Namco Bandai have seen the prize, and it’s not big budget full-priced games – it’s millions of the those teeny-tiny ‘apps’ for iPhone and iPod Touch.

A chap called Jonathan Kromrey has been drafted in to help the Japanese publishing giant board the iPhone gravy train. He’s well qualified for the job too, being a former Namco developer and iPhone games producer. He’s also wise enough to see the wider opportunities in this rapidly expanding market, as well as those within his immediate grasp, as he tells Kotaku:

"In the past Namco's been known for its depth of arcade experience, games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Soulcalibur and Tekken. I'm excited to be here and see a lot of those franchises come out on the iPhone."

"I'm here to champion new things, new IP, to discover what the new Pac-Man is for the iPhone."

New Pac-Man? Tekken and Soul Calibur on iPhone? If the latter pair seem particularly improbable Kromrey is certainly not ruling anything out at this stage:

"I would love that," he says. "I think twitch games would be great, it's just the controls that are a challenge. We are thinking about that."

Kromrey’s going to be a busy man, then, particularly if, as he says, this will be one of the last weeks when Namco Bandai won’t be making an announcement about new iPhone games or content. We await the forthcoming deluge with ultra keen anticipation...