A number of companies in the wireless and mobile gaming space have joined the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) in order to create a mobile game standard. With platform fragmentation jarring the development of wireless games, an initiative has been set in place to streamline the process of developing and delivering games for a range of mobile environments.
The companies who have joined the initiative include Nokia, Samsung, SK Telecom, Square-Enix, Symbian, Tao Group, and Texas Instruments, all of which are now part of OMA's Game Services Working Group.
"The Open Mobile Alliance applauds the efforts of these industry leaders to address the fragmentation and interoperability issues facing mobile operators, game publishers, and manufacturers," said Jari Alvinen, Chairman of the Board, Open Mobile Alliance. "Utilizing market driven specifications developed by the industry allows all parties in the mobile value chain to invest with confidence in innovative games products and services that offer consumers the most exhilarating experience possible."
By establishing a common definition for minimum device capabilities that game publishers and developers can rely upon, less development time will be spent on porting multiple versions of a single game and instead be used to create new titles with richer graphics and features.
