Now everyone can have his own pet!

Mobile video game developer Gameloft has partnered with Ubisoft to offer a very broad choice of virtual pet video games for everyone who loves animals. After Dogz®, available since October 2006, Dogz 3D will be offered on a hundred or so different mobile phones, starting in April 2007, so that consumers can interact even more and get even closer to their favorite virtual puppies. Then Catz® and its little kittens will also be released in April 2007, to be closely followed by the Petz® game, which will bring a whole menagerie of cute animals to your mobile phone in July.

"By launching Catz, Petz and Dogz 3D on mobile phones after our enormous success launching Dogz, we are giving ourselves the means to become the global leader of this market," announced Gonzague de Vallois, Gameloft's Vice President of Publishing. "Household pet simulation games are a major game genre, and we're doing all we can to make sure that consumers grow very fond of their favorite virtual pet and that they can take care of it wherever they go, and whenever they want."
"The animal simulations are ideal games for a mobile environment, because players never have to be far away from their virtual animals—they are always right there with them, whether nestled deep in a pocket or a handbag!" explained Benoît Pourgaton, International Senior Brand Manager for Dogz, Petz and Catz.

"In order to be certain that we can meet animal lovers' expectations, we wanted every new title launched to benefit from the latest improvements and innovations. In Catz, players can simultaneously raise not just one—but two—kittens who will play and get into all sorts of mischief together. As for Petz, it will offer a dozen different animals—from the most popular to the most exotic—allowing players to transform their virtual "house" into a genuine Noah's ark, while also seeing to it that each animal reaches its full potential thanks to this delightful cohabitation."

Gameloft is building on a powerful brand—one that is a pioneer in this market—owned by Ubisoft. Over 3,5 million units of these PC and console titles have been purchased since 1995, and their popularity is skyrocketing. The most recent launch was Catz Nintendo DS, released last Christmas, 250,000 copies of which have already been sold to date. Ubisoft will be pursuing its offensive on this segment throughout 2007. After its USA and UK launches, Dogz DS will be released worldwide in March 2007. Then it will be Dogz 2's turn; it will be launched as a GBA game in May 2007. Other announcements are expected in the course of the year.

Dogz, Catz and Petz are—or will be—made available on 800 different mobile phones, in 75 countries via a network of 160 carriers, and/or through development partners, the media and direct distribution.

Source: Gameloft