sponsored by Freeverse Software. Open to any and all game developers, the contest seeks to identify the best original Mac games (OMG). The OMG Cup is designed to help developers successfully release their games and to help the Mac game market evolve with innovative new game concepts. All qualifying entrants will receive a free game from Freeverse Software, and the top three finalists will be awarded cash prizes. The first place winner will also receive an option to turn their winning entry into a finished product — either as a shareware or retail product.

Ian Lynch Smith, President of Freeverse has said, “We’re very proud to be the sponsor of the first annual OMG Cup. Encouraging new Mac game development is more vital than ever, and no one has done more to foster that development in recent years than Carlos Camacho and the community at iDevGames.com.”

Any game that has not been released publicly prior to the official start of the OMG Cup contest, runs natively on Mac OS X, and that does not exceed 20MiB (20,971,520 bytes) after compression, may be entered before the entry deadline on November 28, 2005. Entries will be initially voted on by the public from December 1, 2005 to December 8, 2005. The top six games will be evaluated by a nominating committee with the three winners announced on December 12, 2005.

“This is an amazing opportunity for any Mac developer,” states Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. “It is difficult for both independent and small developers to break into the world of high profile casual game development. We have pulled together an amazing sponsor, Freeverse Software, to make this dream accessible for any developer. Building on the success of our annual uDevGames contest, we see this as a crucial evolutionary step in our grass-root effort to energize gaming on the Mac platform.”

The official rules and more information may be found at:
http://idevgames.com/contest

About iDevGames
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

About Freeverse
Freeverse Software is a leading developer and drafter of software for the Mac. Based in New York City, Freeverse titles have received numerous awards including Macworld Game Hall of Fame, MWSF Best of Show and three Apple Design Awards. Its original characters have appeared in TimeDigital, Wired, and Animation World magazines, as well as in national television commercials for Blockbuster Video.

For More Information Contact:
Carlos Camacho

OMG Cup 2005 Official Contest Page
http://www.idevgames.com/index.php/contest/

p=.###

ZENTSUJI CITY, JAPAN — OCTOBER 18th, 2005 — iDevGames, the Macintosh game developer website, announced today the first “OMG Cup,” sponsored by Freeverse Software. Open to any and all game developers, the contest seeks to identify the best original Mac games (OMG). The OMG Cup is designed to help developers successfully release their games and to help the Mac game market evolve with innovative new game concepts. All qualifying entrants will receive a free game from Freeverse Software, and the top three finalists will be awarded cash prizes. The first place winner will also receive an option to turn their winning entry into a finished product — either as a shareware or retail product.

Ian Lynch Smith, President of Freeverse has said, “We’re very proud to be the sponsor of the first annual OMG Cup. Encouraging new Mac game development is more vital than ever, and no one has done more to foster that development in recent years than Carlos Camacho and the community at iDevGames.com.” Any game that has not been released publicly prior to the official start of the OMG Cup contest, runs natively on Mac OS X, and that does not exceed 20MiB (20,971,520 bytes) after compression, may be entered before the entry deadline on November 28, 2005. Entries will be initially voted on by the public from December 1, 2005 to December 8, 2005. The top six games will be evaluated by a nominating committee with the three winners announced on December 12, 2005.“This is an amazing opportunity for any Mac developer,” states Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. “It is difficult for both independent and small developers to break into the world of high profile casual game development. We have pulled together an amazing sponsor, Freeverse Software, to make this dream accessible for any developer. Building on the success of our annual uDevGames contest, we see this as a crucial evolutionary step in our grass-root effort to energize gaming on the Mac platform.”

The official rules and more information may be found at:
http://www.idevgames.com/index.php/contest/omg_info/omg_cup_2005

About iDevGames:
Established in 1998, iDevGames’ mission is to educate, support, and enhance the Macintosh Game Developer community. We also hope to facilitate the exchange between developers and designers so that the Macintosh game market can expand and improve. iDevGames features articles, the latest industry news, tutorials, an active forum, downloads, and much more for Macintosh Game Developers.

About Freeverse:
Freeverse Software is a leading developer and publisher of software for the Mac. Based in New York City, Freeverse titles have received numerous awards including Macworld Game Hall of Fame, MWSF Best of Show and three Apple Design Awards. Its original characters have appeared in TimeDigital, Wired, and Animation World magazines, as well as in national television commercials for Blockbuster Video.

For More Information Contact:
Carlos Camacho

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