Vivendi preps for Slide-n-Loop debut

By Sue Marek Vivendi Games Mobile has ratcheted up its creative juices and next month will debut Slide-n-Loop, an intuitive, fun casual game designed by Zeki Orak, president of Puzzoo Games. Orak, a well-respected game designer, was the brains behind the hugely popular handheld strategy game, "Lite3," which sold over a million copies in its first year alone. Slide-n-Loop will be available in July and will make its debut on all major operator decks this summer, says Paul Maglione, president of Vivendi Games Mobile. The game, which will be available on the BREW platform, is the first time that Vivendi has collaborated with Orak. “He was one of the first developers I met when I entered the business,” Maglione says. “I thought he was a very interesting guy with some original ideas.” While the game incorporates Orak’s original vision of game play, Vivendi layered on graphics and visual elements and developed the storyline and characters. “We saw the game evolve from a clever game play idea, to a deep-and-wide product for this genre of mobile games,” Maglione says. The BREW platform, according to Maglione, allowed the company to add complexity and graphics. “Graphics and rendering on BREW are quicker, which is nice for an action puzzle game,” Maglione says. “BREW allows us to showcase the game in the best possible light.” Orak has many patents on game play. He is a connoisseur of brain functions and processing. “I like how the brain functions,” Orak says. With Slide-n-Loop, he has created a game that requires deep concentration. “You make one simple move and so many things happen. It causes a chain reaction,” Orak says. Orak’s firm, Puzzoo, was founded in 1999 and develops both Internet and mobile games. “I believe in creating new concepts and new ideas. Instead of taking old concepts and improving upon them, most of my games are new concepts,” Orak says. From the start, Orak designed Slide-n-Loop as a mobile game, which is a challenge for many developers. “Being able to entertain people with a small screen is difficult,” Orak says. “But I believe it is a tremendous opportunity. Game play is more intriguing on mobile.” Slide-n-Loop will cost around $6.99 to download and $2.99 for a monthly subscription.