appMobi today announced public beta availability of playMobi, a cross-platform HTML5-based game development, deployment, and monetization SDK. playMobi gives HTML5 game developers an elegant JavaScript API solution to the many issues they face, including user authentication, in-game payments, social player engagement, scoring and leaderboard management. The core technology of playMobi is based on TapJs, which pioneered the social network category for HTML5 games and was acquired by appMobi in 2011. Developers can apply to join the playMobi beta program at www.appmobi.com/playmobi.
“With a single JavaScript API, playMobi gives HTML5 game developers all the tools they need to create interesting and socially engaging games that run on iOS, Android and Facebook platforms,” said Sam Abadir, CTO of appMobi. “playMobi includes slick in-app purchasing capabilities based on appMobi’s patent-pending ‘1Touch’ technology, making the experience very simple and highly secure. playMobi leverages the rapidly expanding HTML5 platform, offering game developers the unique ability to ‘write it once’ and deploy the same code to iOS, Android, Facebook, and the open Web — fully compliant with each platform’s terms of service.”
Scirra is the developer of “Construct 2,” a leading HTML5 game development environment. Director Ashley Gullen said, “Like appMobi, Scirra believes HTML5 is the gaming platform of the future. We’re excited by the potential of cross-platform IAP, leaderboards and achievements. We look forward to making playMobi really easy to use in games made with Construct 2.”
One interface enables In-App Purchases for all platforms
In an industry “first,” playMobi enables cross-platform in-app purchasing with its 1Touch in-app payment system. When a player makes a purchase, playMobi automatically completes the transaction using the correct in-app-purchase backend system, based on the device in use. When running on iOS, playMobi uses iTunes; on Android, Google Payments; on Facebook, Facebook Credits; and on the Open Web, PayPal. By providing a simple JavaScript programming interface that seamlessly supports e-commerce on the four most popular mobile gaming platforms, playMobi eliminates a huge headache for game developers who want to make money with their games.
Built-in Social Player Engagement Features – Interactive Leaderboards & Badges
playMobi includes social gaming tools that game developers can use to increase the “stickiness” of their games. User login is simple and easy using Facebook Connect. Tools are also provided to create and manage leaderboards, game achievements, player analytics, and cloud-based storage of game status and inventory.
Game Levels, Scores and Inventories Saved across Multiple Devices, even Across Platforms
Because today’s casual gamers increasingly play on multiple devices (both mobile and desktop), playMobi enables multi-device and even multi-platform social game play, supporting HTML5 Web-based games, Facebook games, and iOS and Android hybrid games created with PhoneGap or appMobi. For example, with playMobi, the achievement level and high score from a player’s lunchtime session on his iOS iPhone game will be in place when he plays the Facebook version of the game later on his home laptop. playMobi’s cross device/cross platform social gaming capability is another industry “first.”
Game Analytics Let Developers “Look Over Players’ Shoulders” to Improve Gameplay
playMobi gives HTML5 game developers important new insight into how their games are actually being played. Detailed analytics can be captured as the game is played, isolating trouble spots or levels that are too easy. Because high-score cheating is an issue on the open Web, playMobi allows developers to create rules-based checks on posted scores, eliminating most score hacks and protecting leaderboard validity. Integrating playMobi analytics into a game is simply a matter of adding the playMobi JavaScript library and a few lines of JavaScript code.
playMobi complements appMobi’s existing HTML5 gaming technology, which includes directCanvas, multiSound, and directBox2D, forming an integrated, high performance platform that creates games that perform well as native iOS and Android app store games on Facebook and on the open mobile Web. playMobi is being offered free of charge to a limited number of developers during a short testing phase. Interested developers can sign up for the beta program at www.appmobi.com/playmobi.
