Autodesk's Scaleform, the user interface rendering system that powers the heads-up display in Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and any number of other games, is moving further into the world of web and mobile games. A new version of Scaleform is designed specifically for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android, or for the Unity game engine. A trial version of the Mobile / Unity SDK is currently available to download; it's expected to be out for purchase sometime this summer. It's meant to offer a cheaper alternative to desktop or console-based Scaleform, at $295 per platform per seat in the US.

Besides heads-up displays and game menus, Scaleform can be used for in-game video and text input management on desktop and console games. On mobile, there's also a stand-alone version that lets users create full 2D games, as well as plugins for existing mobile game engines and Unity. Pricing is still a bit high for the casual developer, but we imagine this will appeal to the growing group of people creating AAA-style games for phones, tablets, and web browsers.