HTML5 has been in development for several years now, and while it's had its fair share of criticism, it's impossible to completely shrug off the promise of a purely web-based platform that can be used to create and release games on any number of supported devices, from phones to PCs and beyond. This week marks a major milestone for the HTML5 project, as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has finally published the complete definition for the language's specifications. The W3C did note that the specifications are not yet the W3C standard, but that they are technically "feature complete," such that development studios can now plan and implement HTML5 with a stable target in mind. The group is also keen to stress that it has big plans for the future of HTML5. A draft of HTML 5.1 is already available to view online, and the W3C intends to combat browser fragmentation by standardizing future definitions via interoperability -- that is, by which each browser and HTML5 implementation seeminglessly exhanges information between each other. Specifications for Canvas 2D, the element of HTML5 that allows the language to render dynamic 3D shapes and images, are also complete and published online. A draft for Canvas 2D, Level 2 is also available to view.

The long road

The HTML5 language has come under fire from numerous studios in the past year, many of which say that it simply isn't ready for games yet. German social developer Wooga dropped HTML5 development this summer, stating that "the technology is not there yet" when compared to native iOS apps. Major engine provider Unity has also previously said that it is still waiting for "the moment HTML5 is right for games." However, there has also been plenty of studios that have embraced the language, from game startups to entire platforms built around HTML5. More recently, it appears that the negatively surrounding the language is subsiding. Tokyo-based mobile games behemoth Gree is currently expanding its efforts into HTML5 territory, while NonStop Games' Henric Suuronen suggested last month that most of the top-grossing mobile games of late could have been made using it. For those developers who are considering reading up on HTML5, it's worth checking out our "7 Things To Know About HTML5" feature from earlier this year.