Industry Leaders Join Forces to Mobilize Gaming for the Masses

Industry Leaders Join Forces to Mobilize Gaming for the Masses

September 27, 2006

-- Nokia, Samsung, SK Telecom, Square-Enix, Symbian, Tao Group, and Texas Instruments Unite with the Open Mobile Alliance to Support Open Gaming Specification

    DALLAS, Texas, Sept. 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Leading
companies in the wireless and mobile gaming value chain
have joined forces with the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) to
further define and support an open gaming specification for
premium-quality native games for mobile phones. Platform
fragmentation is a barrier to fully realizing gaming's
potential in the wireless marketplace, and OMA's ongoing
commitment to interoperability made the organization a
solid venue around which these players could coalesce. With
more than a billion mobile phones in the marketplace today,
this initiative will fuel the growth of mobile games for
the masses by crafting an open approach for gaming
development.

    Formed in early 2006, the mobile gaming initiative is
comprised of companies across the mobile gaming value chain
whose aim was to streamline the process of developing and
delivering games for a range of mobile environments. The
companies who were part of this gaming initiative will now
join OMA's Game Services Working Group to broaden industry
participation among world's leading mobile operators,
device and network suppliers, information technology
companies, application developers and content providers.
The Game Services Working Group's efforts create an
environment for reduced platform fragmentation, lowered
development costs, and a richer mobile gaming experience
for the consumer.

    "Developing specifications under the OMA Game
Services Working Group is a natural move that allows
participating companies to rapidly develop the
specifications needed to enable a richer, more consistent
mobile gaming experience for consumers," said Kevin
Mowry, chairman of the OMA Game Services Working Group, and
OMAP(TM) software product marketing manager for Texas
Instruments.

    "The Open Mobile Alliance applauds the efforts of
these industry leaders to address the fragmentation and
interoperability issues facing mobile operators, game
publishers, and manufacturers," said Jari Alvinen,
Chairman of the Board, Open Mobile Alliance.
"Utilizing market driven specifications developed by
the industry allows all parties in the mobile value chain
to invest with confidence in innovative games products and
services that offer consumers the most exhilarating
experience possible." 

    Developing the game services specification will
establish a common definition for minimum device
capabilities and measurable performance characteristics
that game publishers and developers can rely upon. This
will result in easier and more efficient games portability
from one mobile handset to another and greater revenues
from games for the entire industry. With less time spent
developing multiple versions of a single game to account
for the broad range of device capabilities, content
developers will instead be able to focus on creating new
gaming titles for mobile consumers with richer graphics and
features.  

    About the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)

    The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) delivers open
specifications for creating interoperable services that
work across countries, operators, fixed and mobile
terminals. Driven by users' needs and the expanding market
for data services, the member companies of the Open Mobile
Alliance stimulate the adoption of new and enhanced
information, communication and entertainment services. The
Open Mobile Alliance includes contributors from all key
elements of the wireless value chain, and contributes to
the timely and efficient introduction of services and
applications. 

    The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) name and logo are
trademarks of Open Mobile Alliance Ltd. OMAP is a trademark
of Texas Instruments. Other product and company names
mentioned herein may be trademarks or trade names of their
respective owners.

    For more information, please contact:

     Stephen Jones, 
     OMA Marketing and Communications
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Texas Instruments Incorporated