If the iPhone app developers have been looking for one technogical advantage to cash in on, it had to be some way to integrate cross-platform capabilities. The Neutron middleware will soon be available for the iPhone. Exit games has announced that the beta version of the Neutron middleware for the iPhone has been released. This software can be used by game developers for license for use in their own titles.

The Neutron managed sevice platform helps the developers to integrate online multiplayer and social gaming features that work across different mobile  platforms (like Blackberry and Windows Mobile Handsets) as well as computers and game consoles.

Features:

• 1. Real-time and tournament multiplayer options.
• 2. Support for game lobbies and matchmaking capabilities.
• 3. Buddy lists, leader boards, profiles, in-game voice and text chats.
• 4. Billing and in-game “microtrtansaction” support.

As Christof Wegmann, the CTO of Exit Games succintly puts it:

The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channle…Neutron’s support of this new and ionnovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advanttage of its wireless connectivity and social gaming features.