IBLAST GOES GUNNING FOR WIRELESS GAMES
Copyright 2002 Business Wire

[ May 17th 2002 ]

iBlast, the nation's largest datacasting network, will give gamers another reason to celebrate the dog days of summer: iBlast Games. The new service will be previewed at the upcoming E3 conference in Los Angeles and is scheduled to debut this summer. Blast Games offers subscribers a way to receive hundreds of games, trailers, demos, patches/fixes/updates and more - over the air, for immediate use, without the Internet.

Capable of delivering up to ten gigabytes of game content per day, iBlast Games will be available in selected cities nationwide following its launch in Los Angeles. For PC gamers, iBlast Games represents a high-tech solution to some very real hurdles. With most games now larger than 100 Megabytes, reliable Internet distribution of titles is a major challenge for publishers and users.

Using the powerful transmitters of digital television stations, iBlast Games will instead send entire games and game-related content into the home wirelessly, requiring only a small antenna and a receiver. Since content is delivered directly and in its entirety to their PCs before they use it, subscribers will avoid spending time downloading trailers and demos, as well as full games, online.

iBlast Games is being launched in partnership with leading computer game producers, media providers, and technology leaders including CNET Network's GameSpot, Eidos, Gigex, The Groove Alliance, Monkeybyte.com, Trymedia Systems and Wild Tangent. iBlast aims to aid the game publishing community and help shape the game business through multiple distribution windows. Initial titles will include BMX Pro Racing, Sony's A Knight's Tale, Speedway, SabreWing 2, Golf Challenge, Checkers, Tank Wars, Skyracer Impulse, Alien X, Galactic Patrol, Distant Suns, Alien DNA and dozens more.