40% of Windows Phone 7 launch apps are games, EA joins the party
Microsoft taps the games market
Over in the US, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has just launched the company's brand new mobile operating system Windows Phone 7.
If you didn't already know, the US software giant's mobile OS features six separate Hubs on the home screen for people, pictures, office, something, something else, and games.
The final Hub is of most interest to us pocket gamers, since it'll offer Xbox Live integration - think avatars, leaderboards, gamerscores - on your Windows Phone 7 mobile device.
And the reason why the Big M is showing such interest in this particular aspect of application development? 40 per cent of all titles on Apple's App Store are games.
Speaking of games...Though EA was conspicuous by its absence from Microsoft's list of launch titles at GamesCom in August, the publisher's voluminous catalogue of titles will see the light of day on Windows Phone 7 after all.
The giant US games publisher confirmed earlier this afternoon at the Windows Phone 7 unveiling that Need for Speed Undercover, Tetris, Monopoly, and The Sims 3 will be landing shortly on Microsoft's new mobile platform.
Going one step further, EA Mobile actually demonstrated The Sims 3 live on stage during the Windows Phone 7 event, so pics should be emerging soon enough.
October 21st launch dateAll four of the announced EA titles will be Xbox Live-enabled, and here in the UK we can get our grubby little mitts on Windows Phone 7 handsets (from OEMs including HTC, LG, Samsung, and Dell) on October 21st.
Our American cousins have to wait until November to paw all over the Windows Phone 7 touchscreens.
Click on the Windows Phone 7 London event liveblog for more coverage from our crack team of onsite reporters.
