• by Shankar Gupta , September 6, 2006

In its first foray into mobile gaming, Shockwave.com today will launch an online store that allows users to download games to their cell phones.

The company, recently acquired by Viacom, will charge between $4 and $7 per game for the downloads. At launch, the service will offer 40 games, including mobile versions of Shockwave.com hits like Jewel Quest and Diner Dash. The mobile storefront will have a main sponsor, with banner ads and branding, said Shockwave.com CEO Dave Williams.

He added that the company hopes its store will encourage more consumers to try mobile gaming. "Only a small percentage of mobile phone subscribers buy games, and most of that is on-deck sales," he said, referring to games purchased directly from carriers through the handset. "Part of the reason why these numbers aren't higher is because a lot of consumers don't realize these games are available."

At launch, the games will not be ad-supported, but Williams said that future game releases will likely include some sort of advertising. "Over the next 12 months or so, we'll start to see the ad model open up with advergames, or ad-supported games where there may be some branding or advertising built into the game," he said. "We want to establish the channel and establish the consumer base, and once that's proven, I think the ad model will follow quickly."