EA Makes 'Orcs & Elves' Mobile

TechNewsWorld reports that Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) is "teaming with "Doom" creator id Software for a new, made-for-mobile role-playing game dubbed "Orcs & Elves." The new game was created "exclusively for mobile phones" by id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment, and will reportedly be made available to some Verizon mobile service subscribers this month, with distribution to more mobile phone users later this summer."

Gartner analyst Michael King noted "the mobile gaming market remains in its infancy," and siad, "It's still a very, very niche market."

For the upcoming E3 event, "EA touted its latest lineup of mobile games, which include not only the new "Orcs & Elves" RPG title, but also popular sports games such as "Madden NFL 07," "NBA Live 2007," and "Tiger Woods PGE Tour 07."

Gartner's King commented that "there is no doubt about the potential for mobile games, but no company or partnership has truly found the right combination of game property and mobile property yet." He said, "Being able to extend the property will be pretty important."

King credited "EA for its commitment to the mobile platform and predicted the company will likely find success in mobile gaming." He did point out that the mobile gaming market is still wide open. He said, "It will probably take a whole lot more trial and error."

Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch added, "It goes to show that mobile gaming is rapidly going from something niche to more mainstream." He noted that "at the same time they are becoming available on more mobile platforms and services, games are becoming "deeper and more immersive," as evidenced by the latest RPG titles."

Gartenberg concluded that "As capabilities increase, [mobile phones] really become the ideal gaming platform."

I think a massivel multiplayer online mobile game would be very cool and great for network operators and game developers alike. Adding location based gameplay would be even better. Is it possible?