It Wasn’t N-Gaging Enough

They have given it six years, but finally, Nokia have put the last nail in the coffin in their N-Gage gaming service, which has been deemed as one of Nokia’s most notable failures in the 21st century.

Originally launched in 2003, with an N-Gage phone which accompanied the service, the evolution of the mobile gaming world through the launch of the Apple iPhone, the humble app and other services has meant that the N-Gage service suffered. According to executives from Nokia, the service will wrap up its current operations in September 2010.

The relaunch of the service in 2008 also failed to capture the imagination of those who love to game whilst on the move. All of the current games that are currently in the store are going to be available on the Ovi Store from the next Autumn. Only a few fans have been saddened by this anticipated decision from Nokia, as it will mean that the N-Gage community will be no more.

A statement was released by Nokia on the N-Gage blog, where they defended their decision. They said that they strongly believed that all of the mobile games which are available at Nokia should be downloadable from one place, and they wrote: “Mobile gaming is one of the most popular activities in the Ovi Store, with games being the second most downloaded category for premium content.”

If you have an emotional attachment to N-Gage, be it through the awkward phone or the unpopular service, it could be said that now is the time to say your goodbyes.