IG Fun coming on strong in 2008

In general, 2007 has been a brilliant year for mobile gamers, with increased variety, the start of flexible pricing and, most crucially, a marked improvement in quality across the board (witnessed by the plethora of Gold awards we've been dishing out – not to mention the first ever Platinum gong – in recent months).

However we've got a sneaking suspicion that next year is going to be even better. New payment systems (such as rental and pay-per-play), new platforms (N-Gage will be here) and the general inexorable march of handset technologies will doubtless all play their part, but the biggest reason to be cheerful is the host of fresh new companies intent on making their mark.

IG Fun certainly comes into that latter category and as we hinted in our introductory feature a few weeks back, the mobile publishing focused spin-off for established Asian gaming giant, India Games, isn't just here to make up the numbers.

Already making waves in the US as one of Verizon's top publishers, the Californian-based outfit clearly means business in Europe, too, and is assembling a formidable team with Sean Malatesta as CEO, Gulshan David managing southern Europe, and Janine Coughlan moving across from successful stints at Living Mobile and Disney to take over as director of northern Europe. It's also intending to appoint in Germany to cover GSA, in the next few months.

Of course, it's all about the games ultimately and on that front IG Fun's already starting to stock pile licences, with the likes of Godzilla Monster Mayhem and strategy/casual title Tradewinds 2 out now, and Goodnight Mr Snoozleberg, Subaru Rally Championship and Playboy titles Playboy Pinball, Playboy Pool and Playboy Racing all coming soon.

And that's just for starters. "We're pushing forward with a strategy of strong licences and already have a raft of impressive IPs lined up for 2008, including top movies, branded casual, successful console titles and some great celebrity endorsed games," Janine Coughlan told us. "We're also talking to some of the most gifted flash developers in the world with view to creating mobile versions of their games."

It's not all about flashy licences, though. The company also has a number of strong original brand casual and puzzle games on its roadmap and is negotiating with other developers to bring their titles to market.

The latter point is critical for IG Fun, because as Coughlan is keen to stress, a good licence alone simply isn't enough; it's the quality of games that really matters.

"There's a real emphasis on the need for quality to be successful in this market and that's a key focus for IG Fun. In addition to seeking out the best existing unpublished games, we'll also be looking to outsource some of our own development to the very best development teams. Nearly half of our Java games will be developed externally in 2008, although we will be beefing up the team in head office, too."

All in all then, 2008 is shaping up to be quite a year for IG Fun and for mobile gamers. We'll be keeping an eye out for the company's upcoming titles, and humbly suggest you should, too.