Nokia in a gaming deal with Sega

LOS ANGELES: Nokia, a leading phone maker, planning an aggressive push into video gaming, said that it has signed a deal to acquire some assets of Japanese game maker Sega Corp., dedicated to networked game play.

Nokia said it would acquire assets of Sega.com Inc., including Sega's Network Application Package, or SNAP, which is designed to form the core of multiplayer online games.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"This transaction will give Nokia full end-to-end capabilities -- the device, the games and the back-end technology to support multiplayer gaming," said Ilkka Raiskinen, senior vice president of Nokia's entertainment and media business unit, on a conference call.

Nokia will use the SNAP technology for wireless game matching for its N-Gage phone/game deck combo device, set to be released worldwide on Oct. 7.

The N-Gage will let users compete wirelessly both over GSM cell phone networks and via short-range Bluetooth networking.

"It speaks to our long-term commitment to this space," Nada Usina, general manager of Nokia's media and entertainment business in the Americas, told Reuters.

Sega said it would continue its focus on game creation and publishing, including titles for the N-Gage.

"They're not abandoning the mobile gaming business by any means," one Sega executive said on the call.

© Reuters