Japanese middleware developer CRI Middleware has been speaking to Develop about its plans to expand into the iPhone and smartphone markets.

The company has been a provider of middleware solutions to the games industry for a long number of years, on consoles ranging from the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3, through the Dreamcast, Gamecube and Saturn, and even as far back as the FM-Towns.

The Japanese launch of the iPhone has prompted CRI Middleware to establish a specific smart phone division, despite never having previously entertained the mobile market.

"I think that all of the smartphone platforms hold equal potential for the future," says head of the new smartphone division, Tomonori Haba. "It’s just that the huge success of the iPhone has been seized upon as a great phenomenon - and a very encouraging one at that."

To bolster the company's expansion into the iPhone and smartphone markets, Haba explains that he is keen to bring CRI's technology to the English-speaking markets as well, encouraging developers to get in touch and register their interest directly.

This new division also demonstrates the growing enthusiasm Japan is demonstrating for smartphone gaming, and for the use of middleware in game development.

"In the console market, there has certainly been a section of the Japanese industry that’s been cautious about adopting middleware, and have been skeptical as to the real practical benefits and results," Haba concludes. "But that situation is changing."