News
NOKIA AND SEGA REACH AGREEMENT ON THE TRANSFER OF SELECT SEGA.COM LEADING TECHNOLOGY
Nokia further enhances
online games and services for the Nokia N-GageTM
game deck
San Francisco. (August 19, 2003) -Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and SEGA
Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) today announced a definitive agreement in which Nokia
will acquire assets of Sega.com Inc., a subsidiary of SEGA. This agreement will
further enhance online games and service offerings for the Nokia N-GageTM
game deck, as Sega.com's leading multi-player technology will now become an
integral part of the Nokia N-Gage experience. The SEGA Network Application
Package (SNAP), that enables high-performance networked multi-player games, will
form the core part of Nokia Mobile Phones' Entertainment and Media Business
Unit's online games activity. This transaction is subject to standard closing
conditions.
"Online multi-player games and mobility are seen as the hottest developments in
the games industry today. This acquisition is a logical step in bringing online
elements to mobile games," said Ilkka Raiskinen, Senior Vice President,
Entertainment and Media Business Unit. "Sega.com Inc. has developed a robust
technology platform which, combined with the Nokia N-GageTM
game deck, opens up totally new dimensions for gamers. Sega.com is known to be
the host for some of the world's best online game competencies, and I believe
that together, we have the leading knowledge in both mobility and online games
technologies, thus further developing and expanding the opportunities for the
entire games space."
Sega.com Inc. is located in San Francisco focusing on game distribution and
online game services. In the game industry, Sega.com Inc. is known as a leading
supplier of technology for, and a pioneer in, mobile and multi-player online
games. Following the acquisition, SNAP will be integrated into the Nokia N-GageTM
game deck enabling multi-player games for mobile and fixed environments. SNAP
will bring immediate benefits to the Nokia N-Gage game deck, scheduled to be
available to consumers worldwide October 7, 2003.
The integration of SNAP technology into Nokia's game portfolio will have
positive effects on all aspects of the games community. Nokia N-GageTM
gamers will benefit from content creation, resulting in more feature-rich
multi-player online games. The mobile operators will have the opportunity to
generate additional revenue streams by integrating games industry technology
into their mobile networks. Finally, SNAP technology offers games developers a
flexible and well tested online games platform to provide appealing and
entertaining games to gamers globally. Over time, SNAP will bring even bigger
benefits to the games industry as the technologies and games genres evolve to
take full advantage of online elements.
"SEGA understood the great future for online gaming from a very early point.
Thus, we have used our best efforts to further the online gaming business," said
Hisao Oguchi, Representative Director and President of SEGA Corporation. "After
this agreement closes, Nokia will leverage the SNAP technology to strenghthen
online gaming titles for Nokia N-GageTM.
SEGA will continue to enhance its gaming software business as a content
publisher and pursue various avenues in the online entertainment industry
including providing content for Nokia N-GageTM."
About Sega.com
Sega.com, Inc. (www.sega.com),
is a network entertainment company that integrates Internet technology with
innovation while leveraging a video game heritage dating back more than 50
years. Sega.com also built the first high-speed online console gaming network
and community destination for gamers. Sega.com is dedicated to bringing the
technology and content required for networked entertainment to game developers
and game players alike, leveraging the network possibilities for a multitude of
devices including game consoles, cellular phones and PDAs.
About SEGA Corporation
SEGA® Corporation is a
worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home,
encompassing consumer business, amusement machine sales and amusement center
operations. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive
entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including
PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA®
Corporation's Web site is located at
http://sega.jp.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience,
innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the
leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed
broadband and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet, Nokia creates new
opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people.
Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future
events or future financial performance that involve risks and uncertainties.
Such statements can be identified by terminology such as may, will, should,
expects, plans, anticipates, believes, foresees, or similar expressions, or the
negative of such terms or comparable terms. These statements are only
predictions, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated
in these statements based upon a number of factors including those identified in
Nokia's filings with the SEC.

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