GameSalad, Tencent partnership brings localized development tools to China

Major Chinese Internet company Tencent has partnered with game authoring tools company GameSalad, to bring a localized version of its development platform to China. GameSalad bills itself as a drag-and-drop game creator "that is both powerful and easy-to-use, eliminating the need for complex coding," aimed at allowing non-programmers to more easily build and publish iOS, Android and HTML5 games. During 2011, 15 percent of all new game releases in the U.S. iOS App Store were created using GameSalad, says the company. This new partnership will see the GameSalad Creator localized into simplified Chinese, while virtual goods billing for local Chinese carriers will be integrated into the product. Social functionality for games developed via the platform will utilize QQ Game Center, while in-game mobile advertising can be implemented via Tencent's MobWin. GameSalad hopes this partnership will generate game content tailored specifically for Chinese audiences. Steve Felter, CEO of GameSalad, explained, "China is the fastest growing smartphone market in the world and represents an incredible opportunity for mobile game developers. We are excited to introduce our platform to a whole new audience in China, while simultaneously providing access to the Chinese market for our existing top developers." Tencent's version of the GameSalad Creator is currently in private beta, with a public release planned for launch in China later this summer.