Purina® Friskies® Releases New Game and Challenges Developers to Create Next Great Game for Cats at First-Ever Friskies® Hackathon
“Happy Wings” Debuts as Friskies® Seventh Gaming App for Cats
ST. LOUIS – (March 14, 2013) – Friskies® brings even more variety to playtime with the release of “Happy Wings,” its newest tablet game for cats available now at www.GamesforCats.com. Happy Wings welcomes cats to an electronic garden full of flittering critters, including a charming hummingbird, an irresistible moth and a life-size little dragonfly, bringing the richness and fun of the great outdoors inside. The birds, moths and dragonflies dance across the screen to attract the cat’s attention. When the cat captures a certain number of creatures, the setting changes and the game becomes more challenging with quicker patterns and multiple creatures appearing on screen simultaneously.
A leader in creating tablet and mobile games for cats, Friskies believes Happy Wings will be a winner, just like its most popular game for cats, “Cat Fishing.” But to be sure, Friskies plans to put it to the test by handing it over to gaming and developer experts at the first-ever Friskies GamesforCats.com Hackathon. The brand invites tech and creative developers to take part in a brain-pixelating weekend to come up with new ways for cats to become hopelessly hooked on glowing tablets with the hopes to create the next great game in the Friskies Games For Cats portfolio.
“We’re excited to release our seventh game for cats and tie it to the first-ever Friskies Hackathon,” said Alison Coburn, assistant brand manager for Friskies. “Friskies is always looking for new ways to introduce play opportunities for cats and their owners, especially through technology. We’re giving the Hackathon teams a shot to one up us and create a fresh, innovative game for cats using our assets and tech toolkit.”
The Friskies Hackathon takes place March 23, and 24, 2013, on the Amplify campus in Venice, Calif. Up to 75 inspiring tech and creative game programmers will work in teams of up to five during this one-of-a-kind event. Three prizes will be awarded with one grand prize winner taking home $15,000. Second place is awarded $3,000 and third place is awarded $2,000. Additionally, the grand prize winner’s beta version of their game may be further evaluated and could potentially be developed by the Friskies brand to be included within its existing gaming portfolio.
Judges for the first-ever Friskies Hackathon include one of the top names in game development, Amir Rahimi, who was general manager of Zynga's Los Angeles studio for two years before leaving earlier this year to help found a gaming start-up. He previously worked as a producer at Electronic Arts. Also joining the judging panel are Amplify co-founder Jeff Solomon, Fosforus creative director Eric Sutherland and Friskies assistant brand manager Alison Coburn.
To find out more information about the Hackathon and to register for the event, please visit GamesforCats.com.
About Friskies
The Friskies® brand offers a complete line of great-tasting cat foods, including more than 60 wet, dry and treat varieties. Friskies is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare, a global leader in the pet care industry. Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestlé Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis; Mo. Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A. – the world’s largest food company. All trademarks are owned by Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. or used with permission.
Media Contact:
Julie Voss Catron
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Jennifer Knoeppel
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