Microsoft unveils Xbox LIVE games lineup for Windows Phone 7

When Microsoft unveiled its Windows Phone 7 (WP7) Series at Mobile World Congress 2010 in February, it said that the device’s Games hub would put the power of Xbox LIVE in the palm of your hand. With the phone’s planned October release date rapidly approaching, the company has chosen Gamescon 2010 in Germany to reveal the first wave of Xbox LIVE games that will be available on launch.

The first wave of launch games is long and impressive (check out the full list below), highlighting Microsoft’s recognition that mobile phones are evolving into a major gaming platform. According to research firm In-Stat, mobile gaming is already a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. and will continue to climb. Microsoft’s own internal research backs that up, showing that 80 percent of gamers in the U.S. have, or will purchase a smartphone this year, and a quarter of what gamers spend on games is spent on mobile gaming.

The list includes Xbox LIVE games from the likes of Gameloft, Konami Digital Entertainment, Namco Bandai, PopCap and THQ. The WP7 will also be supported by content from Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), which now has a dedicated group tasked with delivering all new mobile-specific games and extending the best console games onto Windows Phone 7. This includes companion titles to familiar names, such as "Halo: Waypoint," and "Crackdown 2," designed to extend the experience of these Xbox 360 franchises.

In addition to providing a single location to view and launch games from your full game library, the WP7 is designed to seamlessly integrate Xbox LIVE in other ways. Users will be able to:

• connect to their Xbox LIVE profile and Avatar, or create a new one

Microsoft says additional titles in the launch portfolio will be released as the phone’s release date draws nearer, with new Xbox LIVE titles to be added to the games portfolio every week once the phone launches.

For the moment, the list of titles is:

• "3D Brick Breaker Revolution" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Age of Zombies" (Halfbrick)
• "Armor Valley" (Protege Games)
• "Asphalt 5" (Gameloft)
• "Assassins Creed" (Gameloft)
• "Bejeweled™ LIVE" (PopCap)
• "Bloons TD" (Digital Goldfish)
• "Brain Challenge" (Gameloft)
• "Bubble Town 2" (i-Play)
• "Butterfly" (Press Start Studio)
• "CarneyVale Showtime" (MGS)
• "Castlevania" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst" (MGS)
• "De Blob Revolution" (THQ)
• "Deal or No Deal 2010" (i-Play)
• "Earthworm Jim" (Gameloft)
• "Fast & Furious 7" (i-Play)
• "Fight Game Rivals" (Rough Cookie)
• "Finger Physics" (Mobliss Inc.)
• "Flight Control" (Namco Bandai)
• "Flowerz" (Carbonated Games)
• "Frogger" (Konami Digital Entertainment)
• "Fruit Ninja" (Halfbrick)
• "Game Chest-Board" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Card" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Logic" (MGS)
• "Game Chest-Solitaire" (MGS)
• "GeoDefense" (Critical Thought)
• "Ghostscape" (Psionic)
• "Glow Artisan" (Powerhead Games)
• "Glyder 2" (Glu Mobile)
• "Guitar Hero 5" (Glu Mobile)
• "Halo Waypoint" (MGS)
• "Hexic Rush" (Carbonated Games)
• "I Dig It" (InMotion)
• "iBlast Moki" (Godzilab)
• "ilomilo" (MGS)
• "Implode XL" (IUGO)
• "Iquarium" (Infinite Dreams)
• "Jet Car Stunts" (True Axis)
• "Let's Golf 2" (Gameloft)
• "Little Wheel" (One click dog)
• "Loondon" (Flip N Tale)
• "Max and the Magic Marker" (PressPlay)
• "Mini Squadron" (Supermono Limited)
• "More Brain Exercise" (Namco Bandai)
• "O.M.G." (Arkedo)
• "Puzzle Quest 2" (Namco Bandai)
• "Real Soccer 2" (Gameloft)
• "The Revenants" (Chaotic Moon)
• "Rise of Glory" (Revo Solutions)
• "Rocket Riot" (Codeglue)
• "Splinter Cell Conviction" (Gameloft)
• "Star Wars: Battle for Hoth" (THQ)
• "Star Wars: Cantina" (THQ)
• "The Harvest" (MGS)
• "The Oregon Trail" (Gameloft)
• "Tower Bloxx NY" (Digital Chocolate)
• "Twin Blades" (Press Start Studio)
• "UNO" (Gameloft)
• "Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet" (i-Play)
• "Zombie Attack!" (IUGO)
• "Zombies!!!!" (Babaroga)

Looks like there should be something for everyone.