Gree's OpenFeint hires ex-Glu Mobile exec, more social games coming?

The mobile social game wars are heating up, as OpenFeint just took on former Glu Mobile executive Sarah Thompson (pictured) as its director of developer relations, SocialTimes reports. In other words, OpenFeint, owned by Japanese mobile social gaming powerhouse Gree, hired Thomson to strategically acquire build relationships with independent developers.

Namely, SocialTimes's Azam Khan guesses those developers will be primarily social and mobile social game creators, given Thomson's past exploits in the industry with Glu Mobile and IUGO Entertainment before that. And frankly, we couldn't agree more. Considering OpenFeint is a social network for mobile games at heart, and Gree's existing status, it simply makes sense.

"OpenFeint is going through an exciting phase of growth right now and Sarah is exactly the kind of person we need to keep up the momentum," OpenFeint SVP Marketing and Developer Relations Eros Resmini said in a release. "Sarah's deep history in mobile gaming paired with her connections to the developer community made her a great fit for OpenFeint."

We can't help but recall what just went down between OpenFeint and Gree: The former's co-founder and CEO Jason Citron resigned, and Gree CFO Naoki Aoyagi took his place. (Though, VentureBeat reckons the move was less ... cut-and-dry.) But back to Gree and OpenFeint's future plans, the simple fact is mobile social games are growing at an exponential rate on iOS and Android devices.

"I've always admired OpenFeint for its constant innovation in the mobile gaming space," Thomson said in a release. "As the company continues to change with the market, I'm excited to help OpenFeint continue growing." And we think we have an idea of just where Thomson would like to go. It starts with an "S" and--oh, forget it. You get the point already.

Gameloft rockets N.O.V.A. iOS shooter game onto Facebook

Remember our little chats about 3D gaming on Facebook? Well, this is what we were talking about. Gameloft has launched N.O.V.A., its popular iOS first-person shooter series, on Facebook. Titled N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance Elite, the game throws you into a galactic battle for the livelihood of Earth ... or something like that. The free-to-play social game expectantly runs on the Unity Engine, as do most 3D games on Facebook, and already has a virtual goods shop available. This marks Gameloft's, normally a mobile phone developer, third game on Facebook. And boy, is it a strong (looking) one.

"For over 10 years, Gameloft has established itself as the leading developer on all mass-market platforms for downloadable video games," Gameloft president Michel Guillemot said. "With this in mind, we've expanded our reach to include games for social networks. This also illustrates our resolve to be closer to our fans on all platforms of their choosing."

According to Digital Trends, the game is heavily inspired by Microsoft's Halo series, which is most definitely apparent. However, to say it's a rip-off would probably be selling it short entirely too early. Isn't it difficult enough for a sci-fi-themed shooter game to avoid the all-too-easy Halo comparison? We'll be the judge of whether N.O.V.A. dodges the Halo bullet in our preview, so stay tuned.

[Video Credit: Gameloft]

Are you psyched to try out this game on Facebook? Do you think N.O.V.A. will establish a traditional gameplay type well enough for it to stick (and where others have failed)?