'HTML5 is the future of social game development,' Moblyng CEO claims

In a recent guest post on Inside Social, Stewart Putney, CEO of HTML5 social game developer Moblyng, said, "HTML5 is the future of social game development," especially on smartphones. Because just about every phone and browser out there supports--or will soon hop on--the web development platform, Putney believes that HTML5 will beat out Flash as the primary way to create social games in both your browser and on your phone. Putney goes on to speculate that Zynga's recent expansion into Germany may have more to do with creating games that are truly cross platform than making them look prettier.

And he raises a good point. HTML5, or the newest way to program websites and web programs, will be available on nearly every device you use to access the internet. Not to mention that if a game is developed with HTML5 on one platform, developers can take that game almost anywhere that supports the language.

"The advantage for developers in using HTML5 is the ability to leverage their code across multiple platforms. All major smartphone platforms support a different type of native code, but the one commonality is HTML5," Putney said. "The iPhone, Android, WebOS, Backberry 6.0, Bada and Nokia's Symbian and Meego all support HTML5 apps. Even Windows Phone 7 will roll out support in the next year."

In other words, HTML5 will allow us to find our favorite social games in more places that are all connected while actually looking and feeling similar. I'm looking at you, FarmVille for iPhone. (Though, Mafia Wars: Atlantic City could be a step forward.) HTML5 becoming the primary social game creation tool will also mean no more annoying Flash updates and scary security issues. If Putney is right in saying that HTML5 will take over in the social gaming space, then social games can only improve from here for all of us.

Sumon is Tetris-meets-math class on Facebook, Chrome and mobile

If there is one game genre that will likely survive them all, it's puzzlers. San Francisco-based Ludei claims to be one of the first social game developers to launch a game on Facebook, Chrome, HTML5, iOS and Android. The game is called Sumon, a puzzle game that evokes feelings of Tetris, but with math-centric gameplay that's said to serve well as a mind sharpening tool.

The game combines simple math problems through addition with spatial reasoning. Players are presented with a series of blocks, each with specific numbers on them, and a goal number. It's up to players to string blocks together to reach that goal number. Of course, the game sets players against the clock, adding numbered blocks until each level is cleared.

"Sumon is the first in a series of titles that is going to take advantage of bleeding edge innovation in mobile entertainment as we plan for a bigger footprint in the U.S. and worldwide," Ludei CEO Eneko Knorr said in a release. "By launching on HTML5, iOS and Android, we're able to bring Sumon to the largest possible audience, a sentiment that is often discussed but rarely executed-until now."

It's certainly a novel strategy in the social games world where the pressure to go multiplatform or go home is increasing. There are three modes of play in Sumon: classic, progressive and respawn. But generally, the more numbered blocks you use to reach a given goal number, the higher your score will go. But really, we're just digging the paper mache art style--so pretty.

Click here to play Sumon on Facebook Now >

Is there room for another puzzle game in the social games space? Do you like a little bit of brain teasing in your social games?