Almost six months since it went into private beta, cross-platform engine Sibblingz has made its official debut, with those behind the venture believing it could serve up the next Zynga.

Sibblingz is certainly an ambitious project, attempting to go beyond standard cross-platform play to offer a social game engine that enables developers to publish their titles across multiple devices and software environments.

On a consumer level, Sibblingz enables players to begin a game on one format before continuing their story on another, the experience coherent and linear on all platforms.

Social success

According to Sibblingz founder Ben Savage, the engine is simply a reaction to the experience consumers will soon demand from all social games.

"After gamers on social networks have played a cross-platform game that can be used across all devices, they'll come to expect it from all games," says Savage.

"Adding these features to a game after it's been developed is difficult and expensive. We look forward to a new era where a studio starts a title with Sibblingz, giving the title a great foundation to scale."

It's a set-up that taps into the current mood of the industry, with many studios – particularly those with a social focus – attempting to expand their base by publishing on multiple formats.

Format fiesta

Similarly, Sibblingz itself is broadening its platform base, announcing Android has joined the list of supported formats - Facebook, iPhone and iPad are already on board.

Cementing its move out of its beta, Sibblingz has also signed its first major client, CrowdStar's Happy Island – which currently runs on Facebook.

"Game play on the smart phone and tablet is different from social game play on the PC like Facebook. iDevice gamers want more skill-based mechanics with console-like gaming feel," says CrowdStar executive chairman Peter Relan, who's also an investor in Sibblingz.

"By using the Sibblingz engine we can make a game optimised for the iPad that is connected to the same backend data as the Facebook version.

"Sibblingz gives us multi-device reach with the flexibility to make a game experience unique to that device."

Dancing with developers

But while Sibblingz represents a major step forward for gamers looking to play across a variety of formats, the company's attention is focused on what its engine can deliver for the development community.

Sibblingz's pitch is it will enable studios to reach the scores of new smartphones and tablets likely to launch in the coming years with comparative ease, while developers will be able to generate revenue in free-to-play games via the sale of virtual goods across the network.

Sibblingz is the  third company to be launched by game incubator YouWeb – following in the wake of Aurora Feint and Sibblingz partner CrowdStar.

Developers interested in using the engine should contact the firm via its website.