Electronic Arts (EA) to Develop Games for Windows Mobile Along With Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Game developer Electronic Arts Inc.(NASDAQ:EA) is talking to software giant Microsoft Corporation  (NASDAQ:MSFT) for an alliance to bring mobile games to the next version of the Windows mobile operating system, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The video games maker sees Windows as central to its mobile gaming strategy.

“We’re working very closely with Microsoft to understand what their views on gaming navigation are,” Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore told Bloomberg in an interview.

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“Anything that allows more platforms to be adopted quickly that have a gaming element is good for Electronic Arts.”

Game developers are increasingly eyeing the mobile handsets segment on which to take their games as the next generation consoles are yet to make their appearance.

Microsoft, a new entrant to mobile operating systems, also needs developers who will make the products that it needs to establish a loyal base of users.

With sales of the mobile version of Windows 8 slated for later this year, Microsoft needs developers to create products for its platform to take on Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone and devices powered by Google Inc(NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android software, Bloomberg said.

At 3.5 percent Microsoft has a minuscule portion of the market share of the mobile operating platform which is dominated by Google's Android with a 68 percent share followed by Apple's iOS with 17 percent.

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Bloomberg said that Windows also trails the two markets leaders in the number of games and applications available. There are more just over 100,000 apps for the Microsoft product, compared with more than 600,000 each for Apple and Android.

Games enthusiasts form a substantial band of loyal users and having gaming products would be the right way to create stickiness.