mobile
Online Multiplayer, Cross-Platform Gaming Coming to iPhone
Posted by Brian Crecente at 11:00 AM on August 20, 2008
Neutron, Exit Games' cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, just got upgraded with iPhone support, the company announced today.
The service is said to include real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options, game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities, buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, in-game voice and text chat and last, but certainly not least, billing and in-game microtransactions.
"The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channel", said Christof Wegmann, CTO of Exit Games. "Neutron's support of this new and innovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advantage of its wireless connectivity and add social gaming features." Wegmann further adds, "The iPhone will surely establish itself as a dominant mobile gaming platform and we're pleased to support multiplayer and social features in games developed for the device."
Exit Games today announced that its cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, Neutron®, is now compatible with the iPhone™. This new compatibility update allows game developers to integrate online multiplayer and social gaming features into iPhone games by using Neutron technology, as well as cross-platform capabilities between an iPhone and other mobile devices, PCs and game consoles.
Features of the Neutron multiplayer and social gaming platform include, among others:
• Real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options
• Game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities
• Buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, etc.
• In-game voice and text chat
• Billing and in-game microtransactions
"The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channel", said Christof Wegmann, CTO of Exit Games. "Neutron's support of this new and innovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advantage of its wireless connectivity and add social gaming features." Wegmann further adds, "The iPhone will surely establish itself as a dominant mobile gaming platform and we're pleased to support multiplayer and social features in games developed for the device."
The fully managed Neutron service platform minimizes risk and time-to-market for even the most complex multiplayer and community game development projects on all platforms. Neutron 5.0 SDKs provide a broad variety of connectivity features out-of-the-box, and together with its hosting services it enables game developers to integrate sophisticated online features at minimum time and cost investment. Neutron continues to leverage large user communities, supporting online gaming on the mobile, PC and console platforms including J2ME, BREW, Windows Mobile, Flash Lite, Blackberry

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
art_zombie
Posted 11:22 AM 20/8/08
HAhahahaahaha, cause if first party companies really wanted to do cross platform multiplayer they'd have never thought of it before, right? Really, the only cross-platform simultaneous multiplayer game I can think of is Shadowrun, and only cause Microsoft owned the rights and had the means to make both viable (and that ended well, right?).
Yah, this has promise, but little grounding in having me believe it will actually achieve what it sets out to do, especially with Japanese companies who are incredibly restrictive with what outsiders are allowed to do with their product.
Yah, that came out a bit passive-aggressive and negative, but can you blame me with such pie-in-the-sky ideals on a platform that has hardly time to prove itself?
art_zombie
kumuasata
Posted 11:22 AM 20/8/08
From upgrade, ya mean downgrade.
Amirite?
kumuasata
fquick
Posted 11:18 AM 20/8/08
Every game I have tried on the iPhone is painful. If I want to game, I'll use my PSP. Thanks.
fquick
Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.
Posted 11:14 AM 20/8/08
Cross Platform Online Super Monkey Ball Confirmed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.
karateka
Posted 11:11 AM 20/8/08
whatever...this is going to suck. I mean who wants to play game against someone on the iphone..it'll just be dumb down version. I can see the reason why everyone wanting to make games for the iphone, it's going to be huge...like DS huge...so there'll be a lot of crapware on the device...it won't be quality gaming.
karateka
Blinklink11
Posted 11:07 AM 20/8/08
WoW.
Blinklink11
hamandcheeseUK
Posted 11:07 AM 20/8/08
I never plan on owning an iPhone, but any attempt at cross-platform gaming gets a thumbs up from me.
I'm tired of buying a game for one of my consoles, just for me to want to play with a friend who got it for a different console.
hamandcheeseUK
CarbonFalcon
Posted 11:05 AM 20/8/08
That's cool. Now they just need to develop a game that can use all those features.
And I'm amazed that Crecente has cranked out so many posts today, especially since he has had to give text adventure directions to Fahey at the same time.
CarbonFalcon
ninjablaze
Posted 11:02 AM 20/8/08
Neat.
ninjablaze
gamerholic
Posted 11:33 AM 20/8/08
Can't wait for Sept. 25, when freakin AT&T will let me ugrade to an iphone!
gamerholic
animat0
Posted 11:33 AM 20/8/08
@fquick:
People use PSPs for gaming? Whoa.
animat0
rwhp3
Posted 11:29 AM 20/8/08
and it keeps growing next thing you know apple releases a console (more money out of my pocket)
rwhp3
AlejandroLestad
Posted 11:28 AM 20/8/08
again, it sucks to be a non-iphone owner
AlejandroLestad
Saxboy
Posted 12:13 PM 20/8/08
@AlejandroLestad: I have the opposite feeling, really :)
Saxboy
Netnavi
Posted 12:03 PM 20/8/08
So we can get innovations for gaming in an iphone/itouch (niether of wich I own) but we can't get some equally cool stuff going on for the Wii instead of peripheral number 20xx?
Gaming sucks nowadays. Noone is taking it seriously and are just hashing out half baked gimmicks or retreads of the last gen.
No wonder people pirate games.
Netnavi
fquick
Posted 12:41 PM 20/8/08
@animat0: CFW with emulators. I need to get my RPG fix from somewhere since this current gen couldn't suck any harder with that genre.
fquick
Tehman
Posted 1:58 PM 20/8/08
Can't they at least make a Plug in controller on the bottom of my iPod touch for me? Or make a Bluetooth controller for the iPhone?
Tehman