Neil Young has been one of EA's executive big-hitters, overseeing console/PC games including The Sims 2 and Spore. However, he's now left the publisher for his own startup, Ngmoco, which will focus on iPhone games.

VentureBeat has an interview with Young, in which he claims the iPhone could reignite the "stagnant" mobile games industry (a view reflected by many publishers who've been speaking to PG.biz about the iPhone in recent weeks).

"This is the moment," he says. "This next 24 months an industry will get revitalized and re-energized. You have to look at this opportunity on the iPhone and ask yourself, 'What would a company like Nintendo do?'"

Ngmoco is hiring producers, and network and platform engineers, but also seemingly has ambitions to publish games from third-party developers, judging by its (currently) bare-bones website.

It's interesting that Young decided to further his iPhone ambitions outside EA, rather than within EA Mobile, which is making iPhone games (including one based on Spore).

VentureBeat suggests that Young hasn't cut his ties to EA entirely though, remaining as an advisor.

Developers, producers and publishing execs in the mobile games industry are excited about iPhone, and the App Store will offer direct distribution for iPhone games without necessarily requiring the backing of a large publisher.

With those two facts in mind, Ngmoco surely won't be the last startup to spring from a major games firm.