French mobile entertainment developer In-Fusio is set to unveil the world’s first colour mobile 3D game, Mission 3D, later this week. The game, which was developed in-house by In-Fusio, can be downloaded to handsets equipped with the company’s ExEn gaming engine so that it can be played offline.

Insight

In-Fusio has already attracted an impressive operator customer list, including Orange, SFR, Vodafone D2, Vodafone Omnitel and China Mobile, but its success has been limited to-date by the relatively low penetration of compatible handsets. In-Fusio requires that its ExEn gaming engine, essentially an enhanced version of the J2ME specification, is installed on the handset at manufacture. Thus far only second tier manufacturers such as Siemens, Sagem, Mitsubishi and Philips have agreed to include ExEn as standard.

In-Fusio also provides standard J2ME, WAP and SMS games, but its key competitive advantage, ExEn, will prove restrictive unless it can enlist major manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola. While ExEn adds some impressive capabilities for J2ME developers there is a trade-off in terms of ensuring widespread compatibility. Gaming is an inherently viral activity and customers will be frustrated when they find they can’t play the games recommended by their friends because they don’t have a compatible handset.