Nokia Corp. said it will delay the U.S. introduction of its revamped N-Gage mobile-phone/video-game device, and it cut the number of planned games for the device by almost half.
Nokia said it is delaying the introduction of the N-Gage QD device in the United States from June 29 to July 27. The delay is to ensure that “all of our marketing initiatives are in place for a unified launch,” said Steven Knuff, a Nokia spokesman. Knuff said the device would sell for $180 without carrier subsidies, but Nokia “fully expects” U.S. carriers will offer subsidies that could bring the price below $100. Knuff declined to provide specifics on prices or carriers that would sell the device.
Although Nokia has been cutting prices on its mobile phones in an effort to increase sales and market share, Knuff said the $180 price tag for the N-Gage QD would still generate profits for Nokia.
Further, Knuff said Nokia has cut the number of planned N-Gage games. The company had previously said it would release 100 N-Gage games by the end of this year, but now expects to offer about 50 games. Knuff said the company is cutting some planned games that are modified versions of games available on other platforms. Instead, Knuff said Nokia would focus on N-Gage games that would take advantage of the device’s unique gaming features, including Bluetooth wireless connections and the N-Gage Arena Internet site.
“We’re making sure that it makes sense to bring the game to N-Gage,” Knuff said.
Knuff said all of Nokia’s N-Gage game publishers, including Electronic Arts and others, are still committed to the platform.
Nokia in January said it had sold 600,000 N-Gage devices. The company recently released an updated version of its N-Gage device, dubbed the N-Gage QD, which features improvements on game use and voice functions. The N-Gage QD is selling in Europe for as low as $60.
