Gameloft's N.O.V.A. Elite is a free Facebook multiplayer FPS, 'an entire lineup' to follow

One of these days, you'll be able to play a Gameloft game on your microwave while you wait for your soup to heat up.

The prolific publisher and developer has spent the last few years rampantly expanding beyond its Java roots with games for iOS, Android, PlayStation, Wii, DS, and others. It was the first publisher to create an Xperia Play-exclusive game, and it's announced plans to support the forthcoming LG Optimus 3D with a range of 3D titles.

It's also been making games for Facebook since 2008, but N.O.V.A. Elite – which Gameloft first teased a few weeks ago – is the most ambitious, transplanting as it does one of the studio's key franchises to PC.

N.O.V.A. Elite inevitably works on the freemium model, letting you either play for nothing or pay for upgrades and accessories, such as a jetpack and a radar. You can create friends lists and share progress.

Gameloft promises to follow this with, “an entire lineup of titles covering all genres for social networks this year.”