Some of the biggest names from the early days of video games are looking to cash in on the latest platform in gaming-the mobile phone.
The venerable publisher Namco Networks officially joined the stampede to mobile last month, launching a mobile game subsidiary dedicated to the platform. While other mobile game-makers focus on next-generation features like 3D graphics and multiplayer functionality, Namco Networks America Inc. hopes to leverage what may be the most impressive portfolio of mainstream gaming properties on the market.
Namco’s notable titles include Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug and Pole Position. The well-known games not only have an impressive track record both at the arcade and on home consoles, they also seem particularly well-suited for the mobile phone, where one- or two-button play is a desirable feature-not a detriment.
And while the industry has yet to take off among mass-market wireless users, the franchises offer non-gamers a familiar way to experiment with playing a game on their phone, said Scott Rubin, vice president of sales and marketing for Namco Networks.
“Watching all these people playing a game (on their phone) with their index finger, there’s a lot for consumers to learn,” Rubin said. “There’s room for a lot of growth, obviously, in the industry.”
Namco is developing games in-house as well as contracting out to other developers, and has the benefit of working with its Japan-based parent company Namco Bandai Holdings Inc., which churns out games for consoles and PCs. The company also is building network features into its wireless titles, allowing players to exchange high scores and other statistics, and offers new mobile games based on some of its decades-old franchises.
But in the cutthroat world of mobile game-making, Namco is banking that intellectual property is the key to success. It is marketing ringtones, images and other mobile content based on its properties, and has even licensed content from other providers. Namco partnered with United Media to produce a game based on the famed comic Dilbert.
“Our target is the mass market-people who are looking for five minutes of fun,” Rubin said. “The hard thing is when people ask me who the target is. In a weird way, the problem is the target is everyone.”
Fellow Japan-based publisher Capcom also recently announced plans to create a new division for mobile and interactive gaming. The 27-year-old company hired Stuart Platt, former director of product development at TWQ Wireless, to head its efforts. Capcom said its mobile subsidiary will establish a new office in Los Angeles.
Capcom also will look to use its portfolio of titles from other platforms to pry open the North American wireless market, but will do with vastly different games. The company is hoping to use the cell phone as an extension of other platforms, luring gamers from consoles and PCs with familiar fast-action games like Resident Evil, 1942 and Ghosts `n’ Goblins.
“Our main objective is to establish Capcom’s new division and provide unique game-play integration between wireless, online and console sectors,” said Midori Yuasa, general manager of the new division.
Commodore International Corp. is the latest old-school company to go new-school. The company announced a joint venture with The Content Factory B.V. to launch a line of digital touch-screen MediaTowers that will allow wireless users to purchase video, music, games and business applications, transferring content via Bluetooth, media cards or a USB connection.
Commodore first gained substantial traction in the early ’80s with the Commodore 64, a gaming-focused home computer with a cassette tape drive that sold more than 22 million units before being discontinued in 1992. The kiosks, which will be distributed to phone retailers and video game stores in Europe later this year, will be promoted under the Commodore Gaming brand in an attempt to leverage the company’s substantial-if somewhat antiquated-name recognition.
“We believe that the revolution in handheld media devices, which includes the new generation of mobile phones, will demand a variety of simple, user-friendly ways for consumers to download content,” said Bala Keilman, chief executive officer of Commodore Gaming. “Mobile phones have inherent difficulties in the way content can be searched and discovered by users, and we believe that offering this content in retail stores on a 17-inch touch screen will help educate and encourage consumers to try mobile games as well as other content.”
