N-Gage dies. Again
Ovi is the next of kin
Nobody who pays any attention to the mobile gaming world will be surprised to learn that N-Gage, Nokia’s beleaguered games platform, has been pronounced dead for a second time.
In an interview with Mobile-Ent.biz, Nokia’s Mark Ollila explains, “We are not releasing any more games on N-Gage, although the store - the ability to buy N-Gage games - will remain open until at least September 2010, and the N-Gage service will run through to the end of 2010."
From the off, the N-Gage platform has faced unexpectedly severe handset compatibility issues, and when Apple’s App Store went live and promptly revolutionised the world of mobile gaming, the imminent demise of N-Gage became inevitable.
This doesn’t spell the end for Nokia’s mobile gaming ambitions, though. A dedicated gaming platform may have died, but the broader App Store-style Ovi platform is ready to take up the slack.
"The message is that Ovi Store is the place to find and purchase mobile games. It's our one-stop shop for games."
