Love the game or hate the game, there’s no doubt that 3G Studios, the developer behind Rock Band, certainly knows how to produce a popular hit. As the company is based in Nevada, it is very logical to hear that they’ve now applied for an online poker license with the NGC.

The news of another major U.S. video game company, this time a maker of triple-A console titles—as opposed to the biggest player entering this arena, the social gaming titan Zynga—is applying for a license is no doubt encouraging to online gambling proponents. It indicates that such companies are exploring other options and looking for opportunities to cash in on an emerging industry. Still, I do think it will be a while before we see someone like Activision or Blizzard hop on board.

“Mobile and online gambling will revolutionize the U.S. gambling industry,” James Kosta, CEO of 3G Studios said. “With our extensive experience in video game development, mobile gaming, social gaming and gambling technology, 3G Studios is uniquely positioned within this emerging industry. We plan to leverage that experience to deliver the next-generation gambling experience to a much wider demographic.”

3G Studios has already been doing business with two big-name device manufacturers, International Game Technology and Bally Technologies, which we reported earlier are both interested in getting into online poker.