MAM
Indiagames to bring World Cyber Games on mobile
MUMBAI: Mobile entertainment developer and publisher Indiagames Ltd has signed an agreement with International Cyber Marketing (ICM), to host the World Cyber Games Competition for mobile phones.
According to this agreement, Indiagames Ltd can hold WCG mobile game competitions or related events using WCG title for 3 years. Also, it will engage in planning and operating mobile tournaments for and during WCG 2005 Grand Final as ICM’s mobile game partner.
Indiagames will be actively working with game publishers to select a list of official mobile game titles and launch gaming championships across all key territories in 2005 after the consultation with ICM. ICM has been deliberating mobile games to be included as WCG official games in the future. This agreement was signed in Singapore during the WCG 2005 SP (Strategic Partners) Conference where 38 of WCG strategic partners had gathered in Singapore, informs an official release.
Indiagames CEO Vishal Gondal says “With the advent of 3G and multiplayer gaming and the popularity of gaming competitions, it was important to bring to the mobile games industry a very respectable and truly global game competition. World Cyber Games is a global youth phenomenon which has brought together over one million players across the world for computer and video games. Looking at the size and the temperament of the mobile audience we hope to attract millions of participants and form the largest community of gamers across the world.”
Says ICM CEO Hank Jeong, “Based on the success in India, we’ll continue to develop new business opportunities using WCG brand with companies all over the world.” He added, “We’ll foster WCG brand to be equivalent to ‘Worldcup’ or ‘Olympics’ in the end by promoting brand value through constant investment and business development.”
ICM is the global organizer of WCG, which represents the world’s largest computer & video game festival including game competition, conference and exhibition. First held in Korea in 2000, WCG has been constantly striving for globalization all the way up to WCG 2004 in San Francisco last year, which marks the first-held event outside of Korea.
ICM will maintain the ‘host city’ concept which has first been introduced for the game competitions and WCG Grand Finals are expected to be held in foreign cities in the future. This year’s event, WCG 2005, will be held in Singapore in mid-November.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
