San Francisco, CA – July 14, 2014

Alphie the Squid, a mobile game featuring the life adventure of an adorable little squid that grows into a giant squid has just launched its third and final world, The Deep. With the new content release, the game is now featured as “Best New Game Update” on the App Store in 110 countries. Crystal Entertainment, the company behind the game, has also teamed with Monterey Bay Aquarium for this launch. $1 for every download on the App Store will support the nonprofit aquarium’s Children’s Education Fund.

The partnership with the aquarium is important to Crystal Entertainment, as its primary goal for creating this game has been to inspire curiosity and learning about the ocean and its plethora of sea creatures. Given the aquarium’s mission to inspire conservation of the oceans, there is an aligned interest for both parties. The aquarium also launched the Tentacles exhibition in April this year, featuring 26 different species of cephalopods – including squid, octopuses and cuttlefishes.

Along with the launching of its partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the debut is also timed with the iTunes release of the full game soundtrack which includes 13 songs composed by award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer David Ari Leon. Leon has gained recognition as a prominent music composer for video games, film and television. Some of the popular game titles he has composed include Superman, Snoopy Coaster, Contre Jour and Woody Woodpecker.

Alphie the Squid has an educational spin as well, featuring a full gallery of sea creatures that Alphie encounters throughout the game. To help validate and add credibility to the educational content, Crystal Entertainment consulted with Stanford Professor William Gilly, a world renowned expert on squid research.

Since the game’s launch in July 2013, Alphie the Squid has been featured as “New and Noteworthy” on the App Store in 36 countries. The game has garnered fans among kids and adults alike, averaging a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on the App Store.

This unique ocean exploration adventure allows players to exercise the natural talents of giant squids: camouflage to hunt and to avoid predators, ink to escape, and hypnotize prey for trapping, all the while venturing through the mysterious ocean world and encountering wondrous sea creatures. Playing through the many immersive levels spanning multiple underwater environments, players navigate mazes and discover the secrets of ocean life in tidal pools, coral reefs, and the depths of the ocean. As is true of his counterparts in nature, Alphie grows in appetite and speed to become one of the mightiest creatures of the sea.

Alphie the Squid is created by Crystal Entertainment, run by Christina Yao and Sibyl Chen, who both come to gaming with a background in the film world. Built with a large budget and meticulous attention to animation, auditory and visual excellence, the game was developed in conjunction with Vancouver-based studio A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. and Edmonton-based studio, Appsquire.

For more information, please contact: Sibyl@cryent.com