Nokia is throwing in the towel on its struggling N-Gage gaming service next year, and will now shift focus to other mobile products and services.
The company first tried its hand at creating products for the niche market aimed at mobile gamers at a time in which the industry wasn't developed. Furthermore, many mobile developers didn't want to use the N-Gage platform, saying it was too difficult to use, meaning it took longer to develop games.
Nokia assumed it would have time to iron out the issues with N-Gage, but the Apple iPhone rise to dominance was simply too much.
The company's entrance into the mobile gaming market struggled from the beginning, with Nokia's attempt at releasing gaming phones for consumers. Despite multiple phones and a worldwide advertising spree in Oct. 2003, the company failed to gain much support.
"We will no longer publish new games for the N-Gage platform," Nokia said in a blog post.
Users will be able to purchase games until the end of September next year, with the N-Gage community site operating until 2011.
Nokia will soon be launching new smartphones in the United States, possibly tapping into a growing market. Until then, the company will continue to lose money, as it posted a $1.3 billion loss during Q3. Nokia needs to do something to attempt a turnaround, as its "Comes With Music" mobile music service has also struggled.
It will be interesting to see what Nokia focuses on with their future smartphone releases.
