Nokia says N-Gage to remain a standalone store

No immediate plans to fold mobile games service into upcoming Ovi Store.
Nokia has indicated that N-Gage will not be folded into the company's Ovi app store, which is due to go live in May.

Speaking to Reuters, Nokia's VP for media Marco Argenti said Ovi Store would sell 'mass market games' (presumably Java titles), with N-Gage seperately catering for high-end devices and hard core gamers.

He said: "Our goal in the medium term is really to converge everything into a single distribution channel...

it's the [N-Gage] experience we decided to preserve, at least at this stage."

The Ovi Store will be downloadable to S40 and S60 devices from May, and will be pre-installed in the N97 from July. Nokia expects 300 million phones a year to integrate the store by 2013.

Companies such as EA, Facebook, Fox, Lonely Planet, Shazam and others are already committed.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/32828...andalone-store