Blackberry Anyone?

After months and months of work, testing and throwing things against walls, we are FINALLY ready to announce that 4 Degrees is ready for release on Blackberry's App World.

The free beta version is available now for you to download to your Blackberry and coming any day now, (Right App World?), will be the full pay-for version.

This means we have a true multi-platform real-time mobile and online application - and we are the first to ever do it.

Give it a try and let us know what you think - and if you don't mind, tell everyone you've ever known, your family, co-workers, strangers on the street...

See what Cross-platform gaming looks like...

And away we go...

So - last July I had this hilarious idea. Why don't we put all out games on the net and mobile devices - and not only that, make them so that the players can compete against one another all in real time regardless of what they are using to play.

Amazingly, the ZAPiT games higher ups fell for it, and just over a year later we've launched 4 Degrees all over the place.

• You can play it on your iPhone
• You can play it on your Blackberry
• And you can play it online at Facebook, or at PlayGameWave.com.

So now, no matter where your friends are - across the room, across town or across the globe, that cool multi-player Game Wave experience is now available.

Check it out here and let me know what you think.

Cheers - and if you don't mind me saying so - Woot!

Gavin

The next Wave....

So - I'm pretty sure you've been wondering what the heck has been going on with ZAPiT Games and the Game Wave.

• Where is the next game?
• Where is the next Game Wave console?
• Are you going Blue Ray?
• Hello? Is anyone there?

And all of the above are great questions - and finally we're ready to provide answers (and it's about time too).

But before I get into where we're going, I'd better let you know where we've been these past few months. We had a HUGE push in 2008 to finally get the install base we've needed to make us a sustainable game production company and I'm happy to say - at this stage we are very, very close.

What this means is, with just a few thousand more Game Wave's in living rooms like yours, we can produce game titles that are guaranteed to at least break even.

Now - here's the bad thing about that. We don't want to "break even". We, instead, want to make all of our ever so patient investors a serious return on the money they've kicked in over the years. (Me included)

Thus the halt in our game production schedule of late. Producing games for our existing customer base was actually costing us a fortune, so unless we had a change of direction, or another revenue stream, we simply couldn't do it - it would have been business suicide.

Not a good situation to be in as a game developer obviously.

Something had to change. And something did - July 11th last year. Apple released their second incarnation of the iPhone, one with both WiFi and 3G access and I bought one

the first day it was available.

By the end of the following weekend I'd put together a business model for Game Wave game titles to be ported over to both mobile phones and online as well. And after months and months of research and investigation into the potential of the the idea - and a pitch to the investors and the board - it was finally accepted at the end of December last year.

So - what does all of that mean for you - considering you have a Game Wave and want new titles to play at home? Well, it means a bunch of stuff.

First off, we get to stay in business. (Yes we were getting close to closing the doors - which is a shame considering we have the highest rating from and gaming company there is anywhere: A survey from 2008 showed a 92% satisfaction level - the only pissy thing about us was the lack of new game titles.)

Second - we will be creating new Game Wave titles! Each new game title we produce will be available to play not only on the Game Wave, but online and on Smartphones as well.

And last but not least, we get to expand the reach of our multi-player socially responsible gaming philosophy from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions.

It's very exciting for all of us as we are the truest of true believers having stuck with this through thick and wafer thin.

I'll be keeping you up to date on the latest progress right here. I'll be showing you videos of the game functionality and our title release dates (don't tell anyone but the first is next month) and where you can play along.

So - we're back in the game development business - and I know I speak for everyone at ZAPiT games when I say....

It's about frikin' time!

Coupons? We don't need no stinking coupons!

So - you may have noticed that the front page of PlayGameWave.com has (finally) changed.

That's because there is a big couponing campaign going on right now and if you enter the right code, there are some serious discounts happening. We cut the price of the console, the games, the extra remotes, but only if you have one of those stinking codes...

So - how do you get one of those stinking codes? You have to know somebody who has one, that's how.

Tricky huh?

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

You know?

What I'm saying is, you know me, so...

Not Just in your Family Room Anymore

Next time you are in Tampa, drop by the Bilmar
Station Sports Tavern in Tampa on Hillsborough.

What you'll find there besides the requisite beer taps and multi screen TV's is a prototype of the new Game Wave coin-op that's gonna take the nation by storm.

This particular model is for 4-players and a 6-player model will also soon be available. All the regular Game Wave titles are available, like Rewind and ZAP21, plus other games like Texas Hold 'em.

Now - that's cool enough. What makes these things even cooler is all the games are what are known as "Redemption Games."

These are arcade games of skill that reward the player depending on how well they do - usually with tickets to merchandise of gift certificates. Or in this case, cash.

See, the idea is to make playing the Game Wave into an actual sport - where players can become pros.

From where we started, to where we are now, it's exciting to see where the Game Wave and it's multi-player interativity concept is going.

Apparently we're going to the bar, and if you're good enough - the drinks may be on us.

Both genius - and weird

Housewives of the early 50’s were convinced by an entrepreneur named Brownie Wise to hold these get-togethers for their fellow stay at home moms to demonstrate the latest innovation in plastic food storage containers.

The Tupperware party was born.

Tupperware's sales and popularity exploded, thanks in large part to Wise's influence among women who sold Tupperware, and her famous “jubilees” that celebrated the success of the highest selling Tupperware ladies.

And weirdly enough, although the idea of plastic containers to package food is hardly cutting edge as it was in post-WWII era, the parties have never stopped. “Jubilee” events are still held in major cities to recognize and reward top-selling demonstrators.

Brownie was a genius: Have someone demonstrate a product in their homes for their friends - and then have that person sell that same product for a commission.

I wonder what product, that people only get when they play it, would benefit from that grassroots marketing model…