Gaming in the HTML5 market is proving to be a very big deal for a lot of companies. The idea of being able to develop for a platform that works almost equally well on consoles as it does on PCs and even as it does on many mobile devices is one that's tough to just let pass by unchallenged. Maxthon, meanwhile, is discovering the power for itself with its MXPlay game portal, which itself has brought in a couple new games for users to enjoy, specifically, “Cut the Rope” and “2048.”

The company has been looking to make expansions for some time, at last report, and now the multiplatform browser—geared to work not only on PCs but also for tablets and smartphones alike—is poised to step up its gaming offerings by bringing out the mobile classics “Cut the Rope”, in which players attempt to drop candy into the mouth of a tiny green blob via the expedient of cutting ropes to which the treat is attached, and “2048,” a game in which players slide tiles around and combine numbers in a bid to reach the target number 2048 by twos. But that's not all that MXPlay has in store, at last report; other games like “Treasure Arena,” an online battle game in which players pursue the titular fortunes and “Gods Will Be Watching,” a thriller title with a point-and-click apparatus, are also set to be joining the fray.

Maxthon founder and CEO Jeff Chen (News – Alert) offered some commentary ahead of the new games' arrivals, saying “Maxthon’s global user community has always been heavily powered by casual and serious gamers from the very beginning. They love the speed, stability, and performance that our browsers bring to gaming. Early responses to our beta underscores this. Now, we’re adding to the fun and will continue to do so in the weeks and months ahead.”

While online gaming isn't exactly new—Flash games and Java games have been around for years—HTML5 is really ratcheting up the proceedings by not only offering a means for developers to get product in play faster, but also get product in play on more devices as well. In times past, a developer would have to make a game specifically for iOS or specifically for Android (News – Alert). Such a development plan can still be done today, of course—there are certain advantages to developing for native systems, particularly in terms of promotion and marketing—but HTML5 allows for a much broader release more quickly. That opens up the size of the player pool and gives more gamers access. Considering how HTML5 gaming is making inroads on consoles as well with things like Nintendo's Web Framework, the idea that many indie games could be developed in HTML5 and released on iPhone (News – Alert) the same day it arrives on Xbox One isn't exactly out of line, if not quite ready these days.

Still, HTML5 development could be an increasingly large part of the development process for a lot of game companies, particularly the smaller independent firms who must move quickly to avoid being left out of market developments. HTML5 gaming is bringing the gamers more titles to choose from as well, and the end result should be one that's positive all around.

Want to know more? Hear from a distinguished group of globally recognized authorities on everything from gaming, to responsive design to hybrid development at DEVCON 5 July 9-10 at the Kimmel Center at NYU.