Burger King taps Mobliss for mobile gaming push

Burger King Corp. is hoping to extend its surprisingly successful gaming effort to mobile.
The Miami-based fast-food giant has tapped Seattle’s Mobliss Inc. to develop wireless games that will be promoted through in-restaurant signage and packaging. The titles are slated to launch next spring and will be downloadable via text message.
Burger King enjoyed whopping success last year with a series of titles for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 gaming console. The games were available for $4 with the purchase of a value meal and sold 2 million copies, rivaling top-selling premium offerings.
“Anyone can buy advertising space in gaming; our vision is to be successful in generating original content that is relevant to our consumer,” said Burger King President Russ Klein, adding that he hopes the chain “wins hearts and commands attention in an over-crowded medium.”
Mobliss gained attention in the early days of mobile messaging, powering text-voting campaigns for “American Idol” and other network programs. But the company was acquired by Japan’s Index Corp. three years ago and has refocused on games and other mobile content.