"Despicable Me: Minion Rush" Reaches 150 Million Downloads and Wins 2013 BAFTA Kids' Vote Award

PARIS, December 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Gameloft, a leading global publisher of digital and social games, achieves yet another major milestone with the successful mobile title, "Despicable Me: Minion Rush", which has been downloaded more than 150 million times, by winning the 2013 BAFTA Kids' Vote in the Video Game category. "Despicable Me: Minion Rush" is produced in collaboration with Universal Partnerships & Licensing and Illumination Entertainment. Despicable Me 2 also won the 2013 BAFTA Kids' Vote in the Feature Film category.

BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) allows children between the ages of 7 and 14 to vote for their favorite movie, TV show, game and web site. Hundreds of thousands of children voted for the smartphone and tablet game, which competed against nine other titles available on multiple video game platforms. The awards were presented on Sunday, Nov. 24 in London.

"We're honored to have received this prestigious award," said Gonzague De Vallois, Senior Vice-President Publishing at Gameloft. "Despicable Me: Minion Rush was warmly received upon its release, which was already a fantastic reward in itself for all the teams who worked on this project at Gameloft, Universal and Illumination Entertainment. The fact that kids chose us attests to the effort we put into creating games that appeal to everyone."

"We are so thrilled to win the vote for both the film and the game," said Stephanie Sperber, President of Universal Partnerships & Licensing. "This proves the immense popularity of the brand and that we were able to provide the perfect game companion, extending the experience for fans looking to interact with the beloved characters from the film."

A fifth update to "Despicable Me: Minion Rush" will be available in the very near future. In this latest update, players can plunge into the holiday spirit with the Minions. There will be more costumes, fun quests, and many other surprises.

About Gameloft:

A leading global publisher of digital and social games, Gameloft® has established itself as one of the top innovators in its field since 2000. Gameloft creates games for all digital platforms, including mobile phones, smartphones and tablets (including Apple® iOS and Android® devices), set-top boxes and connected TVs. Gameloft operates its own established franchises such as Asphalt®, Order & Chaos, Modern Combat or Dungeon Hunter and also partners with major rights holders including Universal®, Illumination Entertainment®, Disney®, Marvel®, Hasbro®, FOX®, Mattel® and Ferrari®.

Gameloft is present on all continents, distributes its games in over 100 countries and employs over 5,000 developers. Gameloft is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (Euronext: GFT.PA, Bloomberg: GFT FP, Reuters: GLFT.PA). Gameloft is traded OTC in the US (sponsored Level 1 ADR ticker: GLOFY).

About Universal Partnerships & Licensing

UP&L oversees Universal's consumer product licensing, film and home entertainment promotions, and all corporate alliances for Universal's theatrical, home entertainment, theme parks and stage productions.  This dedicated division is also responsible for monetizing the Studio's vast library of films and characters through licensing, branding and marketing opportunities.  UP&L is part of NBCUniversal.  NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.  NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks.  NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

About Despicable Me 2

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10^th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history.   

Released this July, Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team created an all-new comedy adventure featuring the return of (former?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), his adorable girls, the unpredictably hilarious Minions...and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.  http://www.despicable.me 

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SOURCE Gameloft