<P> Downloadable mobile games were first commercialised in Japan circa the launch of NTT DoCoMo 's I - mode platform in 1999 , and by the early 2000s were available through a variety of platforms throughout Asia , Europe , North America and ultimately most territories where modern carrier networks and handsets were available by the mid-2000s . However , mobile games distributed by mobile operators and third party portals ( channels initially developed to monetise downloadable ringtones , wallpapers and other small pieces of content using premium SMS or direct carrier charges as a billing mechanism ) remained a marginal form of gaming until Apple 's iOS App Store was launched in 2008 . As the first mobile content marketplace operated directly by a mobile platform holder , the App Store significantly changed the consumer behaviour and quickly broadened the market for mobile games , as almost every smartphone owner started to download mobile apps . </P>
<P> Downloadable mobile games were first commercialised in Japan circa the launch of NTT DoCoMo 's I - mode platform in 1999 , and by the early 2000s were available through a variety of platforms throughout Asia , Europe , North America and ultimately most territories where modern carrier networks and handsets were available by the mid-2000s . However , mobile games distributed by mobile operators and third party portals ( channels initially developed to monetise downloadable ringtones , wallpapers and other small pieces of content using premium SMS or direct carrier charges as a billing mechanism ) remained a marginal form of gaming until Apple 's iOS App Store was launched in 2008 . As the first mobile content marketplace operated directly by a mobile platform holder , the App Store significantly changed the consumer behaviour and quickly broadened the market for mobile games , as almost every smartphone owner started to download mobile apps . </P>
when did the first mobile game come out
when did the first mobile game come out
1999
1999