Mobile games developer Digital Bridges Ltd. has made about a quarter of its staff redundant as the market shifts firmly towards Java and away from WAP and SMS games development.

Senior VP of marketing Paul Maglione confirms that 18 of the company's 70 staff, just more than 25 percent, have been "de-emphasized" [ed. note: Wow! That's a new one!] by the company's tighter focus on Java, which is now the preferred gaming platform offering the greatest revenue potential, according to Maglione. The jobs have been lost mainly among those involved in SMS and WAP games business development and carrier relations, though the Digital Bridges man is quick to point out that the company is not withdrawing from those markets altogether.

"This is part of a general trend within the games development sector to maximize revenue potential and cut costs," he notes. "With more and more handsets supporting Java there are increasing opportunities in this area."

Digital Bridges has a number of prominent mobile operator customers already marketing its games, and just last week announced further deals with Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD) for its Live! service, and with Spain's leading operator Telefónica Móviles SA (see Digital Bridges Adds Carriers).

Games are seen as strong drivers of data revenue growth by industry analysts and carriers alike (see Games Revenue to Boom and Live! and Kickin').

— Ray Le Maistre, European Editor, Unstrung