New versions of the game development middleware application extend Autodesk’s reach to many more game developers.

Autodesk has announced new versions of Autodesk Scaleform user interface (UI) middleware for mobile game development, including a version for the increasingly popular Unity Engine.

Autodesk says the new versions of Scaleform were created to address “growing interest from outside of the triple-A games market,” recognizing an emerging legion of game developers for mobile platforms as well as for developers using the Unity engine.

Autodesk Scaleform works with the Adobe Flash toolset to help developers create UI environments and full 2D games. There are three methods to develop mobile games and apps with the new releases of Scaleform:

Unity Game Engine: Scaleform middleware’s new Unity plug-in provides an out-of-the-box integration so Unity developers can game UI and menu screens using Flash. This integration is designed to work as a native plug-in to the Unity engine and requires no C++ programming.

Third-Party and Mobile Engine: The Scaleform software development kit (SDK) is supported by extensive documentation and can be easily integrated into a variety of third-party and proprietary mobile engines, to help developers create triple-A quality UI and menus more quickly.

Standalone Development Platform: Scaleform middleware’s cross-platform Flash playback capabilities make it a solution for developing games and applications for iOS and Android devices. Additional product highlights are: rapid deployment of Flash content, ActionScript 3 and C++ programming for game logic, and a small memory footprint.

An evaluation version of Autodesk Scaleform for Unity and mobile game development is currently available on the Autodesk Gameware website. The products are expected to be available in select countries on the Autodesk eStore this summer. Scaleform will be licensed as a Unity Engine plug-in or as a mobile SDK for $295 per platform, per seat.