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Master of Maya on the way to mobile

Will Siemens' trading card game top the deck?

Master of Maya on the way to mobile
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| Master of Maya

What would you suppose is the most profitable game – of any type, not just digital – in the world?

Grand Theft Auto? Nope. Tetris? Uh-uh! Monopoly? Not even close.

At least not according to the chaps from Siemens, who chose the recent Mobile Content World conference to highlight that it's actually Yu-Gi-Oh, the trading card game from Japan that has brought in around $2billion in its short life.

Now the telecommunications giant has chosen the multiplayer trading card game for its entrance into mobile gaming. Which is all very well for German businessmen with Euro signs in their eyes, but what's in it for us?

Well, the early signs are that the game, which we first glimpsed at the 3GSM show earlier this year, is actually rather promising, taking the best elements from trading card games and using the mobile's capabilities to add a whole new raft of features.

Although the ancient Mayan setting is a first for this sort of game, the basic premise will be familiar to regular card players. You purchase a basic set of cards (addding to it later with booster packs), assemble an army from a host of different characters, add in some special treasure cards for extra power, then send them to battle against opponent's troops.

In addition to the glory of victory and possibility of snaffling some cards, the winner is awarded blood shields, enabling them to rise through the ranks and ascend the 'stairwell of light', transforming them into more powerful warriors before your eyes.

So far, so familiar then. However, due to the wonders of mobile connectivity you won't need to hunt down a new foe when your deck becomes too powerful or weak for your nearby friends, as there will be thousands (possibly millions) of people worldwide to compete with – a fancy web-based system will enable you to locate similarly powered opponents.

This online element also promises to offer more information on the game and your card sets (you can store back-up cards online when your deck becomes too big) as well as providing detailed stats on your battle performance and your standing in the Master of Maya world rankings.

As with all trading card games, the Master of Maya world will be a constantly evolving one, with new cards, packs, themes and powers being added as the game progresses.

Whilst these features sound encouraging in themselves, perhaps the biggest reason to be cheerful is the amount of time, effort and cold hard cash Siemens is dedicating to the game. Aside from recruiting specialists like Infospace, Exit Games and Freemantle to put it together, the company has pencilled in a sizeable marketing budget to ensure a success.

Master of Maya is currently undergoing final testing and is expected to hit these shores at the start of next year. But you can be sure we'll bring you more information on this game – plus news on Siemens' other debut mobile title, the robot-battler Armored Forces – in the very near future.

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Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, bossman Chris is up for anything – including running Steel Media (the madman).