Author Archive

Nokia fights to save QD

November 26th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Smartphones & Tablets | No Comments »

Nokia has been scrambling to make late deals with major games and toys retailers in a last ditch attempt to get the N-Gage QD onto the shelves before Christmas.

The seasonal sales period is crucial to gaming companies, accounting for more than half of annual sales. But with trading already underway, most of the major players were not stocking the QD as Mobile went to press. More …

Play for Real’ mobile phone games add spice to ‘old favourites’

November 25th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

Mobile entertainment operator, Million-2-1 is extending its portfolio of games by offering a suite of fixed odds, java-based gambling games for mobile phones.

The games are based on familiar favourites. First to market are Dice and a Hi-Lo card game which download in ‘Play for Fun’ and ‘Play for Real’ formats. They will be followed by Horse Racing and Lucky Balls later in November. More …

JAMDAT and Codemasters Bring Console Games to Mobile Phones in Europe; TOCA Race Driver, Club Soccer and LMA Manager Go Mobile

November 25th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

Global wireless entertainment publisher JAMDAT Mobile Inc. announced today an agreement with Codemasters, a European developer and publisher of video games, to bring the console titles TOCA Race Driver, Club Soccer and LMA Manager to mobile phones. European consumers will be able to play these popular console games -wherever they are, whenever they like, right on their handsets. More …

PAC-MAN Grows Flippers

November 24th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

PAC-MAN, one of the world’s most famous videogame characters gained millions of new fans when he appeared on the latest generation of java-enabled mobile phone handsets.

Now PAC-MAN is back in PAC-MAN Pinball, an entirely new game for mobile owners worldwide. PAC-MAN Pinball features the whole PAC-MAN cast, PAC-MAN himself, Ms. PAC-MAN and Baby PAC-MAN on a series of branded Pinball tables. It’s a fast-paced and exciting new title, which can be played on most popular mobile phone handsets available in Europe. More …

Nokia: Call of Duty(TM) on the N-Gage Platform Shoots for the Shelves

November 23rd, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

Nokia today announced that it is shipping Call of Duty(TM), an intense action game that allows players to experience the combat of World War II through the eyes of ordinary soldiers, fighting as part of a squad through the chaos of battle. More …

Digital looks to develop in California

November 22nd, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Digital Bridges, the mobile computer game company, is set to open a development centre in California after raising

Digital Bridges to Launch Sports Illustrated Mobile Games in North America

November 18th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Games | No Comments »

Digital Bridges, a world leader in the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment solutions, and SI Wireless today announced an agreement to bring Sports Illustrated(TM), one of the world’s most recognized media and sports entertainment brands, to mobile phone gaming in North America. Sports Illustrated(TM), America’s leading sports publication, is read by 21 million adults each week, more than any other men’s publication.

The Sports Illustrated(TM) brand extends beyond print titles to bring the best in sports information and entertainment to a variety of products and platforms, led by the SI.com website. More …

Vodafone’s 3G launch reaches for mobile gaming’s holy grail

November 18th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A, Games, Trends | No Comments »

Games czar Tim Harrison takes us behind the scenes of his company’s 3G launch in Europe.

As the world’s largest mobile carrier, Vodafone’s capacity for making dramatic statements and sweeping business maneuvers is now more expected than it is surprising. The multinational’s aggressive partnering strategy has allowed it to push into markets from Kuwait and Japan to Malta, propagating forward-thinking mobile services like Vodafone live! and pay-as-you-go plans wherever the red teardrop has spread.

Now that it has expanded into a sizable percentage of the world’s arable land mass, Vodafone’s aiming its next quantum leap in a different direction: boosting marginal revenue and encouraging new subscriptions with next-generation mobile data services. Vodafone live! with 3G, which Vodafone unveiled last week in 13 countries in Europe and Asia, features a set of capabilities that will have almost any mobile consumer drooling–or so the company hopes. More …

Warner Music Group and m-Qube Announce Group-Wide Mobile Content Agreement for World-Renowned Record Labels and Artists

November 17th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »

Agreement Allows Labels and Artists to Reach Fans and Promote Their Music by Taking Advantage of the Mobile Music Channel.

Warner Music Group (WMG) today announced a multi-faceted agreement with m-Qube, a leading enabler of mobile content and applications, to create and deliver ringtones, images, messaging and other mobile content to music fans in the U.S. This agreement covers Warner Music Group’s world-renowned record labels and artists. More …

Cellphone games becoming more complex

November 17th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Trends | No Comments »

As I waited for a flight in the airport the other day, I pitted my trivia skills against an array of tough competitors, racing to answer sophisticated questions about movie director George Cukor, Vietnam’s Hamburger Hill and foie gras (goose liver).

I was staring not at a board game or a computer monitor, but rather at the Lilliputian face of a wireless phone, connected to an online game with invisible but real opponents.

According to many analysts, this kind of mobile gaming is playing an increasingly dominant role in cellphone use. There is a boom of interest in and sophisticated offerings of wireless games, with yet more dazzling graphics and complex play to come. More …