Digia have announced the forthcoming availability of a new tools for developers. Their Entertainment Engine is a 'comprehensive middleware technology platform focused on enabling device manufacturers and mobile game developers to effectively roll out new products'. Another sign of the importance of mobile gaming, and sure to have implications for N-Gage development.

Press Release:
A complete solution for entertainment-centric Symbian OS device creation: Digia® Entertainment Engine for Symbian OS

[Press release, Helsinki, February 17th, 2003] -- Digia, a leading designer and developer of Symbian™ OS based software for mobile phone manufacturers world-wide, today announced the launch of Digia® Entertainment Engine, a highly optimized solution for game developers and device manufacturers seeking to capitalize on the burgeoning mobile entertainment market.

Digia®Entertainment Engine is a comprehensive middleware technology platform focused on enabling device manufacturers and mobile game developers to effectively roll out new products. For game developers, Digia® Entertainment Engine offers unparalleled performance without sacrificing system stability, leading to shorter development time and lower support and maintenance costs of games applications. For device manufacturers, Digia®Entertainment Engine provides the critical features required for true mobile gaming devices.

With special attention paid to the delicate balance of system stability and high all-round performance, Digia®Entertainment Engine delivers a full set of critical game development features. Complete mobile 2D, 3D, audio, and multiplayer functionality are provided as compact, well-documented libraries that function on current and future Symbian OS –powered devices (Nokia 7650, 3650, N-gage, Sony Ericsson P800, etc.) running Symbian OS version 6.1 or higher.

By providing a future-proof solution for mobile game development, Digia aims to assist device manufacturers in rolling out new entertainment-centric devices to the market, as well as assist the developers who want to take advantage of the potential of Symbian OS –based smartphones.

According to Digia CTO Kai Tulonen; "Digia®Entertainment Engine is a key building block of device manufacturer product differentiation. By providing device manufacturers with appealing device features, and game developers with technologies for rapid game development, Digia®Entertainment Engine has the potential to catalyze the entertainment market for Symbian OS phones".

Digia® Entertainment Engine will be available in March 2003.