Music Rhythm Gaming for the World - Rhythm Zone Revolutionizes Social Music Gaming With Unlimited Songs, Dynamic Visuals, and Facebook Launch Coming Soon

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Boom, a leading publisher of cross-platform interactive entertainment, announced today the addition of exciting new features to its popular downloadable music game, Rhythm Zone, one of the only music games that allows users to choose an unlimited number of songs from their personal music libraries to play with. The brand new features include multi-player support where users can send and receive high score challenges from their friends and global players; a free Steam demo of the game; and 50 free songs from up and coming indie and international artists with more songs added every month for free. Now players can also message other users during games to share tips, brags and comments.

"We see a tremendous opportunity to become the leader in social music gaming and reigniting the passion for new music discovery while playing fun games. Rhythm Zone's new features will make the game more socially interactive and expand our user base, especially internationally," said David Danon, CEO of Sonic Boom.

Rhythm Zone's downloadable version offers dynamic background visuals generated by the music being played as well as the player's performance, creating a unique gaming experience each time. Unlike other products that provide a limited number of songs, with Rhythm Zone there is no limit to the number of songs that can be played. And with no consoles to buy and no additional content required, Rhythm Zone is very affordable (MSRP $9.99), making it possible for everyone to play!

Rhythm Gaming Coming Soon on Facebook

A Facebook application is in development that will allow users to play Rhythm Zone in a flash browser-based version for free.  This will allow for a vibrant social gaming experience by competing with friends and people from around the world on leaderboards. Facebook players will be able to upgrade to the full-featured downloadable version of Rhythm Zone with unlimited play, multi-player support, leaderboards and dynamic visual effects.

Rhythm Gaming for the World

Rhythm Zone has lifted global geographical boundaries for fans of music games, creating an avid user community from 87 different countries. Users have added over 470,000 songs to the game to date, and the top 10% of users have played over 87 times each. Licensed to Internet cafes in Asia, the game is also spreading the buzz internationally.

"Rhythm Zone, which includes last.fm integration, offers a fun and unique ecosystem to music fans around the world," Danon said. "Its exciting new features will change the gamers' experience by letting them connect with other users across the world and share new music, scores and tips in one Rhythm Zone community."

New Multi-Player Support, Discover New Artists

A look at some of Rhythm Zone's downloadable new features:

• Multi-player support: Players are able to send and receive high score challenges on songs they have in common with friends and other players around the world.
• Free songs: The full version of Rhythm Zone comes with 50 free songs, and more are added each month.
• Achievements: 13 new achievements have been added that the user can earn by reaching different point levels, for a total of 80 Steam achievements.
• Advanced Audio Engine: Offers improved stereo audio quality. Also improves the synchronization between game events and the music being played.
• Free Steam Demo: Users are able to try out the game before purchasing the full version.
• In-App Messaging System: Allows users to receive challenge results and weekly Rhythm Zone tournament listings from the in-app messaging system each time they visit the main menu.
• Updated Heads up Displays (HUD): HUDs feature new elements that put more information at the user's fingertips such as global high scores, personal high scores, and head-to-head comparisons of challenge scores.

Look for these features to be added soon:

• iPhone and Android support
• As part of Rhythm Zone's vision of providing rhythm gaming the whole world can enjoy, international music will soon be added to the game including hundreds of free songs
• Special editions of the game for big artists and Indie bands
• White label versions for partners, artists, labels and media companies
• Batch processing for your whole library of music
• Real-time and co-op multiplayer modes

About Sonic Boom:

Founded in 2003, New York based Sonic Boom is a leading mobile publisher of cross-platform interactive entertainment. Sonic Boom's most explosive music game, Rhythm Zone, has increasingly gained popularity since its launch in 2010. Sonic's portfolio of published games and applications includes ToneMaker®, Diner Dash Hometown Hero®, Cooking Dash®, Virtual Villagers®, Tattoo Shop®, Puzzlings, Pocket Farmer®, Hidden Expedition®, Wallpaper Maker® and Unlimited Tones®. For more information, please visit www.sonicboomgames.com and www.rhythmzonegame.com.

Musicians interested in submitting their music for consideration to be featured in the Rhythm Zone game can email [email protected].

SOURCE Sonic Boom