AT&T and mobile social games company ngmoco, which is owned by Japanese gaming giant DeNA, have just announced a pretty significant agreement to bring the Mobage social gaming platform to AT&T Android customers.
According to a release, Mobage will serve as a hub for AT&T Android users to discover and play games, as well as connect and communicate with other players worldwide. AT&T says the agreement is the first of its kind between ngmoco and a U.S. wireless carrier.
AT&T customers will be able to find the Mobage app conveniently on Android Market where they can easily access the full catalog of Mobage titles as well as connect with the entire Mobage mobile social gaming community.
Tokyo-based DeNA, which makes $1.3 billion a year, acquired ngmoco for $400 million last year. Mobage launched worldwide last week platform is a stand-alone social network with a focus on mobile gaming and includes its own virtual currency MobaCoin. The platform offers most games for free and monetizes via the sales of virtual items. As my colleague Serkan Toto wrote last week, Mobage in English is initially targeted at Android users in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Eventually Ngmoco plans to roll out Mobage to iOS users.
AT&T has also partnered with Zynga to provide customized games and content to the carrier’s customers.
ngmoco (“Next Generation MObile COmpany”) is creating and producing games for the iPhone. CEO Neil Young is a former executive from Electronic Arts, where he oversaw the development of several hit titles. Another EA vet and partner at Kleiner Perkins, Bing Gordon, sits on the board. Kleiner is an investor through its iFund.
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