N-Gage won't merge with Ovi Store, at least for now
Published by Tzer2 at 13:51 UTC, March 8th 2009
The upcoming Ovi Store application is due to replace Nokia's existing Download!, MOSH and Software Market services, and there has been speculation about what else it might absorb. However, Nokia has now gone on record to say the N-Gage application will be kept as a separate service, at least for the moment, though they also said that their medium term goal is to "converge everything into a single distribution channel".
But would it be a bad thing for N-Gage to merge with Ovi Store? Maybe not...
In some ways an N-Gage/Ovi Store merger might be a very good idea:
- It would allow Nokia's gaming department to break free of the "N-Gage" brand which has probably harmed them more than helped them.
- Most people that this writer has spoken to still think N-Gage is a dedicated gaming phone, and the old gen N-Gage's reputation was hardly a good one. Moving to a new name would help get across that the new N-Gage platform is nothing to do with the old gen N-Gage phones.
- It is a little strange and confusing to have a single company offering two services selling games on the same phones (and separate logins are a pain too).
- With the current N-Gage app, people see a few dozen games in the showroom and some assume that's all the games their phone can run. In fact there are thousands of games compatible with N-Gage phones, but they're scattered across many different platforms: Java J2ME, Symbian S60, Flash Lite and N-Gage. By merging all these platforms into one game shop, people will instantly see a much more comprehensive selection of titles with a much wider range of prices and playing styles. Card games alone would number in the hundreds in a merged shop, which would be a great improvement on the N-Gage's two (!) card games.
Babies & Bathwater
If there was a merger though, it would be important to preserve the N-Gage platform's online community features such as point pickups and multiplayer. The N-Gage platform offers a lot of "sticky" features which would help to make Ovi Store distinctive instead of just another me-too game shop.
Here's what this writer would suggest for how to do a merger:
Make N-Gage an online gaming community system and use Ovi Store as the actual shop. Turn N-Gage into Nokia's own equivalent of Xbox Live, as a method for third party developers to easily and instantly gain a large online userbase. Such an online infrastructure could be opened up to anyone publishing games on Ovi Store, perhaps for free in order to encourage users to stay with the Ovi Store platform. Ovi Store games which used N-Gage as a community system could be marked with a special logo, in much the same way that Microsoft uses the Xbox Live logo on Xbox games which use their Live service.
This would also give Nokia's first party games a new purpose, to show off and promote N-Gage's online gaming features, which would only be available on Ovi Store.
Categories: Software, Miscellaneous, Industry, Editorial Thoughts, Games
Platforms: Series 60, N-Gage, S60 3rd Edition, N-Gage, S60 5th Edition
News Discussion
ccraig
the only purpose ovi store should ever serve for n-gage is the distribution of n-gage games and then i'd want to see them in there own sub-category imo
i wouldn't like to see any dev just beable to release games on n-gage without nokia imposing strict rules of code for them to follow
as for xbla not anyone can just develop a live arcade game for microsoft
there is a community games section added now on live arcade and if you game does well you can get it put into live arcade
so maybe nokia could adapt something like adding a different tab in showroom where indie devs can get there games listed kinda like xbla
Tzer2
Just to make clear, when I say "Xbox Live" I'm not talking about Live Arcade. What I'm talking about is the "Xbox Live" sub-brand which indicates that an ordinary Xbox game has online features.
My idea is that Ovi Store games which supported N-Gage features could have a little logo next to their name (maybe "N-Gage", maybe some other name, or maybe just an orange "N" logo).
The N-Gage online gaming community infrastructure could be opened up to Ovi Store publishers for free, to encourage users to stick with Ovi Store compatible phones, and to encourage publishers to publish on Ovi Store.
sandy_1988
From the interview:
Quote:
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Argenti said that from the start the store will sell mass-market games, but Nokia has decided for now to keep separate its gaming service N-Gage, which is targeted more at hard-core gamers.
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Either Nokia is making fun of us (by allowing super-casual content like Boom Blox or Tetris) or they are going to change path soon, regarding N-Gage. I hope the 2nd happens.
Tzer2
Quote:
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Either Nokia is making fun of us (by allowing super-casual content like Boom Blox or Tetris) or they are going to change path soon, regarding N-Gage. I hope the 2nd happens.
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That's what I thought too. The current N-Gage lineup is clearly aimed at casual gamers, it's very odd to describe it as a hardcore gamer service.
There's nothing wrong with casual games by the way, they can be very cheap and great fun to play. It's just weird that Nokia is describing N-Gage as non-casual.
MD90
Sorry, not related to the topic, but do you guys know where I can find the old n-gage game covers? I googled and I only found a few like ashen and pathway to glory. But is there someplace that I can find them all?
Tzer2
wampyre
At first when I read your article it seemed like a good idea, but taken the fact that for instance EA, Glu and other makers of games releases their own versions of the same games shortly after (or before) they release it for the N-gage it would prove to be difficult for Nokia to offers N-gage games as a 'exclusive' service.
It is also the case that if you install the .sis version of a particular game you can't install the same game meant for the N-gage.
(Difference is there's no pointsystem on the .sis version)
That would lead to lesser sales for Nokia.
I really do however agree on what you wrote about the N-gage branding being haunted by old memes, and that they could offer it as an Xbox Live service.
In fact that's what some of my friends compare it too when I talk about the N-gage point system. (I don't own an Xbox myself)
To offer the same games on the OVI store would lead to more competition and this against Nokia themselves.
Why buy the N-gage games when the same games are offered as java games or 'symbian' games?
(It could be doable if the price of those games were priced higher and the N-gage games lower)
Surely their promotion and advertising must have had some impact on what the (new) N-gage is all about.
What I'm basically saying is that if you offer different versions of the same games the N-gage will not be exclusive anymore.
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