The iPhone has changed the direction of the games industry in lots of ways, but for those who actually make and sell our games, there’s one particular aspect that’s really revolutionised their existences. The App Store.

Suddenly a huge part of the games industry had been sliced away. Developers were bypassing publishers, distributors and retailers and going straight to the gamer. It seemed, at first, that the publisher was extinct, at least as far as mobile gaming was concerned.

But no one expected the App Store to grow to the size it has, and developers are finding it immensely difficult to get their products noticed among the chaos of 35,000 other applications. The publisher apparently has a greater role to play than most developers or gamers realised.

“It was Apple's dream to facilitate a level playing field for everyone involved,” says Chris Byatte, director at UK-based iPhone publisher, Chillingo.

“I'm sure even they now concede that not everyone can get their application featured. There are only 100 spots at the top, and everyone wants to be there. Chillingo can make a big noise about your game.”

It sounds like a strange thing to be proud of, but Chris is absolutely right that making a big noise about a game is what iPhone developers need - and it's something they’re struggling to do on their own. But what exactly are the benefits to a developer who partners with a publisher on the App Store?

“Making games is a full time business, and so is promotion. Rarely are companies or individuals good at both,” Chris explains. "That's where Chillingo steps in to take over the marketing and promotion, to provide instant brand recognition, access to our press engine, live marketing intelligence, and an IT backbone, so the developer can concentrate on making bigger and better games. We work to cut through the chaff and make great games even more visible.”

To the end user, this partnership between developers and publishers is practically invisible, but the evidence of its efficiency is there to be seen. In the short time the app store has been running, Chillingo has become synonymous with providing the most imaginative and adventurous games available for the iPhone.

"Chillingo has a strong gravitational mass, so we pull in talent from all directions," Chris continues. "We often see cutting edge games long before anyone else knows they exist. So we're always on the hunt for great titles."

And Chillingo is proving to be a capable hunter. Its growing catalogue of games encompasses the vast array of genres found on the iPhone, with upcoming titles ranging from fighting games to surreal shooters and kitsch, B-movie horror pastiches.

"Touch K.O. stands to deliver a knock-out punch," says Chris, excited to tell us all about Chillingo’s upcoming games." Touch K.O. has been on the polishing block for three months now. There has been couple of boxing attempts for iPhone, but nothing like this. Get ready for some outstanding visuals and superb gameplay."

Having worked at the forefront of digitally distributed gaming on the iPhone, Chillingo can also see the benefits of working on other platforms that are learning to embrace the direct-to-consumer business model. We've already heard rumours that Chris’s company has something of Rolando-killer in the works, which he was eager to give us a bit more information on.

"OK, suffice to say we're gunning for a mid-September release, in conjunction with the WiiWare launch. Get ready for some stunning graphics and gameplay - better looking than the gold-plated orchid," laughs Chris

Despite Chillingo's massive success on the iPhone, it clearly knows better than to sit on its hands. Chris and his team are constantly looking at new games from new developers, and they put each new title through a rigorous appraisal system to ensure Chillingo’s legions of iPhone-equipped followers continue to receive the quality of games they've come to expect from the publisher.

"Each week we receive lots of new submissions - we always have new deals on the go, and each deal is different. It depends on a variety of factors and our input into the game process. Every submission goes through an internal evaluation matrix where we score the game based on a whole range of points."

But the publisher isn't just looking for an endless barrage of a new games to put onto the App Store. It’s also looking at new technologies to help its partners, and the platform itself, expand and grow.

"We are launching an analytics SDK soon which directly integrates into our IT Backbone to allow our developers to tap into statistics which will be useful to manage product roadmaps and releases going forwards,” says Chris.

"The graphical power of the iPhone 3G S model is going to push the standard upwards in an already fierce market. Now is the time to consider the publishing route more than ever so that developers give themselves the best possible chance to hit the top 100."

Only the highest quality games are making it on to Chillingo's books, but Chris and his team have built a company that’s very easy to approach and understands its industry intimately.

For more information, or to talk to Chris and his team, head on over to the official Chillingo website.
Thanks very much to Chris for taking the time to chat with us.