Gameloft and Taito climb aboard new Nokia platforms

Nokia has made some great mobile phones, and even some decent mobile games. But for a new games format to really make an impact, it needs support from other companies too.

So it bodes well for both the next generation N-Gage and Nokia's multiplayer SNAP gaming platform that Gameloft and Taito have both announced their intention to come on-board.

Gameloft is the company behind some of the best mobile games going, so although no specific names have yet been confirmed, its pledge to develop a number of titles for Nokia's next generation platform is particularly good news.

Gameloft's president Michel Guillemot sounds as bullish as you'd expect. "Nokia's next generation platform will provide a gaming experience that has never been seen on a mobile device," he said. "We're dedicated to supporting it with our best titles and brands."

While we won't see the best fruits of Gameloft's labours until early 2007, by the end of this year just about all phone owners will be able to play Taito's arcade classics against their friends.

The new deal sees Taito bringing many of its much-loved games to the Java-based SNAP multiplayer games platform, kicking off with the bubble-popping antics of Bust-A-Move: Mobile Mania. You'll be able to take on and chat with other mobile gamers from around the world, and work your way up the global rankings.

"The agreement between SNAP Mobile and a leading publisher of casual gaming titles such as Taito helps to define a market shift to quality connected casual gaming titles for the mobile user," said the clearly pleased head of SNAP Mobile, Lisa Waits.

Whether this deal in itself will make the SNAP brand and connected gaming in general really click remains to be seen. Suffice to say we'll bring you the latest developments and reviews of Taito's games as soon as possible.