Nokia Games Summit kicks off in Rome

Nokia's annual mobile gaming jamboree, the Nokia Games Summit, has kicked off in Rome this morning to a bustling crowd of publishers, developers and press.

Chairman Mark Ollila got the first day off to a start with an introductory speech, warming the audience up for the keynote from EVP of entertainment and communities Tero Ojanpera.

250 people are here, including some real big hitters of the industry. We've already met most of the big publishers, some of whom are buzzing round ready for their own presentations as part of the day.

Oh, and Dave 'Dave' Stewart out of The Eurythmics is here, sat in the front row with shades on. Really.

He's Nokia's ambassador to the music industry, but what he's doing at a mobile games conference will presumably be revealed later on.

Anyway, Ollila was in bullish mood for his intro. "This year, we went live with N-Gage, and that's something to celebrate!" he said, promising new games, new concepts and a range of other announcements.

Next up is Ojanpera, whose keynote we'll be liveblogging in a separate story on PocketGamer.biz, so check back for that.

Meanwhile, we'll also be bringing you other news, views and gossip from the conference throughout today and tomorrow.