“The iPhone’s remaking of the cell phone business is creating opportunities for new start-ups, particularly in the game field. That’s why one of the game industry’s leading executives left his job to create Ngmoco, an iPhone game start-up,” Dean Takahashi reports for VentureBeat.
“Neil Young was one of the rock star game development executives at Electronic Arts, responsible for games that sold millions of video games, from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ titles to ‘The Sims 2.’ He was the executive in charge of EA’s most important upcoming title, ‘Spore.’ He gave it up a couple of weeks ago to start his own game company in San Francisco,” Takahashi reports.
“Today, the 38-year-old is announcing that Ngmoco will make and publish games for the iPhone,” Takahashi reports. “Young said the company will try to raise the bar on quality of mobile games. ‘We are finally at the place where we can reinvent the experiences and the economics of the mobile games business. The industry has been stagnant for a few years. I feel the iPhone is a real opportunity to change that industry.'”
Takahashi reports, “I asked Young if he would tap Bing Gordon, the former chief creative officer at EA who recently left to become a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for venture funding. Kleiner Perkins has set up a $100 million iFund to finance applications for the iPhone. But Young declined to comment on the possibility.”
Full article here.
iPhone, bitch!
Direct link via YouTube here.
Yep, the pieces are starting to fall in place.
Being a fan of this platform for many years now, it is so great to see our fences being breeched by the thousands. We have converts of users, developers and executives.
I can say that finally, people have gotten what most of us have know to 10-20 years.
poor poor pitiful PSP. It wanted to be this so bad…
EA star Young leaves to start iPhone games company
Because PC gaming (especially Mac gaming) is nearly dead.
Consoles are taking over the personal computing market!
Look at the PS3!, it’s nearly a computer! It can run Linux! Add a keyboard, a few tweaks and your ready to go.
Apple should make the “all in one device portable device” now while they can dominate the market.
Just look at how well “all in one” printer, fax, copier, scanner etc are doing!
Apple needs to innovate something new here shortly, before the stock tanks.
the needle and the damage done, eh?
or something like that.
“Apple needs to innovate something new here shortly, before the stock tanks.”
Don’t you think Apple is already doing this? If you don’t think the iPhone represents at least the foundation for an all-in-one portable device I don’t think you are looking hard enough. The advances in the first year are staggering.
PS- the whole market is tanking. Apple is being devalued with everything else.
Oh sh*t…. this is making the iTouch soooo desirable and difficult for me to say no to. The games shown in Apple keynote were badass!
I want more storage on iPod Touch….come on Apple! Hear my plea!!
Let’s not get carried away with that tanking stock scenario; AAPL is currently around $168; even with all the wobbling of last six months, it is still above what we saw as recently as mid-October (when it first hit $168), and is currently trading about 50% above where it was a year ago.
iPhone promises to at least double Apple’s quarterly (and annual) profits, which will undoubtedly be reflected in its stock (sooner or later).
I’m still stunned by the iPhone software demos at the WWDC. Aside from games, is there any other phone out there that can run fully fledged applications, from databases to medical imaging?
I don’t think so!
Perhaps it’s time for Apple to revive a new improved ‘Pippin’…
“Neil Young was one of the rock star game development executives…”
Har!
That’s awesome. Talk about a multifunction device… The App Store is going to take the world by storm. Think about it… TomTom GPS software, Sirius Satellite Radio software, Apple TV remote control, etc… The iPhone is eliminating hardware left and right.
Could the iPhone even become a control pad for games that may become available for the Apple TV?
Oh yeah? Well I’m leaving my job soon to start a database company for Windows Mobile! You’ll be able to use it for building databases to track credit card receipts or library book returns.
You will even be able to build a database of DVDs you want to rent from Blockbuster. File navigation will be done solely through a DOS prompt.
Version 2.0 will add support for users who’s cell phones don’t have a backslash key. “\”
@Macintosh
Song already do such a thing with the PSP, where you can use it as an extra controller for the PS3, so I’m sure Apple could build similar functionality into the iPhone.
It’s funny, though, how with every following month, Apple’s phone rivals are still wondering what the hell is going on, and how their comfortable (and stagnant) industry could get overturned so thoroughly.
Apple didn’t just make a phone, they made a device that renders the entire industry obsolete!
Imagine online 3D gaming on a new larger computer like iPhone!!!
Now you see grasshopper, the PS3 killer.
Apple will rule the world.
iPhone 2.0 is a JOKE!! A FRIGGING JOKE!!!
Oh yea, fsck AT&T;too. Give me VOIP!!!
@ Andy:
I didn’t know that… Cool.
What the general public seems to be missing (because I rarely hear mention of it) is the iPhone is all about the software! The 2007 keynote where Jobs says mobile software is “like baby software” is probably keeping a lot of competitor’s execs awake at night…
Apple hasn’t been a very good “gaming” computer company over the years. Despite gaming being nearly the number one reason people buy a computer (although they don’t always admit it).
So all of a sudden “they get it” and allow development for the iPhone. But it’s already too late.
People saw the iPhone, then wanted all this development, but Apple missed this market totally.
People want a portable all in one computer.
All we get is TEASED! Like going to the nuddie bar…
All show and NO ACTION!!
I also like the Palm guy saying “We’ve learned for years bla bla bla, and the PC guys aren’t going to bla bla bla”…
I guess he was right in a way, since Apple seemed to ignore everything Palm had learned and showed they were 10 steps ahead. The “PC” guys did what they do best – create computers, not phones.
The phone app is just a bonus.
Apple won’t beat Windows market share by convincing users to switch over to the Mac – they won’t need to. They’ll just redefine what a PC is.
The millions of corporate PC users won’t even upgrade from XP, so there is no way they’ll even consider moving to the Mac. Redefining what people want & need is much easier.
Hey, Mad Mac Maniac,
“People saw… then wanted… People want…”
What the hell do YOU know about “people”?
Speak for yourself.
“missed” the market?
They’re CREATING the (mobile) market (including games), fool.
I’m not sure what’s the beef between Mad Mac Maniac and Apple, but his contributions don’t seem to make too much sense.
Gaming a big reason for a computer? I’d love to see the stats that support that one! To set things straight, No. 1 reason is e-mail; no. 2 reason is web. And today, No. 3 reason is digital photo management; no. 4 digital music management. Gaming? Possibly No. 5, and even that, only with less than 50% (i.e. male) population (anyone know any women who are passionate about Call of Duty?).
As for the iPhone, to set things straight, it is not meant to be a toy. Think about it; what is its name? iPhone i – P-H-O-N-E. There you have it! It’s a telephone! A mobile telephone! For people to make phone calls (and receive them).
Now, obviously, it’s much more than a telephone. But it is NOT an iPod, a GameBoy, or a PSP.
I work in a large company. Most people around me are over 40 or above (i.e. in the top half of the working class, age-wise). Many of them are IT people (i.e. men). Not one of them bothers with computer games anymore. Some of them DID buy one or two when they were young (remember Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST?); they got married, started families and gaming was no longer worthwhile entertainment (a sentiment I share for the most part, although I occasionally fire up my BootCamp to fly some MS Flight Simulator).
I don’t see anyone asking for a portable all-in-one computer and not getting it from MacBook (or MBA). Arbitrary statements such as that don’t bring any value to the discussion.
I’m sure we’ll see plenty of action with the new iPhone. 300,000 copies of iPhone SDK means some 300,000 people will at least try (and for the most part, succeed) developing an iPhone application. We’ll be seeing thousands of very cool apps very soon.
iPhone will trounce RIM, WinMobile, Palm, Symbian (anyone I missed). This is truly the ideal platform.
I didn’t know Neil Young developed games too… Are they political?
@Predrag
Well, like any smart business, Apple is trying to entice people across the board, mostly by selling the phone aspect (as it is one) but complimenting that with the other things, like games and general applications.
I suspect the iPhone is also a testbed for Apple’s ideas, involving miniaturizing tech and making the most ‘practical’ consumer uses out of it.
That way, the iPhone can appeal to as many as possible, whether they use it to play games or keep up to date with life/business.
People may not have asked for a computer that fits in their pocket, but Apple (read Steve) wanted one, so…
Eitherway, the iPhone makes the competition appear to be several decades behind already.
Well PreDrag shows his/her ignorance!
I work in a large company. Most people around me are over 40 or above (i.e. in the top half of the working class, age-wise). Many of them are IT people (i.e. men). Not one of them bothers with computer games anymore.
That leaves the other 50% below 40 who would be attracted and establish a new platform that corporate world would have to adopt because “everyone knows how to use it”.
Much like graphic designers who are trained in schools on nothing but Mac’s (but decreasing lately because Adobe products are available on Windows and USB is getting faster, negating the need for Firewire)
So Apple NEEDS TO ESTABLISH A NEW PLATFORM FAST!!!
Apple computer business is being weakened a little everyday. Consoles, phones, cheap PC’s….
you see grasshopper?
What if Apple rejects his games?
Must be something going on behind the scenes in terms of guarantees for certain developers. Can’t imagine this guy abandoning his job for a new venture that depends on whether or not Steve Jobs wants his business.
anyone know any women who are passionate about Call of Duty?
You mean besides whores?