Nokia reveals N-Gage plans

AT THE LAST GREAT E3 show in May 2006, Nokia revealed a total change in direction for its N-Gage mobile platform. N-Gage became a strategy spanning across hardware and software, instead of being just a single device, and 2007 is marked as the year in which the first products from this new face of N-Gage will come to market.

So, on the eve of 2007, we sat down and talked over with Mr. Jaakko Kaidesoja, director of Nolia's New Play Multimedia department and talked through the current situation and about Nokia's plans for the next two years.

INQ: Jaakko, could you please introduce yourself to readers of The INQUIRER.

Jaakko: Yes, throughout my 12 years at Nokia I have been responsible for a variety of tasks. I have a business and finance background and started with Nokia in 1994. I worked for almost five years in Germany and then joined the N-Gage team in the autumn 2003 when we were launching the first N-Gage. Currently, I head the Play new organisation within Nokia Multimedia.
I'm 40 years old, happily married and have two sons - so we have some heavy gaming ongoing in the house every now and then, as you can probably guess…

INQ: What is the role of the New Multimedia department inside Nokia Corporation?

Jaakko:Nokia has four Business Groups: Mobile Phones, Enterprise Solutions, Networks and Multimedia. Multimedia focuses on bringing Web 2.0 into the pockets of consumers with our Nokia Nseries multimedia computers, high performance mobile devices with the most comprehensive set of multimedia features on the market. The Multimedia organisation is divided into devices and experiences. Mobile gaming is one of the key experiences within Multimedia, and our focus.

INQ: Mobile gaming did not take over the market as it was expected couple of years ago. In your opinion, what was the biggest issue?

Jaakko: To put it simply: mobile gaming falls short on consumer experience. First, the games discovery and purchase process is complicated in the current mobile gaming environment. It is also very difficult to make sure that what you purchase is good and actually works on your device. Try and buy is emerging but it is still too often buy and try…

Second, the overall quality requires a boost. There are too many low quality games. It is clear that there is a price-quality equation in every industry and we need to increase the game quality in order to aim for higher price points and hence increase consumer value. It does not matter how low the price is if you are not happy with what you get.
This then links to the industry innovation. It is hard to foster and drive innovation unless you get return on your investment. But, if poor consumer experience scares people away from purchasing or even blocks people from trying there is no way that the quality can be improved. So, first and foremost we need to do everything in order to improve consumer experience and lower the barriers of entry.

Of course we need to take a critical look at mobile phones as a medium for gaming. There are some potential limiting factors, like the display size and gaming ergonomics, which we must also overcome. In terms of graphics and display I think we have taken a quantum leap since the early N-Gage days and with Nokia Nseries we start to see capabilities that are increasing the appeal for gamers. We need to keep ergonomics constantly in our minds while designing the games but there are also potential solutions through various kinds of accessories and just simply focusing on the usability of the rocker and keypad.
Finally, mobile devices have one common element: they are connected. We see emerging trends towards sharing your gaming experience with your friends very much the same way we have seen the emergence of Web 2.0. There are several ways of sharing your gaming experiences such as posting reviews, sending recommendations and playing online multiplayer games. We need to make use of these experiences and enable sharing within communities.

INQ: Big success of massive multiplayer on-line games (MMOs) with games such as World of WarCraft, Lineage, City of Heroes/City of Villains, EVE and many more in PC world earn tens of millions of dollars on monthly fees alone. What is your opinion - is there room for MMO games on mobile phones?

Jaakko: Several enablers need to be in place before MMO games make it to mobile phones. Data fees need to be understandable and connections need to be faster and more robust. Faster networks like WDCMA, HDSPA, Wi-Fi, are being deployed more and more and operators are moving towards flat fees, so this is a good start.
Nokia will take advantage of the connectivity aspect with the new N-Gage platform by introducing new ways for consumers to share their gaming experiences. We have already started to do this with the N-Gage Arena a few years ago. Whether this will lead into MMOs and how - we will see soon, but there is definitely an emerging trend of wave that we call Mobile Gaming 2.0. Web 2.0 saw the birth of a new, more empowered use of the internet and with Mobile Gaming 2.0 we are on the brink of the same evolution.

INQ: What do you see as a killer app in future years, such as 2007 and 2008? What are users demanding the most from leading manufacturers such as Nokia?

Jaakko: There are several good candidates as for a killer app. I think every user has his/her favourite but there are certain common underlying themes. We are bringing the internet into people's pockets and are mobilizing Web 2.0 and that is very strong offering. Consumer multimedia and internet are the source for new killer apps whether it will be games, music, navigation, and search, video, mobile TV or anything else. With all this content in their hands, people want seamless and intuitive usability packaged in different designs and form factors.

INQ: Back at E3, Nokia was promoting the N-Gage and many of the visitors were left in wonder, since the new N-Gage device was nowhere to be found. Could you explain to us where N-Gage is now and where is heading?

Jaakko: As you have probably been following our strategy since E3, N-Gage is no longer one device; it is evolving into a mobile gaming platform which will be supported through various devices consisting of Nokia Nseries multimedia computers and other Nokia S60 devices.
N-Gage provides a gaming service through an S60 application on your device which you can use to browse new games, download them through over the air (OTA) or over the internet (OTI) and try before you buy. There is also a backend to take care of billing through credit card or premium SMS and a website which you can access through your mobile device or PC. You can also share your gaming experience by chatting, posting reviews or playing online multiplayer games through N-Gage Arena.

In the heart of everything are of course the games. Nokia is bringing some of the N-Gage franchises to the platform, but we are also going for new concepts to broaden the audience towards more casual gamers. We are working closely with the gaming industry to bring some of their greatest games to the N-Gage platform. So far we have announced support from EA and Gameloft, and are working with others as well.

To put this all into a slogan: N-Gage is connecting people through play.

INQ: Can you tell us how many N-Gage compliant devices is Nokia planning to launch in 2007?

Jaakko: We are supporting a wide range of multimedia computers and Nokia S60 devices, providing the end users a freedom of choice. We are targeting to support some 5-7 devices at launch and scaling up as we move along. Some of the supported devices are already selling today, so those owners can download the N-Gage gaming experience into their devices later in 2007. We will announce the final line up a bit later once we have tested and verified the functionality of each device.

INQ: Did Nokia cancel plans to offer new N-Gage phone or future could see a new stand-alone device?

Jaakko: At the moment we are not working on a dedicated gaming device but we have not ruled it our either. We see the current trend is towards multipurpose devices rather than single purpose devices.

INQ: How are you addressing the distribution of content in the new N-Gage world?

Jaakko: Content will be distributed digitally either over the air (OTA) or over the internet (OTI). Some devices will hold enough memory for preinstalled games as try and buy. We can also use inbox distribution which includes a memory card or a CD-ROM in the mobile phone package. However, the focus is clearly on digital distribution.

INQ: We know that ATI has been an integral part of the Nokia hardware strategy. With the AMD takeover now being over, how do you see cooperation between the two companies, Nokia and AMD - any changes in current relationship or business as usual?

Jaakko: No change, business as usual.

INQ: For the end, what kind of cell phone(s) you own and currently use?
Jaakko: I currently use the Nokia N93 as it has the best 3D graphics engine and best mobile gaming performance amongst any mobile phones selling today. I also use the Nokia N91 for music while jogging and during long haul flights.

In short
Nokia plans to make next couple of trade shows their own with cleverly positioned product launches.

It remains to be seen how publishers will react to the OTA/OTI divide, and how operators will react to proposed revenue service. One thing is certain: this could be one of the last bells for mobile multimedia as we want it. Regardless whether talking about all those gaming and video cellphones, truth is that no service or feature sans integrated digital camera and MP3 player had seriously picked up in the western world, and almost two thirds of people are still buying even most powerful mobile phones and using them in an elementary way: making calls and sending short messages.

N-Gage as a unified game development and distribution platform could really rock the boat in more than one way. Be prepared for the 3GSM in Barcelona and CeBIT in Han(g)over. µ