Paul live blogs the GDC Mobile Keynote

Check out everything he has to say. His conclusion is what I want to focus on:

This is great, Trip is making fun of Mitch Laskey from EA Mobile (Super rich x-CEO of Jamdat now head of EA mobile) because last year Mitch said if you’re not already in with a big license your dead. Well, DC is still here and we’ve been winning top awards. Quote, “Mitch is wrong”, “Where’s JamDat Bowling, things change”. Saying tetris is going to be the pennicle of mobile games is like saying gone with the wind is like the pennicle of the movie industry” I love how the guys in charge of mobile games companies have such big ca-hones.

Oh boy, now he’s giving it to the carriers about their merchandising tactics. Again with the big ca-hones, considering the audience. Essentially, he’s telling the carriers that they need to re-evaluate what they are doing with their WAP Deck arrangement. Let me summarize, and this isn’t me talking, it’s Trip, The carriers need to re-evaluate and change as the mobile gaming business changes. As it is now they are behind and need to catch up.

Gaming companies telling operators how to operate? Ballsy, yes. Will it work? I don’t think so.

It used to be that game developers would sign with a gaming company and get a share of the profit. Now mobile game developers have an extra step in this new food chain.

I’m pessimistic only because I haven’t demoed N-Gage myself, but in the cut throat industry we’re in right now all I see are operators lining up to ask Nokia: "How can we make money on this?"

They won’t see that more people will use data plans. They won’t see people will want more expensive, more capable devices. All they see is Tony Hawk 12 selling for $9.99 and they will only offer it to their subscribers if they can have a slice.

I’m loving this Trip guy. It’s about time we had people in power telling operators, especially in America, how backwards and destructive they are to this industry.

Bravo.