Futuremark, a leading developer of benchmarks for personal computers, this week announced that it has sold its mobile and embedded business unit to Rightware, a new spin off company set up to accelerate the development and marketing of Futuremark’s benchmarks for the mobile and embedded industries. As a result, Futuremark will be able to concentrate on creating leading-edge PC software, whereas Rightware will work with mobile platforms.

“Spinning off Futuremark’s mobile and embedded business not only generates financial security to support our plans for game development and PC benchmarking software. It also sets up Futuremark as a more focused company creating great software for PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts,” said Jukka Mäkinen, the new chief exec of Futuremark.

Rightware will be run by former Futuremark chief executive officer Tero Sarkkinen, while Jukka Mäkinen, vice president of PC products and services and head of Futuremark Games Studio, will take the role of acting CEO at Futuremark until further notice.

Financial terms of the proceedings were not disclosed.

Futuremark is best known for 3DMark, the PC benchmarking software for gamers which has been downloaded more than 45 million times. In January 2008 the company set up Futuremark Games Studio and in November of last year launched its first game, Shattered Horizon, an innovative multiplayer FPS for PC played in zero gravity.

Tags: Futuremark, Rightware, 3DMark