PlayFirst has announced the achievement of 5 million game downloads for mobile devices. This announcement is made even more impressive by the lack of iPhone downloads included in that number. PlayFirst was able to achieve 5 million downloads without the help of Apple and the iTunes Store that is pretty impressive.

It is no surprise that the Dash game series, which includes, Diner Dash, Wedding Dash and Doggie Dash, is largely responsible for the 5 million downloads, but it is not entirely responsible as there were new mobile IPs that have done really well too. To achieve this milestone, PlayFirst has had to adapt their games to a mobile handset or device and partner with mobile distributors. One of the mobile distributor partners, Glu, has been their biggest distributor.

“Glu has seen tremendous success from the Diner Dash franchise on mobile handsets, as casual games are a natural fit for the mobile platform”, said Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu Mobile. “With over 5 million downloads, it is clear that fans are excited to be playing their favorite PlayFirst games on-the-go.”

Congratulations to PlayFirst for achieving a huge milestone. Keep up the good work and I am sure we will see an announcement for reaching the 10 million download milestone.

Press Release Follows:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – July 21, 2009 – PlayFirst, Inc., the award-winning entertainment company has achieved the milestone mark of 5 million game downloads globally on mobile handsets. The significant number of game downloads, which excludes iPhone download numbers, is propelled by the success of mobile versions of PlayFirst’s popular Dash™ games series and its new innovative game titles for the mobile market.

The news comes as the gaming industry hits its peak summer cycle which sees many gamers on the move and a trend towards more mobile game purchases. Since its inception, PlayFirst has embraced the concept of ubiquitous gaming and its game titles are now available across popular gaming platforms. As the mobile market increases its user base particularly through the increasing global penetration of smart phones, PlayFirst continues to work with developers and mobile partners to ensure its game titles are tailored specifically for players on the move.

PlayFirst works with a number of industry partners to distribute its games on mobile platforms including Glu Mobile with whom it has partnered since 2005.

“Glu has seen tremendous success from the Diner Dash franchise on mobile handsets, as casual games are a natural fit for the mobile platform”, said Jill Braff, senior vice president of global publishing, Glu Mobile. “With over 5 million downloads, it is clear that fans are excited to be playing their favorite PlayFirst games on-the-go.”

“Our tradition of producing engaging and winning titles for a sophisticated mobile audience is proven in our numbers today”, said Rich Roberts, VP of sales at PlayFirst. “With the global mobile entertainment industry now worth $32 billion dollars* and growing, PlayFirst is poised to continue to deliver more exciting new content for fans on the go.”

The success of PlayFirst’s mobile game downloads is dominated by the Dash series which PlayFirst introduced to the mobile handset market in 2006 with the launch of flagship title, Diner Dash® featuring Flo, PlayFirst’s iconic game character and virtual restaurateur. Building on the series success, Diner Dash was followed by Wedding Dash®, Doggie Dash® and Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue. Other available mobile titles include Zenerchi, the meditative puzzle game based on color matching, and Chocolatier, the award-winning economic simulation game that puts players in the role of a master chocolatier.

*Mobile Entertainment Forum