Exclusive: Nokia Speaks on N-Gage Redesign, Piracy and More – Must Read!
Silence broken as candid N-Gage interview emerges.
Last night we sat down with Ray Haddow, head of product marketing and business development at Nokia, and the man charged with overseeing N-Gage operations in the UK.
We posed a few key questions at this decisively critical phase in the lifecycle of the phone/gaming machine hybrid. Let the Q&A commence…
Q: First up, sales figures. Nokia has been coy over the sales of the N-Gage. Aside from an announcement that around 400,000 units had been shifted across the world, no region specifics or retail breakdown figures have been disclosed. No attach-rate facts, nothing at all.
A: “We never release sales figures,” stated Haddow. “Across the entire Nokia range, you can check, it’s just something we don’t do.”
Q: But surely, if you’d done a million units in the UK, you’d be screaming it from the rooftops?
A: “Erm, perhaps. But that’s would be different, something incredible. We just don’t do retail figures for our units and that’s that.”
Q: Fair enough. But what about the ChartTrack figures? At UK gaming retail, less than 500 units were sold. Why is this and, moreover, does traditional gaming retail have the systems in place to shift subsidised units by signing up consumers to a cellular service provider contract?
A: “Well, let me say that the ChartTrack figures are not in any way representative of N-Gage sales in the UK. Gaming retail is not the key outlet for such a device, mobile phone retail is. In terms of the systems for selling subsidised sets at gaming retail, that’s not something we get involved in. However, the sector should look at this carefully, as without question, it’s a valuable source of revenue and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Q: Why have you not announced any new software since launch? This is not the usual flow of things, as with any platform, a constant stream of future games is disclosed…
A: “We don’t operate like most games companies. With practically everyone else, you’ll see a game announcement, followed months later by a prospective release date, that will then be missed. It’s like a race to announce the most. At Nokia, we like to do things differently. When a game is signed, development time, realistic development time is calculated, then we’ll announce the game with a release date that we will keep. We have countless projects in development at present, and we are in discussion with companies about future software.”
Q: It has come to light in the past few days that N-Gage security has been cracked like an egg, with games available over the Internet and N-Gage software running on other manufacturers’ systems. What has the reaction been to this and what are you going to do about it?
A: “The first thing we did was contract a considerable legal team to go to work, tracking down ROM distributors and anyone tampering with any of our IP in any illegal way. A serious investigation is underway aimed at pinning down any IP infringements. We have also been investigating exactly what is available over the ‘Net and we’ve seen the software running. We are going to find out how the games were cracked and then upgrade the systems, fill the holes. And, it must be said that getting the games running is not at all easy. There’s a considerable technical process involved that will simply be out of reach of most consumers, and, most importantly, our key consumers. You need an N-Gage for a start, or, we think, another Symbian handset. You then need to locate the games software and get it working. You have to buy a memory card too, so it’s not like the case of PlayStation 2 or Xbox, where pirates can burn full games to media that costs almost nothing. The cheapest card is around £10, so what’s the point? And even after you’ve done all this, a lot of the game’s key features will be missing. No local multiplayer, no online, no Nokia arena… You simply might as well buy a game if you want to play it.”
Q: We have it on the highest authority that the N-Gage is currently undergoing a considerable re-design at present. The design team is looking at top and side loading games and memory sticks, as well as a new button layout and style. A new screen shape is not out of the question. We know that it’s happening, right now. What can you tell us about the next-generation N-Gage?
A: "Well, the line is no comment. But I will say that we are constantly upgrading products and evolving successful lines, just look at our mobile phone output. We are aware of the feedback after the launch of the original. Nokia constantly releases upgrades to its products and N-Gage will be part of this process and will see a successor.”
Q: Have you been surprised by the games industry?
A: “I studied it for some time and it’s as I expected.”
We'd like to thank Ray Haddow for taking time out to talk to us.
We posed a few key questions at this decisively critical phase in the lifecycle of the phone/gaming machine hybrid. Let the Q&A commence…
Q: First up, sales figures. Nokia has been coy over the sales of the N-Gage. Aside from an announcement that around 400,000 units had been shifted across the world, no region specifics or retail breakdown figures have been disclosed. No attach-rate facts, nothing at all.
A: “We never release sales figures,” stated Haddow. “Across the entire Nokia range, you can check, it’s just something we don’t do.”
Q: But surely, if you’d done a million units in the UK, you’d be screaming it from the rooftops?
A: “Erm, perhaps. But that’s would be different, something incredible. We just don’t do retail figures for our units and that’s that.”
Q: Fair enough. But what about the ChartTrack figures? At UK gaming retail, less than 500 units were sold. Why is this and, moreover, does traditional gaming retail have the systems in place to shift subsidised units by signing up consumers to a cellular service provider contract?
A: “Well, let me say that the ChartTrack figures are not in any way representative of N-Gage sales in the UK. Gaming retail is not the key outlet for such a device, mobile phone retail is. In terms of the systems for selling subsidised sets at gaming retail, that’s not something we get involved in. However, the sector should look at this carefully, as without question, it’s a valuable source of revenue and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Q: Why have you not announced any new software since launch? This is not the usual flow of things, as with any platform, a constant stream of future games is disclosed…
A: “We don’t operate like most games companies. With practically everyone else, you’ll see a game announcement, followed months later by a prospective release date, that will then be missed. It’s like a race to announce the most. At Nokia, we like to do things differently. When a game is signed, development time, realistic development time is calculated, then we’ll announce the game with a release date that we will keep. We have countless projects in development at present, and we are in discussion with companies about future software.”
Q: It has come to light in the past few days that N-Gage security has been cracked like an egg, with games available over the Internet and N-Gage software running on other manufacturers’ systems. What has the reaction been to this and what are you going to do about it?
A: “The first thing we did was contract a considerable legal team to go to work, tracking down ROM distributors and anyone tampering with any of our IP in any illegal way. A serious investigation is underway aimed at pinning down any IP infringements. We have also been investigating exactly what is available over the ‘Net and we’ve seen the software running. We are going to find out how the games were cracked and then upgrade the systems, fill the holes. And, it must be said that getting the games running is not at all easy. There’s a considerable technical process involved that will simply be out of reach of most consumers, and, most importantly, our key consumers. You need an N-Gage for a start, or, we think, another Symbian handset. You then need to locate the games software and get it working. You have to buy a memory card too, so it’s not like the case of PlayStation 2 or Xbox, where pirates can burn full games to media that costs almost nothing. The cheapest card is around £10, so what’s the point? And even after you’ve done all this, a lot of the game’s key features will be missing. No local multiplayer, no online, no Nokia arena… You simply might as well buy a game if you want to play it.”
Q: We have it on the highest authority that the N-Gage is currently undergoing a considerable re-design at present. The design team is looking at top and side loading games and memory sticks, as well as a new button layout and style. A new screen shape is not out of the question. We know that it’s happening, right now. What can you tell us about the next-generation N-Gage?
A: "Well, the line is no comment. But I will say that we are constantly upgrading products and evolving successful lines, just look at our mobile phone output. We are aware of the feedback after the launch of the original. Nokia constantly releases upgrades to its products and N-Gage will be part of this process and will see a successor.”
Q: Have you been surprised by the games industry?
A: “I studied it for some time and it’s as I expected.”
We'd like to thank Ray Haddow for taking time out to talk to us.
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