Nokia to Offer Zynga Games for Users of Cheaper Phones

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V), seeking to fend off competition from Android devices in growth markets such as Asia, said it plans to start offering two Zynga Inc. games on its cheaper mobile phones.

“Draw Something” and “Zynga Poker” will be available as free downloads for Nokia’s Asha touch-screen handsets this quarter, according to a statement from the Espoo, Finland-based phonemaker today.

Nokia is adding features to cheaper devices as ZTE Corp., Huawei Technologies Co. and other mobile-phone manufacturers using Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system lure away users in emerging markets such as India. Nokia, which has also ceded market share in higher-priced smartphones, lost its lead as the biggest mobile-phone maker by units this year.

For San Francisco-based Zynga (ZNGA), the agreement with Nokia provides more than 100 million potential users. Zynga, the biggest maker of games played on Facebook Inc.’s website, is seeking growth in mobile devices as more users access the Web using smartphones and tablets.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ville Heiskanen in Helsinki at vheiskanen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ville Heiskanen at vheiskanen@bloomberg.net