DeNA and AT&T ink deal to launch Mobage for Android users

It's DeNA subsidiary ngmoco's first such deal with a US mobile operator.

Social mobile gaming company DeNA has its first big US deal for its Mobage platform. Its subsidiary, ngmoco, has inked an agreement with operator AT&T.

The latter will be using Mobage as a social gaming hub for its Android customers, although the Mobage app is available on the Android Market anyway, so can still be accessed by users on other operators.

Mobage launched on Android in beta last month, with a number of high-profile iOS ports using the platform including Pocket Frogs, Paper Toss, Haypi Kingdom and ngmoco's own We Rule.

"We are pleased to be the first U.S. wireless carrier to work with ngmoco and look forward to giving our Android customers access to the rich Mobage gaming catalog later this year," says AT&T's VP of wireless data, voice and ancillary services Ted Woodberry.

The deal shows how the world of mobile gaming has changed: a few years ago, networks like AT&T would have been keener to launch their own-branded social communities rather than work with an external brand.