Microsoft unveiled the first wave of games for the Windows 7 smartphone operating system on Tuesday at the GamesCom 2010 conference in Cologne, Germany.
Studios such as Gameloft, Konami Digital Entertainment, Namco Bandai, PopCap and THQ have helped put together a lineup that consists of about 60 titles, including Assassins Creed, Bejeweled LIVE, Castlevania, Frogger, Guitar Hero 5, Halo Waypoint, Splinter Cell Conviction, two Star Wars titles (Conviction and Battle for Hoth), Tower Bloxx NY and Zombie Attack!.
Microsoft has put together a lineup with something to offer everyone from the casual to hardcore gamer, according to Peter Wissinger, director for Microsoft’s Mobile Business Group in the Nordic counties.
More games will be announced later and be available when Microsoft starts shipping the first smartphones based on Windows Phone 7 in October, according to Wissinger.
Windows Phone 7-based smartphones will also be integrated with Microsoft’s online entertainment service Xbox Live, and users will be able to connect to their Xbox LIVE profile, communicate with other users and play games with them.
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile is now the fifth largest smartphone operating system in the world. Sales during the second quarter stayed at 3.1 million units, with market share dropping from 9.3 percent to 5 percent. The arrival of phones running Windows Phone 7 are badly needed to give the ailing platform a boost.
But Wissinger is hopeful that the upcoming operating system will be able to turn around Microsoft’s fortunes in the smartphone space. The new user interface will help set it apart from both Apple’s iPhone and Android-based smartphones, according to Wissinger. For example, the Games hub will simply access to mobile games and help increase usage, he said.
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