OpenFeint shifts Android gaming into overdrive

OpenFeint shifted Android-based gaming into overdrive today with its long-awaited announcement to fully support Google’s popular mobile OS.

The company is expected to offer eager Android devs access to the OpenFeint game discovery store, standard mobile payment options and a comprehensive SDK.

Once active, OpenFeint’s Android section will feature content from a number of prominent publishers, including Astraware, Digital Chocolate, Glu Mobile and Hudson Soft.

Indie studios – such as Distinct Dev (Moron Test), ustwo (Dot Dot Dot), Pik Pok (Flick Kick Football) and RocketCat Games (Hook Champ) – will also be represented.

“With a strong set of partners at launch, [our] ecosystem provides Android users [with] the most compelling way to discover and buy high quality online games,” explained an OpenFeint spokesperson.

“In addition to incorporating Google Checkout and [other popular] features into its SDK, OpenFeint will extend its Game Spotlight discovery app to Android.”

Unsurprisingly, the spokesperson also emphasized that OpenFeint would not neglect game development on Apple’s lucrative iOS platform.

“[We] continue to invest in and expand [our] efforts on Apple’s iOS devices and maintains the largest mobile social gaming ecosystem on that platform – with over 28 million users and a presence in over 2,200 live games.”