PlayFirst awards $5,000 to Independent Developer, Beatshapers, First Winner of Developer Dash Award

SAN FRANCISCO - July 17, 2007 - PlayFirst, a leading publisher of casual games, today announced that Beatshapers, an independent game developer based in Russia, is the first winner of a Developer Dash award. Launched at the Game Developers Conference 2007, Developer Dash is PlayFirst's new $100,000 program that recognizes innovation and creativity in casual games by rewarding game developers with cash prizes.

"As a top publisher in casual games, we're always looking for independent developers to stimulate the category with fresh ideas," said Craig Bocks, director of publishing, PlayFirst. "When we reviewed Beatshaper's prototype, we immediately recognized its new and innovative game mechanic. We were also impressed with how quickly the Beatshapers team was able to develop and turn in their Developer Dash submission - it was just three weeks between their Playground SDK™ download and the completed prototype."

"It's an honor to have been selected as the recipient of the first Developer Dash award. We plan to use the money to fund the full development of our winning prototype - something we couldn't have done before winning the award," said Alexy Menshikov, CEO, Beatshapers. "It's great to see a top publisher like PlayFirst supporting independent developers through its Developer Dash program. It demonstrates their strong commitment to innovation and fostering the category's growth."

Developers: Earn Cash with Developer Dash
While the casual games industry continues to grow at an explosive rate, many independent developers face numerous challenges getting their games off the ground and noticed. In response to these challenges, PlayFirst launched Developer Dash, a developer funding program that will distribute up to $100,000 in cash this year to encourage and help support independent developers create new and innovative games.

There is no requirement for developers to publish or distribute their game with PlayFirst to participate in the program. To be eligible, developers must simply download PlayFirst's popular casual game development framework, Playground SDK, and submit a game prototype that meets the following criteria:

• Built in Playground SDK*
• Commercially viable casual game (i.e. no offensive themes, gratuitous violence)
• Submitted to PlayFirst in 2007

Meet with PlayFirst at Casual Connect Seattle!
PlayFirst producers are looking to meet with talented developers at the Casual Connect Seattle conference July 17-19, 2007. To schedule a meeting please contact PlayFirst at pf_extprod@playfirst.com or stop by the PlayFirst booth on the second floor balcony in Benaroya Hall. The deadline for the next Developer Dash prototype review is August 15, 2007.

For more information about Playground SDK or to submit your game to the Developer Dash program, please visit http://developer.playfirst.com.

About PlayFirst, Inc.
PlayFirst is a leading publisher of highly-original games made for casual gamers wherever they play. Committed to fostering creativity, PlayFirst works with talented internal and external developers to bring innovative games to multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, mobile and handheld. PlayFirst's portfolio of games includes the top-selling hit Diner Dash®, which has more than 200 million plays worldwide. Founded in 2004, PlayFirst is funded by Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures and Rustic Canyon Partners. For more information visit www.playfirst.com.

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