Glu to launch mobile versions of 5 popular Activision games

modern-warfare-2Glu Mobile said today it will launch five new mobile titles as part of the company’s expanded partnership with Activision Publishing.

The new titles include a mobile version of Modern Warfare 2, Activision’s flagship game coming this fall. The console version of the game (pictured) is considered to be one of the most anticipated games of the year, so the mobile version will likely be a hot seller.

San Mateo, Calif.-based Glu is essentially contracting with Activision to convert several of its popular console game titles to mobile games. The games will be published on the Android, Blackberry, Brew, J2ME and Windows Mobile platforms.

While the iPhone is noticeably absent, the list of platforms shows that Glu is pushing heavily into the smart phone space, growing beyond its focus on traditional mobile phones. Besides Modern Warfare 2, the titles it’s working with include Crash Mutant Island, which will be available in the third quarter, and Blur, Guitar Hero 5, and Tony Hawk Ride, all to be published in the fourth quarter.

Glu Mobile said in January that roughly 30 percent of its resources will be devoted to making games for smartphones. The big challenge for Glu is to continue to maintain its leadership in mobile games even as much of the market shifts toward the iPhone.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.