Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 has been a critical success, but with only 2 million devices shipped it isn't yet a commercial success.
Meanwhile, Nokia sold 460 million phones in 2010, and has 31 per cent of the global smartphone market.
That's why Nokia saying it's using the Windows Phone operating system for its future smartphones is a big deal for both companies.
Come together
Big deal for them, but what about for mobile gamers and developers?
Well, the good news is that, thanks to Microsoft's gaming heritage and features such as integration with Xbox Live online services, Windows Phone is great for games and easy for game developers to use too.
In fact, from a pocket gaming point of view, especially for non-iPhone users, the link up between Nokia and Microsoft is the best thing that could have happened.
Microsoft provides great software while Nokia makes great handsets, ranging from high-end to the affordable, all of which will now gain access to Xbox Live, Xbox tie-in games, and joint marketing.
Throw in a combined app store - phones will have access to Microsoft's Marketplace and the Ovi Store - and operator billing, so the price of games is added to your phone bill, not your credit card, and there's massive potential.
A third force
But, perhaps, the most important factor in the whole deal is the sheer number of smartphones that will now be able to run Windows Phone games.
At present, it's very hard for developers to make money out of Windows Phone 7 because so few people own the phones. That's why iPhone remains the primary option, with some developers also releasing freemium and ad-supported games on Android.
Combining Nokia and Microsoft will see tens of millions of Windows Phones sold each year, making it a great place for developers to sell games.
Apple and Google finally have some serious competition.
Feature
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
8 hours, 13 minutes ago
Fortis team boosted by top ex-King, PopCap EA, Microsoft and Warner Bros. Games talent
News
10 hours, 4 minutes ago
UK skills crisis prompts call for games industry-led body to tackle key challenges
News
10 hours, 19 minutes ago
AI joins the team at King: "Our challenge is to create the right amount of challenge"
News
Apr 17th, 2024
Monopoly GO! celebrates its first birthday and shares its behind-the-scenes story
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
46 top mobile games in soft launch: CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, Candy Crush Blast, and more
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
Hot Five: XCOM Legends’ rumoured shutdown, Squad Busters verges on soft launch, and Royal Match reaches $3 billion
Events
HIT Games Conference Istanbul 2024 | Apr 18th | |
Game Job Fair – Spring Edition 2024 | Nordic | Apr 18th |
Arts DAO Fest 2.0 | Middle East | Apr 20th |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th |