LAS VEGAS-Sprint PCS made several gaming announcements related to its popular PCS Vision service, through which it said more than 5 million games were purchased in 2003, at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
Sprint announced the launch of Game Lobby, a nationwide virtual mobile community that allows gamers to meet, chat and play against each other. Game Lobby, managed by M7 Networks Inc., is expected to be available on certain Java-enabled PCS Vision phones by next month. The service is free to users who purchase games available on Game Lobby.
Sprint also announced it will enhance its game portfolio through a partnership with Gameloft under which PCS Vision customers will have access to Gameloft’s entertainment applications, including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, via download to select Java-enabled phones.
Finally, Sprint said its Music Tones ringers, which play excerpts from artists’ recordings, continue to be popular. In 2003, the company sold more than 20 million ringers and screen savers on its service. In fact, ringers based on songs from Beyonce Knowles’ latest album alone sold more than 500,000 downloads during the past six months. Sprint also said it plans to add to its Music Tones through a partnership with Universal Music Group.
