We're really excited to see the soft launch of a project we've been working on for the past year with Helsinki-based studio Kuuhubb, as it continues our march at the forefront of the visual novel genre. This will be our studio's fifth visual - or "interactive" - novel and the third mobile novel app project we've helped bring to market. 

Here's the official press release:

TORONTO, March 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuuhubb Inc. (“Kuuhubb” or the “Company”) (TSX- V: KUU), a mobile game development and publishing company targeting the female audience with bespoke mobile experiences, is pleased to announce the successful soft launch of its newest game, “Tiles & Tales”. The new mobile game app will be a unique combination of two very popular genres within the female gaming community; match-3 and visual novels.

Jouni Keränen, CEO of Kuuhubb commented, "Tiles and Tales is our flagship second-generation game and Kuuhubb’s key focus in calendar year 2020. I am extremely proud of our talented development team for all the dedication, hard work and love they have poured into the game. I am confident that this is the beginning of a new long-term franchise and a important growth driver for Kuuhubb in the future”.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2740ee3d-946b-4384-828b-b0ab168a7475

Match-3, or tile-matching games are a multi-billion-dollar market and are the most popular genre with female gamers by a significant margin, with some titles generating USD 25-50M in monthly revenue. According to HubSpot, 69% of match-3 players are women. The growing match-3 market is estimated to generate over USD 5B annually and of 20 games that have lifetime revenues exceeding USD 1B, five are match-3’s (Disney Tsum Tsum, Candy Crush Saga, Puzzle & Dragons, Gardenscapes and Homescapes) (Source: Sensor Tower). Recent consolidation within the match-3 segment has seen Playtika and Zynga acquire the Helsinki-based Seriously Digital Entertainment Oy and Small Giant Games Oy for ~USD 275M and ~USD 650M, respectively.

Where puzzles and stories meet - a unique combination

Tiles & Tales is the first game in the market to merge match-3 games and interactive visual novels. While the audiences of these two genres have traditionally been considered separate, market research conducted for Kuuhubb  showed considerable overlap among players, making this game ideal for specifically catering to both groups in addition to holding significant cross-over appeal.  The unique match-3 and visual novels combination has the potential to enhance the respective audience sizes and enables fans of one type of gaming to broaden their horizons by introducing them to another popular genre.

Unique gameplay - wide audience appeal

In addition to the unique genre mash-up, Tiles & Tales introduces new game mechanics that set it apart from other match-3 games: throwing pieces to make matches, rather than simply tapping them, shakes up the traditional gameplay in a way that will get even the most experienced puzzle enthusiasts excited.

From solving a murder to enjoying a romantic vacation, a wide variety of genres and art styles ensures that there is something that will appeal to every player. The well-stocked library has plenty more stories and adventures to come. One of the stories available was written by award-winning author Lisa Brunette, who has contributed to other major story-based games such as Choices and Matchington Mansion, among many others. Brunette is also the founder of a leading narrative design studio, Brunette Games.

Tiles & Tales is the latest example of Finland’s game industry innovation and is the first game developed entirely in Kuuhubb’s Helsinki Game Studio using an in-house developed match-3 engine. The Company is focused on the expansion and diversification of its product portfolio through the creation of its second-generation games, and anticipates that the Kuuhubb game engine will significantly reduce the resources and time required to bring new titles to market.

Availability

Tiles & Tales is currently in soft launch and available for both iOS and Android devices in the following countries: Finland, Croatia, the Netherlands, Philippines and Australia. Global commercial launch is anticipated for H2 2020.

Download Tiles & Tales:  https://linktr.ee/tilesandtales
Tiles and Tales on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tilesntales/
Tiles and Tales on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tilesandtales/

About Kuuhubb
Kuuhubb is a publicly listed mobile game development and publishing company, targeting the female audience with bespoke mobile experiences. Our Mission is to become a top player in the female mobile game space. We believe in empowering women by creating games and apps that will have our female audience relax, express and entertain themselves every day. Through our games and partnerships with select developers, we explore new lifestyle trends that can be converted into games and apps which will bring value to our users, employees, and shareholders. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Kuuhubb has a global presence with a strong focus on U.S. and Asian markets.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements relating to future revenue and development, growth of the Company’s business and the closing of the Proposed Financing) are forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, risks related to the growth strategy of the Company, the possibility that results from the Company’s growth plans will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, failure to execute the definitive documentation in respect of, or complete, the Proposed Financing, the need to satisfy conditions precedent with respect to the Proposed Financing, the possibility that the completion of the Proposed Financing may be delayed or that the terms of the Proposed Financing may change, the early stage of the Company's development, competition from companies in a number of industries, the ability of the Company to manage expansion and integrate acquisitions into its business, future business development of the Company and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated November 7, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward- looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Kuuhubb Inc.
Jouni Keränen - CEO
jouni@kuuhubb.com
Office: +358 40 590 0919

Bill Mitoulas
Investor Relations
bill@kuuhubb.com
Office:  +1 (416) 479-9547

Today's view from the home office window.

Life seems surreal this morning as we read of the border closing (by mutual consent) between Canada and the U.S., in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. Here in St. Louis, our iconic Gateway Arch just closed to visitors. Restaurants, gyms, yoga studios (including mine), schools and universities, museums, and other public gathering places have closed. Notable in this region with an active Catholic community, all masses have been canceled. There's a danger of a blood shortage because so many blood drives have been canceled.

The count of those known to be infected with the virus here is relatively small: 15, as of last night. But Chicago is just up the interstate, with 160 cases and one death. We know our family, friends, and colleagues on the West Coast, especially Seattle - where more than 1,000 people have tested positive and 52 have died - are feeling this pandemic even more.

Our work, however, continues, despite all this, including cancellation of the Game Development Conference, which would have taken place this week. We miss the opportunity to meet with our clients and friends. But we've been a remote company since the early days when it was just me and my computer, freelancing from home. Our entire staff continues to work from home, serving clients remotely as our regular method of doing business. And that business must go on.

Our hearts go out to our clients in China, who've continued to press on despite their location near ground zero. Many of our clients are able to shift to work-from-home arrangements, and that's a huge advantage our industry has over others. Hopefully it will help us all weather the tide of what's to come.

Stay safe out there, everyone. We wish you well.

While new releases are always something to be ecstatic about, Brunette Games is just as excited about new content that keeps our favorite titles going for years to come! Redemption Games’ Sweet Escapes is a blossoming tale of charm and puzzles. It follows the bunny Joy and her adorable animal friends as they work to fix up all their favorite sweet shops. Not only does the game have plenty of puzzles and humor, but now it has an all-new map!

Join Joy and her sweets-loving friends as they cruise to Dessert Island, a new location filled with mystery, character, and most importantly of all, sweets! Do volcanoes and shipwrecks await our loveable friends? Can Joy save the island for all its hamster inhabitants? Find out yourself by playing the update now! Our loveable penguin Scoops can’t wait to sail ahead, and neither should you.

It’s never too late to hop on this quirky, fun adventure. Don’t just take our word for it; see what the developers themselves have to say about everything that awaits you in their new official update description:

WHAT’S NEW

Come back to Sweet Escapes with this new update!

And we're off! Join Joy and friends as they explore the new land, Dessert Island! Make new friends, build new decorations, and take on delicious new puzzles!

NEW EVENT

Love is in the air! Come celebrate Valentine's Day in Sweet Escapes with exclusive decorations, prizes, and offers!

NEW PUZZLE PIECES

Candy Frogs! Collect Candy Frogs before they hop up up the puzzle board!

Soda Bottles! Collect blocks of matching colors to fill the soda bottle. When it's full, it'll burst and clear everything in its way!

NEW STORIES

New Chapters added every Tuesday!

Bug fixes and sweet game improvements!

For more information, visit the official website here!

We're excited to announce the participation at this year's Game Development Conference of two members of our team: Lisa Brunette and Dexter Woltman.

Lisa returns to GDC this year after a five-year hiatus and will be presenting as part of the Game Narrative Summit. Her talk: Conflict, Mystery, and Connection in Casual, Free-to-Play Puzzle Games. It's scheduled for the first day of the conference in the afternoon. Lisa has spoken at GDC previously, as a headliner in 2012, delivering a talk that was covered by the game industry press.

For those local to our Missouri headquarters, Lisa will be previewing the talk for the St. Louis Game Developers Co-Op on March 2 at the St. Louis Central Library.

Dexter will be attending GDC for the first time. His previous conference experience includes PixelPop 2019, and he has also presented to the St. Louis Game Developers Co-Op.

We want to express our regrets to our friends in China who are unable to participate in the conference due to the coronavirus epidemic. Be safe and sound, and we look forward to catching up with you in 2021.

Please contact Lisa Brunette to set up meetings during GDC. We hope to see you in San Francisco!

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Official Start Menu

It’s no secret Brunette Games works with amazing clients from all across the world, but this new release hits far closer to home. Developed by Atari and Graphite Lab, RollerCoaster Tycoon Story launched this week as part of the latest installment of the classic Atari franchise. Not only did Brunette Games write the dialogue and in-game text, but we had the honor of working hand-in-hand with Graphite Lab through every step of the script process.

Official In-Game Screenshot

Like Brunette Games, Graphite Lab is centered right here in St. Louis. They have some amazing talent in their studio, and our two companies’ relationship goes beyond the walls of work. So much so, that one of their employees and I are actually neighbors! RollerCoaster Tycoon Story was one of my first big original writing projects, and getting to sit down and talk with their team face-to-face as we developed the narrative was an experience I’ll never forget.

St. Louis is slowly growing its own gaming community, one both Brunette Games and Graphite Lab are happy to be part of. We had the great opportunity to work together, and RollerCoaster Tycoon Story is the product of that collaboration. For the first time in the series, this new release has a rich narrative built around exciting Match-3 puzzles. Even more, Graphite Lab has evolved the typical Match-3 genre by including a rails mechanic never before seen in these types of casual games. A third St. Louis studio, Fat Bard, provided music and sound effect support as well, making this a truly homegrown effort all around.

Official In-Game Screenshot

If that’s not enough to sell you on this new release, hear it from the developer themselves with the official App Store description:

Welcome to RollerCoaster Tycoon Story! The legendary Eagleland theme park has fallen into despair and it’s up to you to restore it to its former glory by solving exciting Match-3 puzzles. Based on the beloved RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, RollerCoaster Tycoon Story uses an innovative rail match system to earn tickets that can be used to complete tasks such as repairing rides, cleaning up park grounds and rebuilding shops. Partner with Sam, your dependable mechanic and other park staff to help restore the land around the park, unravel hidden mysteries, meet interesting characters and become a true RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Features:

• Hundreds of Levels: Match three or more pieces using the rail match system to complete fun puzzles or earn powerful boosters. Complete more complex puzzles to uncover special items including the famous Screechin’ Eagle booster.

• Exciting Story: Finish each round to progress through the storyline and advance to the next level. As you continue to play, additional zones of the park will unlock revealing classic RollerCoaster Tycoon rides like the Log Flume water ride.

• Renovate and Decorate: Improve sections of your park by removing debris, adding decorations, and investing in research to further upgrade rides, attractions and more.

• Endearing Characters: Interact with multiple characters including Sam the maintenance worker, Maggie the mechanic, Tyler the panda mascot entertainer, and many others.

• Daily Rewards: Earn bonus rewards each day for restored rides and attractions. More rides, more money!

• Leaderboards: Top the global leaderboards and compete against friends.

Official In-Game Screenshot

Also, did I mention you get to name a pet squirrel? Download now, and tell us here at Brunette Games what you think!

For more information, visit the official website here!