Nokia today confirmed to GameSpot that specialty retailer GameStop has pulled N-Gage units from 450 of its stores which previously had carried the hybrid phone/game deck. "GameStop is reallocating inventory and efforts on locations where sales have been strongest," a Nokia spokesperson told GameSpot today. GameStop operates almost 1,500 retail locations worldwide, although most of those stores are located in the U.S.

　　Nokia learned of the GameStop decision only this week and was unable to comment as to how common a "reallocation" strategy is within the GameStop organization. The Nokia spokesperson indicated the news would not affect Nokia's backing of the device. Since its launch last October, the N-Gage has come in for mixed reviews from technology reporters, analysts, and game reviewers. Last week, the Finnish manufacturer reported having shipped 600,000 N-Gage units into the retail channel worldwide since launch.

　　[UPDATE] As for the N-Gage's status at EB Games, another national game retailer, vice president of merchandising Carol Beck said the company will continue to stock the product in all stores for the foreseeable future.