Nokia N-Gage Mobile Games Service Launched

N-Gage goes live with new games, devices; Moves Nokia further into services market

Today marks the global launch of the Nokia N-Gage mobile games service with more games, additional compatible devices, and an expanded online offering. Millions of Nokia device owners can now find, try and buy high-quality made-for-mobile games directly from their mobile device. Players can also connect with one another through the N-Gage Arena community. They can meet friends, find others to play multiplayer games, discuss topics on the message boards and via live chat, and participate in tournaments and hosted events.

“With N-Gage we’re offering a seamless experience for people around the world to try and buy games that are engaging, accessible and have wide appeal,” said Jaakko Kaidesoja, vice president of games, Nokia. “We’re very excited to get this into the hands of our customers, because with them we will shape the future of mobile gaming.”

The N-Gage platform has exclusive titles that are among the most ambitious and graphically rich mobile games ever produced. From strategy and sport to arcade and action, games of all genres are being developed for N-Gage by leading games publishers. The first set of games include: EA SPORTS™ FIFA 08 by EA Mobile; Brain Challenge and Asphalt 3: Street Rules by Gameloft; World Series of Poker ™ Pro Challenge by Glu Mobile; and Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep and System Rush: Evolution by Nokia Publishing. These games will be followed closely by Tetris and The Sims™ 2 Pets by EA Mobile; Block Breaker Deluxe and Dogz by Gameloft; and Snakes Subsonic, Space Impact: Kappa Base and Mile High Pinball by Nokia Publishing. Starting today, players will have access to a range of high-quality games, many of which are exclusive to the N-Gage platform. N-Gage games incorporate exclusive, industry defining online community features, and in many cases, graphical experiences never before seen on a mobile device.

With the N-Gage application on their device, people can create a Friends List, send and receive private messages, and take part in instant messaging style chat. N-Gage Points can be earned for playing games and participating in community activities. Moreover, the experience can take place via the N-Gage web portal on the PC. Here players can interact seamlessly with the N-Gage community or purchase new games and download them to their N-Gage compatible devices.

Today’s N-Gage compatible devices include: Nokia N81, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82, Nokia N95, and Nokia N95 8GB.

Prior to the N-Gage service going live, Nokia sought feedback from its fans through the N-Gage First Access program. In its eight week run, N-Gage First Access saw tens of thousands of participants register for the service from over 100 countries.

“With N-Gage First Access we offered Nokia N81 owners the first chance to try N-Gage and solicited their feedback to help us further refine the experience,” continued Kaidesoja. “We were pleased that so many people took the time to test-drive the service and share their comments. Thanks to them we are now ready to offer an enhanced experience to a wider audience. Together with the N-Gage community we will keep developing the N-Gage experience further by adding new games and features that take advantage of rapidly evolving mobile technology.”

To download the N-Gage application, visit http://www.n-gage.com on your mobile device or PC. New games, features and compatible devices will be added regularly. Games are expected to cost between six and ten euros – all of which are free to try before buying.