Nokia Kills the N-Gage
Filed in archive Creative Reporters by tiago on December 5, 2005
Fans of Nokia's N-Gage will be disappointed to learn that Nokia will not be building new versions of the gaming
phone. Nokia is planning to concentrate on mobile music for the rest of this year, and mobile television for 2006. Mobile gaming may be a focus in 2007 when screen size and quality should be more conducive to mobile gaming.
Since its launch in 2003, the N-Gage has been a disappointing seller for Nokia. Projected to sell six million units in 3 years, actual sales were around two million. Antti Vasara, Nokia's vice president for corporate strategy, said, "[N-Gage] was not a success in the sense of developing a new category."
"We learnt that people want to play games on all devices. As such we are integrating the gaming software into Series 60 phones," Vasara explained.
Rather than focus on a gaming device like the N-Gage, Nokia will instead start to emphasize getting its software into it's various cell phone handsets. It's not clear if, when 2007 rolls around, Nokia will try to develop another mobile gaming device, or if they will simply encourage the use of its gaming software on a variety of Nokia phones.
Owners are not completely out of luck. The company will continue to release new software for the device, but new N-Gage's will only be produced for the Indian and Chinese markets.
Article submitted via Creative Reporter, thanks to Dave
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