Nokia is getting flack from users of its gaming platform N-Gage. The reason: games bought and paid for can only be used on one phone. When a user buys a new phone, games have to be purchased again.
"I have an N95 8 GB and a number of N-Gage games, I was going to buy an N96 but if I can't transfer my games don't think I'll bother," writes one user on the Official N-Gage Forum.
"Changes [need] to be made soon, and [sticking] one's head in the sand will not change anybody's mind," writes another user in the same forum.
Several pages of similar complaints can be found in other forums.
Nokia relaunched its gaming platform at the beginning of April with this licensing policy in place. It allows owners of the N81, N82 and N95 to download games, for example FIFA 08, World Series of Poker Pro Challenge and Tetris. Each game costs between €6 (US$9.35) and €10, according to Nokia.
This week, fan Web site All About N-Gage noticed the licensing terms and got confirmation from Nokia that games can't be transferred to another phone.
Limiting the use of games to just one phone threatens the platform's future, argues All About N-Gage, which also calls this the first blunder since the relaunch.
The terms punish Nokia's biggest fans the most: the more frequently you upgrade to the latest Nokia phone, the more often you will have to re-buy games, according to the site.
Controversy surrounding licensing terms and downloaded content is certainly not something new, according to Paolo Pescatore, an analyst at CCS Insight.
He doesn't think it's necessary for Nokia to change its licensing terms: the cost of the games make them acceptable.
"It's all about marketing. Nokia has to make the licensing terms more clear, so users know what they are getting," said Pescatore.
All About N-Gage takes a harder stance, saying it's not too late to allow transfers, and it would be much better to alter the policy now while the number of users is still small and the damage is very limited.
Nokia did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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