Boston, MA - January 18, 2006 -- Strategy Analytics, the global research and consulting company, today released, "Mobile Video Gaming: Shooting Towards Community & Multiplayer Access." The increasing ownership of multimedia handsets across all consumer segments, rising consumer awareness of mobile games and the direct participation of game console giants, such as Electronic Arts, all point towards a positive outlook for this sector.

Strategy Analytics recommends that operators evolve their basic game download services by introducing value-added community features, such as unique game identities, gaming chat rooms, game ratings, hi-score boards, multiplayer games and competitions.

As Senior Analyst, Nitesh Patel, points out, "The introduction of community features within Sprint's games portal has had a positive effect in two areas. It has created stickiness, and it has increased data usage incrementally as gamers post their scores and rate the games they play."

Strategy Analytics also anticipates further horizontal consolidation across the mobile game publishing sector as the need to improve economies of scale, acquire strategic assets and gain distribution in key markets intensifies. David Kerr, Vice President of the Strategy Analytics Global Wireless Practice, notes, "Publishers with deep pockets, such as Electronic Arts, will be able to use their resources to squeeze weaker companies out of the market by raising the bar for mobile game quality and marketing."

This report provides forecasts for end-user spending on mobile games across each of the six major global regions and analyzes the evolution of the games industry in terms of major players, including evolution beyond single player to multiplayer and networked games.