Gameloft, a leading publisher and developer of video games for mobile phones, today announced they are joining the BlackBerry ISV Alliance program with plans to develop, publish and distribute games for BlackBerry smartphones.

Not only a tool only for working professionals, BlackBerry smartphones now sport features that are attractive to a broader audience, giving users new entertainment features for play, as well as unmatched business capabilities for work. With a diverse catalogue of 125 plus titles, distributed in over 70 countries worldwide, Gameloft is positioned to provide new gaming experiences for BlackBerry smartphone users.

"With worldwide brand recognition and millions of loyal users the BlackBerry platform represents a tremendous opportunity for Gameloft," said Michel Guillemot, president, Gameloft. "Given the technology advancements embedded in smartphones such as the BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry 8800 and RIM's rapidly growing customer base, we believe now is the ideal time to bring our quality games to this award-winning platform."

"More and more people are embracing BlackBerry smartphones for both work and play," said Jeff McDowell, Vice President, Global Alliances, Research In Motion. "Our robust, standards-based development platform has paved the way for leading developers such as Gameloft to provide complementary applications. We are extremely pleased that Gameloft is expanding their portfolio of mobile games to support the BlackBerry platform."

The first wave of Gameloft products available now for BlackBerry smartphones include such hit titles as: Block Breaker Deluxe, Asphalt Urban GT 2, New York Nights, LOST, Midnight Pool and Prince of Persia The Two Thrones. Additional titles for BlackBerry smartphones will be announced at a later date.