Mobile gaming is a key part of the modern smart phone ecosystem; a platform without games is not an attractive one. Unfortunately, Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has up until now dealt with a substandard gaming world on BB10, the firm’s smart phone platform. An announcement from the company today seeks to change that.
According to reports BB10 has been given full support in the Unity development kit. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) fans and investors will hope that the development helps the company sell more smart phones, though the company will still face the old reliable problem, lack of developers willing to build on the platform.
Unity for Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY)
Unity is a game engine distributed by Unity technologies. The software facilitates the design and implementation of games of infinite varieties. Today’s announcement will raise hope that popular mobile games will be ported over to BB10 and, admittedly less likely, that new games are designed for the BB10 platform.
Unity game support was added for iOS and Android in the free version of the company’s software at the same time as that for BB10, showing that at least some developers don’t want to write of Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), and are willing to serve it at the same table as the other big platforms.
Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) executives were, quite predictably, effervescent in their hope for the future of gaming on BB10. The company’s vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders said “BlackBerry 10 is a great platform for gaming, giving customers an immersive experience that’s fast, fluid, and responsive,” according to an article in Venture Beat “Unity developers can now deliver that same immersive experience to their customers with BlackBerry 10.”
Can games save Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY)?
The addition of Unity development to the BB10 platform is a positive development, but its not one that can save the company single-handedly. The move will make BB10 easier to develop for, which should improve the quality and/or quantity of apps available. When it comes to ecosystems, however, the addition of each new app is a marginal improvement. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) is not there yet.
On today’s market shares in Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) stock rose by a little under 1 percent. It’s unclear whether the Unity move had anything to do with the rise, but it is unlikely.
