Ex-EA exec founds iPhone gaming publisher 'Ngmoco'

When news that "longtime" Electronic Arts' employee Neil Young had left the videogame giant, there was little speculation about where he'd end up. It turns out he's formed his own new company, the gutturally named "Ngmoco," a mobile gaming producer that intends to publish games exclusively for the iPhone — and from the sound of this interview on Gamasutra, probably other top-shelf mobile platforms like Google's Android.

Can you tell me a little bit about your new venture?

Neil Young: Sure. I'm leaving EA to found a new type of mobile games publisher that is specifically focused on games for the iPhone and beyond -- that class of mobile phone, a more open mobile platform that has the type of capability you see in a device like the iPhone.

If you've been following BBG since the announcement of the iTunes App Store, you'll know that posting this is really just an excuse to pat myself on the back for imagining that the iPhone is going to be a big new platform for mobile gaming. Young seems to agree:

NY: I should be clear. I don't think that taking games that would look good on the PSP and then moving them onto the iPhone is the right strategy. I think that the great leader in this particular space has been Nintendo. What Nintendo does better than any other company is build hardware that has specific features that can be serviced well in games.

The iPhone won't kill the PSP or the DS because it doesn't have to. All it needs to do is have good games — the millions of iPhone users will take it from there.

Q&A: EA Vet Young Reveals iPhone Publisher Ngmoco [Gamasutra via Waxy]

[#1 posted by John Brownlee , June 30, 2008 8:14 AM]

Yes, foreseeing that cell phone gaming would spill over to the iPhone was certainly a prediction of Nostradamian accuracy, Joel!

[#2 posted by Joel Johnson , June 30, 2008 8:31 AM]

I believe you've missed the point: the iPhone will allow for new, innovative forms of cell phone gaming beyond the slapdash Java/BREW games that have been the options in the past.

[#3 posted by John Brownlee , June 30, 2008 8:50 AM]

Well, I was just funning with you, my master and commander, but I didn't miss the point: I'm just not sure the prediction was eerie enough for us to all start lubing our palms up about it. :) Of course a standardized handset with its own SDK, easy app delivery service, Apple's clout and a huge existing market share is going to be a big platform for mobile gaming.

[#4 posted by nutate , June 30, 2008 2:53 PM]

Maybe he can finally end his search for a heart of gold.

sorry.