News
Two new Zenses DS games announced
The Game Factory, an international publisher of family-friendly videogames, will debut a new gaming experience targeting the growing number of female casual gamers in the fall of 2008.
Zenses Ocean and Zenses Rainforest will allow players to escape from the stress of daily life while challenging the mind, body and spirit through relaxing puzzle games, soothing ambient sounds and authentic rainforest and oceanic visuals. A preview of Zenses Ocean will be available at this year’s Nintendo Spring Media Summit. Both games will be available in October of 2008 at a suggested retail price of $29.99 at video game suppliers throughout the country.
“We’re very excited to bring Zenses to the growing number of women who are increasingly embracing casual gaming,” said Henrik Mathiasen, CEO of The Game Factory. “We have spent a lot of time and resources to analyze the motivations, requirements and expectations of the female casual gamers. Zenses is the first Nintendo DS title developed specifically for the female audience. With Zenses, we are creating a brand new gaming experience based on intelligent, addictive gameplay wrapped around appealing visuals and soothing music. We hope female gamers will really enjoy taking time for themselves to relax with Ocean and Rainforest our first two titles in the Zenses series.”
“2008 is the Game Factory’s third year in the North American market, launching our first own IP and new franchise with Zenses is hugely exciting for the whole team. Despite being a very different business model to the licensing side of our portfolio, the level of experience throughout the team is considerable and well equipped for our launch in October. Having recently had the opportunity to present Zenses to the U.S. and Canadian trade it was fantastic to see such as positive reaction from everyone who really embraced the concept and offered inspiring and creative feedback regarding co-marketing opportunities-” said Leah Kalboussi – The Game Factory’s Vice President of North America.
Casual Gaming on the Rise
The Game Factory created Zenses in response to the growth of the casual games industry, which according to the Casual Games Association, has grown from a $200-300 million industry in 2005 to more than 10 times that amount today. The rise in popularity of casual games is also marked by the rise in sales of the Nintendo DS handheld and the Wii console, which were in February 2008 the No. 1 and 2 selling game systems according to the market research firm The NPD Group, Inc.
At this year’s D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit game conference in Las Vegas, many video game CEOs claimed 2008 to be “the year of casual games” – and The Game Factory, along with Nintendo, are focusing on this segment with the development of easy-to-play casual games such as Zenses. “We’re looking forward to expanding our offerings for this group even further in years to come,” said Mathiasen.
Who are Casual Gamers?
Casual games are generally defined as games that appeal to ‘casual’ players – those who aren’t in the typical ‘core gaming’ audience of 18 – 34 year old males and play videogames only once in a while. The Zenses gaming environment is designed to appeal to casual gamers by transporting them to Zen-like Ocean and Rainforest settings with soothing, life-like graphics and ambient sound tracks. Each game will feature easy-to-play, addictive puzzles and leverage the functionalities of Nintendo DS, including the stylus and touch-screen.
About Zenses Ocean and Zenses Rainforest
In Zenses Ocean, players relax themselves playing puzzle games inspired by the movements of the tide, rippling water, riffs and corals, beach vegetation and sea life. An indulgent, soothing experience, Zenses Ocean includes high quality visuals and ambient sounds inspired by the natural sounds of the sea. Subliminal addictive puzzles such as Hot Spot, Shell Twirl, Turtle Turn, Pearl Diver and Wave Breaker were created to give players an escape from the stress of every day life.
Zenses Rainforest allows players to explore the Amazon while playing games infused with rain drops, exotic flowers, waterfalls and giant trees. This refreshing experience encourages players to recharge their batteries while playing puzzle games such as Sapphire Wheel, Mirror Maze, Stack Jack and Bumble Breaker.
