Facebook (News - Alert) has just acquired Spaceport.io, or at least part of it. The team has been acquired and will work for Facebook, but Spaceport.io itself will continue operating its HTML5 alternative to Adobe (News - Alert) Air.

With the team from Spaceport, Facebook can help create a better cross-platform mobile experience for itself and its developers. Back in 2011, Facebook launched an HTML5 game platform, but it got very little notice, with developers preferring to use their native apps. However, with Spaceport, Facebook can now improve its platform to the point that serious app developers can make use of it.

Facebook can also now better move its native apps to mobile devices through HTML5. It can help the team port its native apps to HTML5 without needing to rewrite any code, letting its apps and games hit mobile devices quickly and without problem.

With Spaceport, game developers can create a game in Javascript, which then runs across all smartphone operating systems. It acts as a hybrid app native to HTML5, so any device has the capabilities to run it. Developers currently using it include Nickelodeon and Crowdstar, which have used the YouWeb-supported Spaceport platform to release popular and entertaining games for people of all ages.

Even though the team is moving to Facebook, Spaceport.io will continue operating under the direction of Peter Relan. It is also keeping the team from YouWeb, which initially backed Spaceport, so business should continue as usual.

This could prove quite advantageous to Facebook. By allowing it to port its apps to any mobile device, it opens up several opportunities for developers and customers. It does, however, open a new risk to even greater distraction for users, but that’s a risk that all mobile games present.