04 November 2009

Nokia's Mark Ollila Discusses
Death Of The N-Gage and Games on Ovi Store

Mark Ollila, director of technology and strategy at Nokia Games Publishing, is responsible for setting the development of gaming on Nokia’s mobile devices and probably the busiest person at Nokia after company has confirmed last week that its N-Gage platform will be phased out next year, with all the company’s mobile games activities to be channelled through Ovi Store instead.

Mark is a well-known entrepreneur and highly respected authority in media technology, frequently hosting lectures and publishing research on the sector. Mark has been involved in the setting up of a number of companies and research labs in media and mobile entertainment as well actively involved in advisory and awards for various industry events. Mark brings to bear an unrivalled knowledge of Mobile Entertainment Business and Technology.

Anyway, folks over at Nokia Conversations blog have managed to snatch a few minutes with Mark and discuss the last week’s news about the move for Ovi Store to become the new home for games at Nokia, Mark spoke quite candidly about the move, and let slip a couple of treats we have coming up – and no, the touch version of Dance Fabulous isn’t one of them.

The first of Mark’s treats though is news of the imminent arrival of the hugely popular Sky Force Reloaded on the Ovi Store and 5th edition devices. Just to refresh your memory, the Sky Force Reloaded is from the same folks behind Creatures of the Deep and is actually more powerful version of the oldie Sky Force, an advanced game for S60 2nd and 3rd ed devices, highly acclaimed by the players and press (IGN, 9.5/10, Editor’s Choice Award).

Alongside the touch version of Dance Fabulous, Mark also reveals that Nokia itself will be releasing two to three more games before the end of the year, designed to specifically show off specific technologies.