Paradox Interactive has announced that Leviathan: Warships is now available for Apple’s tablet via the Apple Store, and also for various Android tablets on the Google Play Store. Each version retails $4.99 – but perhaps the biggest novelty is their cross platform support with each other and the PC version.

Thanks to Cloud support, players can start a game on one device, save and then immediately resume it on a different platform, assuming you have copies of the game for each platform to play. To make things better, Jazz Boatman and his music will be coming to the game as a free DLC pack. So if you ever wanted to groove like a boss while annihilating your enemy’s navy, now’s your chance – that too, across multiple platforms.

“Breakout successes of numerous games including Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, and Angry Birds gathered strong interest from the large pool of developers who had found themselves out of traditional gaming jobs as a result of industry contraction.

“We will eventually be operating too far outside of supply and demand without consequence. Market shifts can be unpredictable, only in the sense of when they occur, not if. Independent developers must hedge themselves against market shifts by assessing all available platforms, both current and future.”

He states that independent developers especially cannot “afford to operate with blinders on” and “should be looking across every platform while they think about new game development. Just like how the PC industry changed, consoles are changing too and there are more opportunities than ever before to make great games that can also make great money.”

CEO of Koch Media/Deep Silver Klemens Kundratitz spoke of this strategy, stating, “Nowadays, gaming can play a role anywhere and anytime…at home or on the go. It is therefore only logical to extend the brand universe of a game to different devices.

“Having a brand strategy that is multi-platform – including mobile – offers a full, all-round experience that enables players to enjoy different aspects of a game world wherever and whenever they want,” explains , with reference to the company’s mobile strategy.”

The developer has stated that it wants to expand its brands into the mobile space – does that mean we’ll be seeing Dead Island on smartphones? Maybe some of those shiny THQ properties that Koch Media picked up?

Studio director Steve Brand told GIBiz that, “It’s a new challenge, we’ve all been very much in the traditional console space for years. It sounds like a cliché but we all fancied the change. And the opportunities that are there within the space, we thought we could really offer something with all our experience behind us.”

Software director James Ackroyd stated, “We have a lot to learn, but what we do bring is years of console experience and high quality execution. We’ve only just recently been looking at how to monetise through games. The nature of the mobile market is so fast moving you can’t afford to stay on something for months.

“You need to get it out there while it’s still fresh. It’s a little bit like buying a lottery ticket but if you’ve got the quality there hopefully that rises to the top.”

Other team members include art director Steven Hurst, design director Shaun Read and technical director Gary Richards. Currently, the team is working on a number of projects and is confident of making an impact in the market.

PetVille will join Mafia Wars 2 which also closed down on December 30th. As of now, the next title up for being cancelled is Indiana Jones Adventure World on January 14th. Already, new players are unable to join.

For those who felt like they invested a ton of time into Zynga and are now left with nothing, we say “Ha-ha!” and “Relax”: Zynga will be offering players of the closed titles free bonus packages for virtual items in Castleville, ChefVille, FarmVille 2, Mafia Wars or YoVille.

If you’re a part of a Zynga game that’s been shut down on the mobile apps store, you’ll need to get in touch with Zynga for further details on compensation.

Source: GIBiz