OXFORD, United Kingdom-The cell-phone operator MmO2 has launched a Java-based games service that will be offered free for this month to U.K. users before being launched in Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands from October. The O2 Games Arcade service is being offered to both prepaid and postpaid users provided they have Java-enabled handsets.
The company said the downloadable games would be billed depending on tariff and file size-an average GSM charge is expected to be around 0.50 euro (US$0.49). Thereafter, according to MmO2, games will be charged on an “event basis” similar to ring tones; every game will cost 2.50 euro (US$2.45), plus the download charge, but would only remain accessible for 30 days, although it can be played as often as liked.
Tim Raby, head of games for O2, claimed that the company’s research indicated that customers are looking for better “playability,” a greater challenge, enhanced color graphics and a “console-like” feel to games on their mobiles. “We have selected games that are ideally suited to mobile-that look good on screen and take only minutes to download. To ensure variety, we will be adding around three games per month to our portfolio to guarantee that our gamers never get bored,” he said.<
