Hello web world,
As we begin to close out the year and start preparing for a revamped Wonacott Communications in 2012, we wanted to direct you to our newly launched medium of connecting with the outside world: The Wonablog!
There, you will find news, PR talk, musings and everything else happening in the world of Wonacott – come check us out!
Best,
Jason
Five Winners to Receive $1,000 Vanilla Visa Gift Cards
ATLANTA – Nov. 29, 2011 – InComm, the world’s leading prepaid product and transaction services company, announced today its “A Million Options” sweepstakes, which offers entrants the chance to win one of five $1,000 Vanilla Visa Gift Cards. The Vanilla Visa offers a flexible gift option for the holidays, as it can be purchased at thousands of retailers nationwide and can be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
“The holidays are a fun, yet busy time for people, and we’d like to help make the season extra special this year,” said Brooks Smith, president and CEO of InComm. “With ‘A Million Options’ sweepstakes, a few lucky winners will be able to use their Vanilla Visa Gift Cards to buy something special for themselves or someone they care about.”
Vanilla Visa gift cards can be purchased in any denomination between $20 and $500 and are available at thousands of retailers nationwide, including Office Depot, CVS/pharmacy, Walgreens and Rite Aid. In addition, they can be redeemed anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, meaning they can be used as payment not only for gifts, but for food, household items and other necessities if the recipient chooses.
To promote the Vanilla Visa Gift Card and its “A Million Options” sweepstakes, InComm recently launched a national campaign that includes a social component, with tips, product information and sweepstakes information on Vanilla Card’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
To enter InComm’s “A Million Options” sweepstakes, now through December 16, 2011, please visit www.amillionoptions.com.
IRVINE, Calif. – Nov. 21, 2011 – Players will soon have the option to use a brand new character while battling through the thrilling dungeons and formidable bosses of side-scrolling massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Elsword. Launching on November 23, melee combat queen, Eve, will be live in-game to lend her unique brand of fighting to Elsword players.
Rather than relying on old standbys such as swords and bows, Eve breaks the mold by calling upon large and small robotic guardians to fight for her. Eve also stays out of harm’s way by utilizing strong fighting skills and employing sneaky attacks, such as summoning her guardian Oberon to warp in to her defense. Chaining together Eve’s distinctive assaults, players can exercise her ability to convert HP into MP, giving her more frequent access to special features such as invisibility cloaking, for a brief but powerful advantage over opponents. Gamers looking for a head-to-head challenge also can try Eve out in player-versus-player (PvP) gameplay. In addition to her longer-range basic strike capabilities, Eve boasts solid combos and a double-jump skill, which may come in handy during intense one-on-one skirmishes.
“Based on the massive popularity of Eve in overseas iterations of Elsword, it was important to us that North American players also had the chance to experience the game through such an extraordinary character,” said Ben Colayco, CEO of Kill3rCombo. “A rarity in most action MMOs, Eve’s one-of-a-kind style is not only unlike any playable character out there, but is also indicative of future characters and original experiences that will elevate Elsword to the next level.”
In Elsword, players can choose from five specialized and customizable characters, including the newly-added Eve, as they explore immersive maps and battle to complete dynamic quests. As gamers progress through the game, they will have the opportunity to evolve their fighting styles by upgrading to new job classes and watching as their chosen character matures and gains more abilities and combos. With intuitive and straightforward controls, Elsword offers players of all skill levels the chance to defeat enemies and deal damage, either on a solo mission or cooperatively in a party of up to four players. For those who welcome a challenge, Elsword also delivers action-packed player-versus-player (PvP) combat.
To play Elsword and experience the latest features, please visit: http://www.elswordonline.com/.
For Elsword information and assets, please visit: http://gamespress.com/product.asp?c=%2FU%2F%27%3E.
About Kill3rCombo
Based in Orange County, California, Kill3rCombo is a joint venture of Level Up! Games and KOG Studios with a mission to deliver multiplayer online action games to the North American market. Level Up! Games is the first and biggest online game publisher in both Brazil and the Philippines. KOG Studios is a leading game developer located in Deagu, South Korea creating popular titles including Grand Chase and Fighters Club. Kill3rCombo, which was founded in 2010, combines the development expertise of KOG Studios with the publishing prowess of Level Up! Games to introduce North American audiences to Elsword, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game.
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Los Angeles – Nov. 21, 2011 – Strap on your helmet and start your engines to battle five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson in the over-the-top kart-racer Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine, which straps players in the driver seat of vehicles created from the most unlikely everyday objects – from dumpsters to lawnmowers – fulfilling Jimmie’s “Anything with an engine!” motto. Shipping for Nintendo’s Wii™ system today and joining discs for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at retail outlets across the country, Autumn Games (Skullgirls), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment, Konami Digital Entertainment. Inc., and game developer Isopod Labs (Vigilante 8) unleash the fast-paced, white-knuckled action racing game just in time for the holidays.
“I really wanted to make a game with my own twist that would be fun to play with my family, but grown up enough to play with my friends and crew,” said Jimmie Johnson. “Autumn Games and Isopod Labs did a great job capturing the humor and competitive feel I envisioned.”
Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine allows fearless drivers to engage in elimination-style circuits across progressively challenging tracks, complete with pyrotechnics-laden theatrical sets strewn with wicked hazards, traps and jumps. The game features up to eight-player online multiplayer action on supported consoles, including ranked and private races, and up to four players in split-screen multiplayer action as racers battle for first place across the couch, around the globe, or both.
Additionally, Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine will offer future downloadable characters for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions of the game, including the recently announced Jimmy Fallon Add-on character. Available later this year, portions of sales of the Jimmy Fallon character will go to the American Red Cross, the nation’s premier emergency response organization.
“Jimmie came to us with an incredible concept for a game and he’s been great to work with,” said Jason Donnell, president and COO, Autumn Games. “He’s provided a lot of creative input to help Autumn Games and Isopod Labs create a really fun, competitive, arcade racing experience that everyone can enjoy.”
Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine is available now for $29.99 at retailers including Amazon, GameStop, Toys R Us and Walmart.
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Pangya World Championship Brings More Than $15,000 in Cash Prizes to Winners
Irvine, Calif. - Nov. 17, 2011 - SG Interactive will be participating in the annual Pangya World Championship, part of the renowned Thailand Game Show, held in Bangkok on Jan. 14, 2012. In preparation for PWC and to determine the top three players, Pangya United will host the Wiz City Tournament on Friday, Nov. 18. The top three players from the Wiz City Tournament will represent the Pangya global server to compete against nine other players from Japan, Korea and Thailand.
The Wiz City Tournament will feature four rounds, with the first three rounds taking place on Nov. 18 and the final round taking place on Dec. 3. The Qualifier Round will be open to the first 600 players to enter the”Wiz City for PWC” rooms. The sequence of events will take place as follows:
The Wiz City Final Round will determine the top three players to be sent to Bangkok for the Pangya World Championship. In addition to the all-expenses-paid trip to Bangkok, the top three players will receive PWC uniforms, awards and title as well as 400, 300, 200 PGC tokens, respectively. All final round participants will receive $20 Amazon Gift Cards and 100 PGC Tokens.
Participants must be 18 years of age or older to compete in the tournament and players from Korea, Japan and Thailand are ineligible for the Pangya Global Cup #3. In case any of the top three winners cannot attend the Pangya World Championship, runners-up will be contacted by the order of their placement in the final round.
Details of Pangya World Championship 2012 are as follows:
For more information or to warm-up and train for the PWC, please visit the official Pangya United webpage. For up-to-date information about the game, players can “Like” the Pangya United Facebook page.
About SG Interactive
Headquartered in Southern California, SG Interactive (formerly Ntreev USA) is a publisher of high-quality online games. Founded in 2006 and acquired by noted game developer SmileGate in 2010, SG Interactive is dedicated to providing players with free online games, a welcoming virtual community and outstanding customer support. Offering a diverse and expanding selection of titles which currently includes anime action brawler Grand Chase: Chaos, casual golf game Pangya United, MMORPG Trickster Online, and multiplayer first-person shooters Project Blackout and Crossfire Europe, SG Interactive hopes to continue bringing smiles to players all over the world as they prepare for the launch of their new online gaming portal this year.
The Streamlined Protective iPhone Case Carries Three Credit Cards Plus Cash
LOS ANGELES – Nov. 17, 2011 – CM4, a premium designer and manufacturer of innovative cases for mobile devices, has reinvented the functionality of Apple’s iPhone® 4 and iPhone 4S with its Q Card Case. CM4’s exclusive soft-touch rubber and premium fabric blend to form a streamlined pocket to carry three cards – such as IDs and credit cards – as well as cash, allowing iPhone users to exchange the bulk of a wallet for the slim Q Card Case. Available for $39.99 at CM4.com, and soon at online retailers including Amazon, GameStop and Wal-Mart, the Q Card Case is a must-have for consumers seeking to simplify with style.
By fusing soft-touch rubber with a premium fabric pocket, the Q Card Case offers a new level of convenience. This patent-pending construction forms a surface that provides comfortable grip but won’t stick to the liner of a pocket. The case features a lay-flat Screen Guard™ design, which protects and keeps the iPhone’s screen in pristine condition, and Natural Throw™ buttons are designed to maintain the organic connection with the iPhone interface. Through sleek simplicity, the Q Card Case marries the essentials of a wallet to the form factor of an iPhone 4/4S.
“The Q Card Case fully embodies the four pillars of our brand: High Design, Function, Quality, and Innovation,” said Matt Altschul, president and CEO of CM4. “We designed this product around the philosophy that convenience should complement style. With the Q Card Case, users can ditch the wallet and carry everything in one sleek iPhone case.”
The Q Card Case comes with the following:
To purchase the Q Card Case, or for more information about CM4 products, please visit http://www.cm4.com.
LOS ANGELES and OTTAWA – Nov. 15, 2011 – Fuel™, a Youth Engagement company specializing in entertainment and gaming, and development studio Playbrains, released Sideway™: New York, the 2D platform puzzler set in a 3D world of street art, to PC gamers around the world via Valve’s Steam digital marketplace. Released for the PlayStation®Network (PSN) earlier this year, Fuel and Playbrains collaborated to create a PC-optimized version of Sideway for Steam’s 30 million gamers worldwide. With mind-bending challenges for gamers of all ages, cooperative multiplayer gameplay and a unique aesthetic, Sideway is now available for direct download via Steam for $9.99.
In conjunction with the launch of Sideway on Steam, Fuel has partnered with Skullcandy, leading manufacturer of core audio products, for the “Get Your Tag in the Game” contest. To participate, Skullcandy is asking aspiring street artists to create an original piece of artwork and submit via the Skullcandy Facebook page. It will be judged by the artists who created the game, with the grand prize winner getting their Tag immortalized in the PC version of Sideway.
“After the successful launch on PSN, we wanted to bring the exciting gameplay and visual style of Sideway to PC gamers,” said Mike Burns, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Fuel. “There’s been a huge resurgence in independent games on the PC, largely due to the ease of digital distribution, thanks to services like Valve’s Steam, so we partnered with Playbrains to develop an optimized version of Sideway to let PC gamers enjoy its addicting puzzle-platforming gameplay.”
Sideway tells the tale of Nox, a street-smart graffiti artist who treats the walls of New York City as his canvas. When Nox goes to see who tagged over one of his pieces, he finds himself getting sucked into the art, landing in the world of Sideway. In the strange new world Nox finds that the evil dark artist Spray has imprisoned him as a 2D image in Sideway while Spray attempts to conquer our world. Players must help the 2D Nox escape by guiding him through a 3D maze – one plane at a time – fighting Spray and his army of bosses and minions along the way.
In Sideway, players have 15 levels to explore New York’s five boroughs, while discovering unlockable abilities for Nox to soar, slide, jump and blast his way back to escape Spray’s evil clutches and prevent the dark artist’s takeover of the third dimension. The PC-optimized version of Sideway will feature multiplayer co-op and support for both keyboard and gamepad input, in addition to the unique art style and visual flair for which Fuel is renowned.
Sideway: New York is rated E 10+ and is available now for purchase on Steam. For more information about Sideway, please visit http://fuelentertainment.com/Sideway. To participate in the “Get Your Tag in the Game” contest for the chance to have artwork featured in Sideway, please submit drawings to the Skullcandy Facebook Page.
Two New Wormhole Transfer Cables and One New Wormhole Docking Station Give PC, Android and Mac Users Unparalleled Cross-Compatibility Access
ATLANTA – Nov. 15, 2011 – j5create, a manufacturer of computer usability and interface peripherals, introduced three new products featuring the company’s exclusive Wormhole technology, an ideal solution for multiple platform, or multi-computer businesses and families, as a means to copy and share large data, photo and video files. With a simple USB to USB interface, the Wormhole products allow for easy drag-and-drop and copy/paste transfers for files of any size at speeds of up to 480Mbps. The Wormhole products also allow users to connect a laptop or tablet to desktop computers and share keyboard and mouse inputs as well as drag-and-drop file transfers.
Like previous j5create products, the new products provide functionality and appealing design to users. All j5create products are now available at retailers nationwide, including Fry’s Electronics, Buy.com, Sears.com, Walmart.com, and the newest authorized retailer, Micro Center.
j5create’s new products include:
“j5create provides customers with easy-to-use tools that are functional and essential to everyday computing,” said Fred Schweer, director of North American sales, j5create. “We pride ourselves on creating unique products in design, capability and simplicity of operation. We’re taking our one-of-kind, high speed transfer, keyboard/mouse sharing Wormhole products to the next level by giving them cross-platform compatibility between PC and Apple computers.”
The plug-and-play feature will allow even technologically un-savvy customers to easily use the products. The exclusive j5create platform will allow the Wormhole Keyboard/Mouse Switches to transfer files at speeds up to 480Mbps or 15 songs per second, while the Wormhole Station will support USB 3.0 speeds, up to 5Gbps or 160 songs per second.
For more information about j5create and its products, please visit http://www.j5create.com
About j5create
j5create, a subsidiary of KaiJet Technologies, is a global technology company that delivers innovative products to consumers and businesses. j5create makes high-performance, dependable and easy-to-use USB, multimedia and wireless accessories to connect people with their content and devices. The company’s North American headquarters are in Atlanta with an additional office in Irvine, Calif.
More information is available at http://www.j5create.com.
San Francisco – Nov. 10, 2011 – Entertainment and social media software company Platypus Network announced today the launch of reallymet, a people-based check-in application that provides a fun and easy way for users to publish their meetings with friends and to see where and with whom their other friends are hanging out in real life. Reallymet is currently available for download on iTunes.
Unlike other check-in services that focus on where a user is, reallymet focuses on who the user is with. “Reallymet lets users share real life moments with real life friends, and mimics the social interactions they have offline with a fun online game component,” said Jungwon Hahn, founder and CEO of Platypus Network.
The game aspect of reallymet lets users increase their popularity and social standing within the application every time they meet and check in with friends in real life. Additionally, users can rate their friends’ looks and be rated when they see each other in order to further boost their social level in the game.
Reallymet also includes a GPS function that verifies in-person meetings when users check in. “Reallymet is about the people we have real, offline relationships with - not the so-called friends we have on various social networks, some of whom we’ve never even met in person,” adds Hahn. “The GPS verification encourages that deep engagement by making it part of the game. Users with the highest social levels become famous in their social circles or cities, which makes them want to continue building their profile and to get friends to build theirs as well.”
Reallymet does not discount or replace the recent geolocation aspects of Facebook; in fact, users can integrate their reallymet accounts with their Facebook so they don’t have to create or manage multiple logins. Upcoming feature updates will include the ability to push reallymet updates to Facebook, Twitter and even foursquare.
Ignited Games Officially Launches its Fast Action, 2D Online RPG, WindSlayer 2
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Nov. 9, 2011 - Calling all online mages and warriors: The world of WindSlayer 2 is officially open to explore and conquer. Ignited Games‘ 2D, side-scrolling, multi-player, online role-playing game (RPG) is live and ready for action. Fans of online fantasy free-to-play games can sign up now to play WindSlayer 2 at the game’s official site.
“The detailed visuals, fast-paced action and community features in WindSlayer 2 really raise the bar for 2D side-scrolling online RPGs,” said Peter Kang, CEO of Ignited Games. “Fans will find classic arcade-style gameplay with a unique art style that immerses players in the beautiful, fairytale-like world of Beuritania.”
The game puts players on a journey in Beuritania to defeat hordes of monsters using acquirable skills, magic spells and items. Building on its predecessor, WindSlayer 2features updated gameplay and in-game systems such as the pet and mentor systems that add re-playability.
The commercial launch will include the in-game Playground, which includes community features that connect WindSlayer 2 fans. Players can invite friends and guild members into private rooms for in-game socializing and community building. There also are multiple room scenarios to choose from, allowing players to party with a plan.
Furthermore, players who open a new WindSlayer 2 fansite, or run an existing one, can email their site’s URL to WS2community@ignitedgames.com by Wednesday, Nov. 30 with “Fansite” in the subject line for a chance to win iCash, in-game currency for all of Ignited’s games. Based on design, functionality and overall creativity, Ignited Games will choose the top three sites and award 10,000, 5,000 and 2,500 iCash to the first, second and third place winners, respectively. Also, the three winning sites will be featured on the WindSlayer 2website.
Online gamers can now cast spells and clash swords as they fight foes and lay claim to rare treasures in WindSlayer 2 by visiting the game’s website at http://ws2.ignitedgames.com/. For the latest updates on WindSlayer 2, fans can “Like” the game on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WindSlayer2.
Qualified media can visit WindSlayer 2 Games Press page for the latest assets including a trailer or visit the YouTube channel.
About Ignited Games
Based in El Segundo, Calif., Ignited Games was created in 2010 by an experienced team of global online game developers and publishers. With superb community management, extensive global marketing experience and top-notch localization, Ignited Games is dedicated to achieving a fun and unique online gaming experience for its players. Following the successful release of games in South America and Europe, Ignited Games now publishes WindSlayer 2 in North America, and plans to launch more exciting free-to-play online games for the market, including the upcoming DarkEden.