Vancouver, Canada (May 12^th, 2008) – In a few weeks the railway adventure game, Ticket to Ride, pulls into Xbox LIVE Arcade – the premier destination for digitally distributed, high definition, original and classic games. Based on the internationally renowned board game, Ticket to Ride features simple rules, fast play and is expected to be a great offering for the growing casual games market which draws over 200 million online players per month worldwide.

Ticket to Ride challenges players to plan cross-country rail routes across North America and visit all the city stops in-between. Although the game can be learned in under five minutes, players face strategic and tactical decisions that vary with every turn as they connect distant cities and race to complete the most routes.

Ticket to Ride will support play with up to five people on Xbox Live or four people on the same console and supports the Xbox LIVE Arcade Vision Camera for hours of family-friendly fun.

Ticket to Ride is based on the board game by noted game designer Alan R. Moon. Days of Wonder released the game in early 2004, becoming the youngest game publisher to win the world’s most coveted game prize, the German Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year Award. With a following in over 30 countries and availability in 11 languages, the board game has an international following.

Ticket to Ride is the debut title for Playful Entertainment, BC’s first independent console video game publisher. Started just under a year ago, CEO Sean Murch saw an opportunity for a small company to challenge industry heavyweights for a piece of the interactive action.

“The industry has been dominated by the big players, but digital distribution and alternative financing are leveling the playing field,” notes Murch. “It’s a David and Goliath story.”

Working with local investment companies, Playful started building a multi-million dollar fund in April, called the Vancouver Interactive Entertainment Fund. The fund will finance video game titles. It's the first of its kind in the country and one that allows individual investors to participate directly in video game revenues.

Murch, a 15-year veteran of the traditional & interactive industry, got his start as a film & game producer working with Francis Ford Coppola, Nelvana, Radical Entertainment and Electronic Arts. His goal was to create a company that could operate quickly, fairly and decisively in the fast-paced world of gaming