投资者、分析师和用户如何看待诺基亚和微软的战略联盟并不重要，但对游戏开发商来说，这两者的联姻却是个无法忽视的消息。据游戏邦了解，目前已针对Windows Phone 7平台开发游戏的公司表达了不同的看法。

nokia-microsoft-wp7

Supermono创始人Tak Fung

他认为，一个充满竞争的智能手机市场才是健康的，对于WP7的开发商而言，这也是件令人兴奋的事。然而，这两个发展缓慢的巨头公司以如此重大的项目合作究竟是否有效，这一点仍然有待观望。

Press Play合伙人Mikkel Thorsted

他表示，他们已经在WP7平台推出了《麦克斯与魔法标记》（Max & the Magic Marker），并且很快将在这一平台推出微软游戏工作室的《Tentacles》，对他们来说，诺基亚与WP7的合作是一个振奋人心的消息，“诺基亚一直在制造着质量最优的手机硬件，它的市场定位准确，我们相信只有诺基亚才能够给WP7带来真正的动力。我必须说，诺基亚是时候把可怕的Symbian系统抛到脑后，开始采用更好的软件了。”

CodeClue首席执行官Peter De Jong

De Jong认为，诺基亚和微软的交易是一个了不起的消息，从开发商的角度来看，WP7是创建游戏的最佳平台。从用户的角度来看，它也能提供最好的游戏体验，“诺基亚和微软的合作能给WP7带来强大的市场推动力，因为诺基亚仍然稳坐手机硬件制造的头把交椅。”

Press Start创始人Philippe Rapin

Rapin认为，它们的合作是件好事，这也许是手机平台融合的一个先兆，对于开发商而言，此举无疑将减轻移植游戏的负担，“当然，作为一名Xbox Live开发商，能与这样的大厂商在WP7平台上同舟共济十分令人期待，它将明显扩大WP7手机的市场占有率。而在此之前，WP7能否与Android相提并论，仍然是个巨大的问号……”

Khaeon Gamestudio执行监制Didier Pippel

他认为这两者结盟，也许将给开发商带来十分有趣的发展机遇，因为诺基亚和微软会整合它们的资源和优势，对他们来说，扩大市场范围极为重要，开发商或许可从诺基亚运营商计费系统，诺基亚Ovi商店与Windows Marketplace的合并中获得更多利益。

nokia-microsoft-logo

PopCap业务发展经理艾迪·道斯（Eddie Dowse）

据游戏邦了解，PopCap与微软及诺基亚均保持了多年的紧密合作关系，他们对这项合作带来的发展潜力感到十分兴奋。道斯表示，“我们是WP7的合作伙伴，我们的欧洲工作室正面向该平台开发《Bejeweled Live》，我们一直很看好微软智能手机平台的游戏发展潜力，希望这项合作能给更多人带来第一手游戏体验。

IUGO娱乐业务拓展副总裁莎拉·汤姆森（Sarah Thomson）

汤姆森表示，IUGO对诺基亚宣布采用WP7操作系统这件事持谨慎乐观态度，不过仍然感谢诺基亚最终放弃Symbian和糟糕的MeeGo平台，毕竟这已经是一个巨大的进步。游戏邦获悉，IUGO很乐见诺基亚选择了微软而不是Android，现在Apple和Google的战局中又多了一个强有力的竞争对手。他们更喜欢微软较为统一的手机技术标准，而不希望诺基亚制造成千上万款接口混乱的Android手机，因为这将再度令开发商们陷入令人抓狂的游戏移植过程。

不过她同时也表示，“在另一方面，作出决定和有效执行是完全不同的两码事。诺基亚在过去的4、5年中业绩并不是很好，出现了很多失策，微软在智能手机领域也是时运不济。这些事实让IUGO保持谨慎态度。我希望二者可以彼此互补：诺基亚可以借助WP7进入北美市场，与此时同，WP7也可以联手诺基亚增加竞争筹码。如果这些能成为现实，那将无疑是开发商与用户的共赢。”

Critical Thought总裁大卫·惠特利（David Whatley）

他认为应该从微软近期发生的一系列变动看待这一事件，如果观察微软在管理层重组方面的动作，大家就不难发现微软正准备挽回他们在手机市场的颓势，“大牌企业的发展都有一个循环周期，当某些公司一度在市场中处于统治地位时，我们就跑到法院要求反垄断，而后它们几乎在一夜之间又失去了所有人的关注，例如AOL或MySpace。”

“一旦走到这一步，传统观点便会认为它们无法重返光辉岁月。但我认为，任何具备优秀领导能力的公司都可以重获新生。即便是AOL也开始通过战略性收购TechCrunch和赫芬顿邮报等动作重现生机。”他认为这是微软酝酿已久的大计划中的一部分，只有时间才能揭开它的面纱，但行动总比无所作为好。从开发商的角度来看，这是一个好消息，他们期待着WP7平台充分发挥其市场潜力，“热门平台越多越好，WP7操作系统显然是一个强有力的竞争者，而不仅仅是领头羊身后亦步亦趋的随从。”

PressOK首席执行官赖安·莫雷尔（Ryan Morel）

游戏邦获悉，该公司主要关注北美市场，莫雷尔甚至直言，“从我2000年在一部诺基亚手机上玩预装版的《Snake》起，就发现诺基亚并不是这里的强将。所以，我们的问题是诺基亚能否借助WP7这一优秀的操作系统及微软的营销实力扩大用户群体，它们能否应对Android和iOS市场的挑战。”

他认为，对开发商来说，这两者的合作总体上是件好事，这块市场蛋糕必须做得更大，而不是让多个竞争者将它分割得更加零碎。

Revo Solutions首席开发者Andrei Hanganu

Hanganu认为，手机销量是微软目前最大的问题，他们期待WP7与诺基亚的合作能够显著增加WP7用户数量，“我们在榜单前十名占有一席之地，因此这对我们而言是个好消息。在我看来，Windows Marketplace可能比苹果的App Store和谷歌的Android Market要好得多，因为它的应用审核程序比较严格，不会对质量低劣的产品开绿灯。”

不过他也表示，所有的应用平台都充斥着大量的产品，所以将来各个平台的差别，将主要体现在它们对应用程序的质量把关上，“我们对WP7抱有很高的期望，和诺基亚的合作只会让这个平台更受欢迎。剩下的问题仅仅是硬件要求而已，就看他们能否坚守产品质量的底限，还是说推出低端的手机设备。”

Xona Games创始人兼首席程序设计师Jason Doucette

Doucette承认，他在过去的几个月里并没有密切关注WP7，“从我读到新闻来看，这似乎是个很不错的消息。看起来仅硬件需求就能让更多手机设备推向市场——这很好，因为无论从价格或是选择等方面，竞争对消费者来说永远是件好事。当然，微软的软件优势，也是个重要原因。”

他表示自己并不确定微软的软件优势有否对WP7开发者产生直接帮助，但如果更良好的使用体验可以让手机产品更加畅销，那么手机用户便会不断增加，这绝不是件坏事。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Game developers on the awesome news of Nokia’s Windows Phone deal

It doesn’t really matter what investors, analysts and consumers think of the strategic alliance between Nokia and Microsoft.

From a gaming perspective, the developers’ take is key.

A quick survey of those already working on the Windows Phone 7 platform reveals a flurry of different views on the deal.

Tak Fung, founder, Supermono

“I think it’s healthy to have more competition in the smartphone market, and it’s also exciting for Windows Phone 7 developers,” Fung says.

“However it remains to be seen how effective two massive slow moving corporations can actually be when working together on such a scale.”

Mikkel Thorsted, partner, Press Play

“Considering our situation, where we already have Max & the Magic Marker and our soon to be released Microsoft Game Studios title Tentacles on Windows Phone 7, this is great news,” says Thorsted.

“We believe that Nokia, with its history of making the highest quality phone hardware, as well as their market position, could be just what is needed to get some real momentum going for WP7.

“I must say, it’s about time Nokia left the awful Symbian behind and started depending on better software.”

Peter De Jong, CEO, CodeClue

“I think the deal between Nokia and Microsoft is awesome news,” says De Jong.

“From a developer perspective, Windows Phone 7 is the best platform to create games for, and from a user perspective I think it offers one of the best experiences – I’m quite fond of the OS.

“The deal between Nokia and Microsoft could give WP7 a serious push to market, as Nokia is still the number one handset manufacturer.”

Philippe Rapin, founder, Press Start

“I see this partnership as a good thing – it could be a sign of concentration in the platforms, which will ease the burden of porting for developers,” adds Rapin.

“And, of course, as an Xbox Live developer, it’s a great perspective that such a big manufacturer is joining the WP7 boat. It expands market penetration tremendously and that used to be a big question mark when comparing WP7 to Android.

“Besides, I think what the world needs today is one of these spring-loaded morpheus-like smartphone things, which plays Twin Blades. Oh, I’m so sold on that.”

Didier Pippel, executive producer, Khaeon Gamestudio

“We are very excited about the plans of Nokia and Microsoft for a strategic partnership,” comments Pippel.

“This could result in some very interesting opportunities for us as a developer, because Nokia and Microsoft will combine their strengths and expertise.

“What is especially interesting for us is the announced broadening of market segments, Nokia’s existing operator billing agreements and, of course, the integration of Nokias’ Ovi store with Windows Marketplace.”

Eddie Dowse, business development manager, PopCap

“PopCap has worked closely with both Microsoft and Nokia for many years and our games have enjoyed a lot of success, so we are excited about the possibilities surrounding this joint venture,” says Dowse.

“We were a launch partner for Windows Phone 7, building Bejeweled Live out of our European studio.

“We have always been excited about the gaming potential of Microsoft’s smartphone platform and are hopeful that this partnership signals opportunities for even more people to experience it first hand.”

Sarah Thomson, VP of business development, IUGO Entertainment

“IUGO is cautiously optimistic about Nokia’s announcement to take on the WP7 OS,” adds Thomson.

“First off, thank you Nokia for finally ditching Symbian and throwing in the towel on the troubled MeeGo platforms. That alone is a great first move.

“IUGO is personally excited to have Nokia pick Microsoft over Android. It’s great to strengthen the chances of a third player in the battle between Apple and Google. We like the idea that Microsoft will keep fragmentation to a dull roar rather than the potential for Nokia to produce hundreds of Android-capable handsets that would make developers’ lives a living hell…again.

“IUGO has invested early into Windows Phone 7 as a platform with 6 titles to-date. We’d love WP7 to take off so that we’re inspired to do more.

“But, on the flipside of this, making the decision and executing it effectively are two very different things. Nokia’s track record over the past 4-5 years hasn’t been very good. There have been a lot of missteps.

“Microsoft hasn’t had much luck in the smartphone sector either. These facts are making IUGO cautious.

“I do hope that each can compliment the other’s weaknesses: WP7 can be an entry into the North American market for Nokia while Nokia can up the ante in handset volume for WP7. If this indeed happens, clearly this will be a win for both developers and users alike.

“No doubt this has made 2011 even more interesting to watch in the mobile space.”

David Whatley, president, Critical Thought

“I think the Nokia deal has to be taken in context of what’s going on at Microsoft,” adds Whatley.

“When you look at the recent moves they have made to shake up management and move up engineering talent into the drivers seat, you can see that there is a broad strategic initiative to set up Microsoft for relevancy in key markets where they are currently lagging.

“These things are cyclic, where a company seems so dominate at one point that we run to the courts crying antitrust, and then almost over-night no one cares about them anymore – such as AOL, or MySpace.

“Once they reach this point the conventional wisdom is that they can no longer return to prominance. But I think that any company, with strong leadership, can reinvent itself. Even AOL is starting to show signs of life again through reinvention driven by key strategic acquisitions like TechCrunch and now Huffington Post.

“I think this is a piece of a larger plan that Microsoft has been brewing for more than a little while. Only time will tell how it plays out, but action always better than inaction. From a developers perspective, this is good news because we want the Windows Phone 7 platform to reach its market potential.

“The more hot platforms the better, and the WP7 OS is certainly a worthy contender that isn’t just playing follow the leader.”

Ryan Morel, CEO, PressOK

“We’re North America focused and Nokia hasn’t been a strong player here since I was playing the pre-loaded version of Snake on a Nokia device in 2000,” comments Morel.

“So, the question for us is whether or not Windows Phone 7, which is a good OS, and Microsoft’s marketing muscle helps Nokia obtain a substantial user base here – and at what cost to the Android and iOS market?

“Ultimately, for this to be a good thing for developers, the overall pie has to grow, not just get cut into smaller pieces.”

Andrei Hanganu, lead developer, Revo Solutions

“Biggest problem for now for Microsoft is the number of devices sold, and we expect the deal with Nokia to raise the number of Windows Phone 7 users significantly,” Hanganu states.

“We have a title in top 10 so that can only mean good news for us. In my opinion, Windows Marketplace might be a lot better than Apple’s App Store and Android Market, simply because the review process doesn’t allow it to be filled with bad quality apps.

“Considering all markets are amassing huge numbers of apps, in the future, the quality control of the submissions might prove to be the most important difference.

“We have high hopes for WP7 and the Nokia deal should only make the platform more popular. The only question remaining is whether the hardware requirements will stay the same or lower-end devices will show up.”

Jason Doucette, co-founder and lead programmer, Xona Games

“To be honest, I haven’t been following the Windows Phone 7 environment very closely these past few months,” adds Doucette.

“Based off of the news feeds I’ve been reading, it appears this is great news. It looks like the agreement goes far beyond just the hardware needed to help bring more phones onto the market – which is good, since competition is always great for the consumer, for prices and selection – but also to include the software.

“I am not sure how the software is going to help WP7 developers directly, but if the phones are going to sell better because of a better general experience, then the audience is going to increase, which can never be a bad thing. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out.”（source:pocketgamer）