Big game publishers muscle in on iPhone upstarts

SAN FRANCISCO: As the iPhone becomes a popular mobile gaming device, large game publishers with deep pockets are going head-to-head with smaller developers who found early success on the Apple Inc phone.

With name recognition and financial resources, publishers like Electronic Arts, Gameloft and Glu Mobile have a huge advantage. But up-and-coming companies such as ngmoco, Digital Chocolate and Tapulous have proved adept so far at building their brand.

Apple's App Store is crowded with about 13,000 games - many from tiny developers - and gaining the attention of consumers is a challenge. Download rankings are key to success since users trawl the most-popular lists for games.