Sep. 17, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

SEATTLE, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RealGames(TM), a division of RealNetworks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK) today introduced the Federation of Studios (FoS), a mobile publishing solution that lets small and mid-sized game developers port their games, at no up-front cost, across more than 1700 mobile handsets, eight different operating systems and 130 carriers and direct-to-consumer distributors. This newest offering from the RealGames Network grants developers access to Real's proprietary EMERGE(R) development platform and an integrated marketing and distribution process, arming them with the ability to deliver their game to the broadest mobile gaming audience possible.

"For many small, innovative studios and publishers today, keeping up with the fragmentation and demands of the carrier market has become increasingly challenging, forcing them to focus on fewer handsets where non-carrier distribution is a viable option," says Matt Turetzky, VP content at RealGames. "This means lots of great games are developed for handsets like iPhone, Blackberry or Windows Mobile that don't make it into the hands of other consumers. The Federation of Studios bridges this gap by providing a simple, efficient way to reach more than 2 billion customers worldwide, with no entry costs required from developer partners."

The EMERGE development process enables quick, cost efficient porting to multiple platforms (J2ME, BREW, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Android, Nintendo DSi and Flash). Key to the efficiency of EMERGE is a tightly managed business process that, in addition to porting capabilities, also provides game developers with quality assurance, localization, sales and distribution services. The first FoS partner is Sonic Boom, Inc., a leading publisher and creator of mobile games and applications, developer of mobile titles including Name that Tune!(R) and Virtual Villagers(R).

"At Sonic Boom, we've watched the mobile games market become increasingly complex, with App stores, handsets, and OS proliferation growing rapidly," says Lou Fasulo, SVP of Publishing at Sonic Boom. "By joining RealGames' Federation of Studios and tapping into the EMERGE platform, we'll be able to simplify the process of delivering our games to more mobile consumers around the world, while increasing our bottom line in the long run."

All games developed in the EMERGE platform will be optimized for touch screen and tilt-enabled handsets, while existing games can be automatically ported to newly profiled handsets to enable easy backfilling for every new handset on the market. EMERGE games are currently available on all leading carriers and handset manufacturers.