Firemint, Tapulous ready for iPad development

Key iPhone developers have expressed their commitment to creating games for Apple's newly unveiled iPad, and labelled the device as an important part of the impending shift from traditional console games to casual games that are enjoyed by the wider market.

"This is big because it will build on the success of the iPhone and iPod touch, increasing the presence of the iPhone platform in the living room and the bedroom," said developer Tapulous, creator of the best-selling title Tap Tap Revenge.

"That means users will spend more time in front of iPhone OS devices, and less time in front of their TV and traditional console devices, which ultimately means they will spend more time in Tap Tap Revenge and other iPhone games.

"This is part of a big shift from traditional console games aimed at hardcore gamers, and towards casual, social games enjoyed by everyone during their spare minutes."

The games the studio has currently released onto the App Store will run unmodified on the iPad, said the developer - Apple has confirmed that the device can run almost all of the 140,000 apps currently available through its store, either in 1:1 pixel in the centre of the screen, or by doubling to full screen in low resolution.

But it added that the new form factor opened up a world of new possibilities - "For example, two-player mode will be a blast on the iPad. We're going to aggressively explore how we can take full advantage of the new capabilities."

Those new capabilities will also be exploited by iPhone developer Firemint from the offset. The Australia-based developer of the acclaimed Flight Control confirmed that it was already working on an optimised and re-imagined version of the 2 million plus-selling title for iPad.

"Flight Control will work perfectly on iPad without any changes from us," it said. "But we want to ensure a delightful experience on iPad that feels just right.

"We started developing Real Racing before the iPhone 3G was announced. Similarly, we are already building our next generation of games for higher definition, more powerful devices than are available today.

"The iPad announcement and Apple's A4 chip have come at a fantastic time for us. We are working on some incredibly fun and exciting games that will look amazing on iPad and take full advantage of its features, as well as working brilliantly on iPhone and iPod touch."

At the device's unveiling, EA also demoed a version of Need for Speed and Gameloft showed off an enhanced version of its iPhone title Nova.

The iPad - which features an accelerometer and 9.7 inch multitouch screen - is set to launch in March.