Australian game developer Firemint today announced that its upcoming game Firemint Real Racing has taken home the IGF Mobile Technical Achievement Award at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This latest acclaim follows its recent win in Barcelona at the International Mobile Gaming Awards. Currently in the final stages of development, the circuit racing simulator will be available on the App Store in April

“Being selected as a finalist for the IGF Awards was a huge honor in itself,” said Robert Murray, CEO and founder of Firemint. “We’ve taken a big gamble by independently developing a game of this scope, so this recognition from our industry really means a lot to us.”

While Firemint also develops games commissioned by publishers, Firemint Real Racing is completely self-funded by the studio and developed by a dedicated team, many of whom are passionate racing fans.

“We’ve been working hard for a long time to show that great things can be done on mobile devices,” said Kynan Woodman, Development Director at Firemint. “This award is a testament to our team’s dedication to developing a high quality game that pushes the iPhone’s technical capabilities to its limits including some not yet available on handhelds and all-new connectivity features.”

Firemint Real Racing is a full 3D circuit racing simulator with high definition graphics, 3D sound and extensive physics modeling. The in-car cockpit view has an animated driver and instruments displaying race data. Connectivity features includes the ability for racers to upload video replays of their best races to YouTube with the push of a button, compete in online leagues on the game’s custom built web site, and to compare themselves against friends on Facebook.

Firemint wanted to ensure that Firemint Real Racing had the best possible replay value and options and have done so by packing the game with 36 cars, a dozen tracks, four gameplay modes, three classes and three divisions. Control options include combinations of accelerator or touch-based steering, automatic or touch-based acceleration and automatic or touch-based braking. The AI gives opponents different personalities that affect the way each one competes. Some will be aggressive, others will be careless, but one thing is for sure, they are all in it to win!