Nokia introduces N-Gage with expanded online offering

Company Brief

Chennai, April 08, 2009

Nokia India today announced the availability of its gaming service, ‘N-Gage’ in India with additional games and an expanded online offering. Nokia N-Gage is a part of Nokia’s internet services brand Ovi and brings alive a made-for-mobile gaming service to provide consumers the power to tailor and personalize the internet experience. N-Gage initially brings a catalogue of 30 exceptional titles developed by leading global as well as Indian publishers such as EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu Mobile and India Games, in addition to Nokia Games Publishing.

With N-Gage, thousands of Nokia device owners in India can now discover high-quality made-for-mobile games using the N-Gage mobile application on their N-Gage compatible devices or on the online N-Gage showrooms (www.n-gage.com), accessed directly from their mobile devices. With the N-Gage application on their devices, people can connect with other e-players through the N-Gage Arena community, discuss topics via live chats and message boards, and participate in tournaments and hosted events. They 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 also take place via the N-Gage web portal on the PC, where players can interact seamlessly with the N-Gage community or purchase new games and download them to their N-Gage compatible devices.

“With N-Gage, Nokia is looking at redefining the gaming experience for consumers in India as well as creating a strong and collaborative ecosystem so as to catalyze the market for mobile gaming. We are aiming to provide a holistic consumer experience, be it in terms of discovery and access, top quality content, billing flexibility and innovative devices and accessories,” shared Mr. Vineet Taneja, Director Marketing, Nokia India.

In a unique initiative for Indian consumers Nokia is also offering special pre-paid Oxigen e-vouchers which will be initially available at Nokia Priority Dealers (NPDs) in 9 cities across the country, including New Delhi and the National Captial Region (NCR), Chandigarh, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. N-Gage game vouchers are also available for purchase via Oxicash (www.oxicash.in/nokia) Oxigen's e-commerce portal, accessible from mobile phones and PCs alike, using the Oxicash pre-paid card.

Another unique aspect of N-Gage is the flexibility it allows consumers to try every game before they decide to purchase them. N-Gage games in India are priced between INR 49 – 299 (inclusive of taxes) depending on the type of the game and the validity. Nokia N-Gage is today compatible with Nokia Nseries and other Nokia S60 3rd edition devices including N81, N81 8GB, N82, N79, N85, N95, N95 8GB, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic and 6210 Navigator.

“Oxigen is India’s leading Aggregator & Distributor of Online Payments, for a plethora of Pre Paid Services. 15 million customers are using mobile top ups & other recharge/bill payments services every month at the Oxigen network. We are extremely happy to associate with Nokia and connect consumers with Nokia’s Ovi Portfolio with the launch of N-Gage Games, through our retail touchpoints and payment platform,” says Pramod Saxena, Chairman and MD, Oxigen Services India Pvt Ltd.

Nokia has inked tie-ups with leading content publishers, globally and in India to develop and expand the catalogue of N-Gage titles. Players will have access to a range of high-quality games, fun connected features, immersive gameplay in both landscape and portrait mode many of which are exclusive to the N-Gage platform. Currently, there are 31 interesting live game titles on N-Gage Arena, developed by leading third party developers such as IndiagamesGameloft, Glu, Digital Chocolate and EA. Nokia also has its own publishing division ‘Nokia Games Publishing’ which drives innovation and contributes to the N-Gage service.

Speaking on the association Gonzague de Vallois, Senior Vice President, Gameloft said, “N-Gage allows mobile gaming to make a tremendous breakthrough in terms of ergonomics and technical support. We are thrilled that our N-Gage games are now available for the Indian market, one of the most significant markets in the world.”

“We have partnered with Nokia for seven years now and have been closely involved in N-Gage development and publishing for the international markets. We are delighted to see it now go live in India especially in a retail model, so that the masses have access to next-generation gaming on their mobiles,” said Samir Bangara, COO of Indiagames.

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