EA Mobile game is 'Hero Game' for Vodafone Europe

EA Mobile has announced that its Need for Speed Undercover has been chosen as the 'Hero Game' for Vodafone in Europe this autumn.

What's that? A programme that promises publishers of selected titles a simultaneous release across Voda's European operators, as well as advertising and co-promotion campaigns. It's been going since spring this year.

"Vodafone's Hero Game programme is an important initiative and demonstrates how operators and publishers can work together to raise public awareness and grow the market for mobile gaming," says Tim Harrison, marketing director Europe at EA Mobile.

He should have a good idea of just how valuable such an initiative is. Harrison was at Vodafone when the operator launched its previous pan-European scheme of this kind.

It involved giving games gold, silver or bronze status, with varying deck placement and promotional commitments. The problem then was that some local Voda operators reportedly didn't play ball, preferring to negotiate their own partnerships.

Hopefully those issues were sorted out before the new Hero Game initiative launched. Still, any marketing commitment particularly one with as much clout as Vodafone is welcome news for the mobile games industry.

Well, assuming you're one of the publishers who gets to benefit, of course.