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Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

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Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#31

Post by aresant »

It is fascinating how much the "micro-transaction" model on the iOS platform continues to bury everything else.

Spiderweb throwing in the towel I would guess has a lot more to do with their #1 point "Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level." than the others.

The top two grossing games - Clash of Clans and Game of War - receive metacritic scores of 74 and 67 respectively.

Whereas the most recent SpiderWeb release I can find - Avernum 2: Crystal Souls - sits at 81

The organic discovery issue is only a small component of the problem when you look at the sheer amount of money that the micro guys can afford to dump into the mobile-advertising economy.

And as anybody who's spent 5 mins on app-store "optimization" knows - the better your paid, the better your organic - by a right mile.

I hate ending comments like this without a solution but the best context we have is watching Zynga get eroded / replaced on FB at some point.

But their death blow was the rise of FB's platform selling ads to the mobile OS guys mentioned above who essentially just out-zynga'd Zynga.

When you create an app economy that provides outsized rewards to the vultures, of course they'll control the board, wonder where this winds up.

(1) http://www.metacritic.com/game/ios/clash-of-clans, http://www.metacritic.com/game/ios/game-of-war---fire-age, http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/avernum-2-crystal-souls

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#32

Post by fuckedapanda »

mahouse wrote: post #14

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. As a result, sales for our games has dropped massively and the cost of advertising them has shot through the roof. So... Actually make good games? I don't know what the games of this studio are, but if you can't shine anymore in an app store just because there are more competitors, maybe your products weren't that good to begin with?

the games spiderweb makes are really great, Vogel himself is kind of an indie success story as well

honestly I don't think his games fit well with the kind of players and people who buy iPads these days

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#33

Post by izacus »

dyarosla wrote: post #16

I admire the developer, but the whole post feels like a cop-out blaming Apple. Too much competition? Let's give up. Engine broke from some change, don't want to try fixing it? Let's give up. Ads cost too much? Not, 'let's stop advertising on iOS', instead, Let's give up. I can understand as much as the next iOS developer that changes that require large workarounds due to software/hardware updates that aren't backward…

> Why do developers feel entitled to hardware devices that will always work with legacy code?

Because that's how the world outside Apple bubble works. You can still run older Windows software, you can still run older Linux software, you can still run older Android software.

Not forcing people to pay for new electronics (especially when it can represents their several months of earnings) just to keep their existing software running and services working is a GOOD thing.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#34

Post by Fr0styMatt8 »

takasc2 wrote: post #10

I follow Ipad gaming quite closely because it is perfect for my commutes. I would consider myself as close to a hardcore ipad gamer as it is possible to get - I read specialist sites like pockettactics and spend well over a hundred dollars a year on ipad games. I had never heard of this company or its games before. The ipad is a marketing platform in the best and worst way I can mean that. Looking at this company the…

Spiderweb games are very highly regarded RPGs that came from the PC. I definitely know TouchArcade has covered their games a few times over the years.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#35

Post by izacus »

mahouse wrote: post #14

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. As a result, sales for our games has dropped massively and the cost of advertising them has shot through the roof. So... Actually make good games? I don't know what the games of this studio are, but if you can't shine anymore in an app store just because there are more competitors, maybe your products weren't that good to begin with?

Unfortunately the definition of a "good" game and a game that earns money on App stores is slightly disconnected at this time. Skinner boxes that rely on practically scummy ways of selling expensive IAPs for basic amount of gameplay are the ones that dominate the earnings.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#36

Post by partition »

takasc2 wrote: post #10

I follow Ipad gaming quite closely because it is perfect for my commutes. I would consider myself as close to a hardcore ipad gamer as it is possible to get - I read specialist sites like pockettactics and spend well over a hundred dollars a year on ipad games. I had never heard of this company or its games before. The ipad is a marketing platform in the best and worst way I can mean that. Looking at this company the…

Would you think there is still a chance for iPad games that are well-made and well-advertised on the internet, that cost perhaps over $10, maybe even $20, to do well?

I see this as, first you have the stuff that's top ranking on the app store which is mostly f2p optimization problems. But hardcore gamers should be able to spread the word about an actual good ipad game, right? Or is the notion of an ipad game itself not hardcore enougH?

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#37

Post by tomc1985 »

dyarosla wrote: post #16

I admire the developer, but the whole post feels like a cop-out blaming Apple. Too much competition? Let's give up. Engine broke from some change, don't want to try fixing it? Let's give up. Ads cost too much? Not, 'let's stop advertising on iOS', instead, Let's give up. I can understand as much as the next iOS developer that changes that require large workarounds due to software/hardware updates that aren't backward…

"But as a developer, you suck it up, modify your content, and continue."

No, you're supposed to collectively bitch, moan, and whine, and if they still don't listen, you leave, taking as many people with you as possible.

Yours is the wrong attitude. We can do so much better. Developers shouldn't gather around platforms that are constantly shifting...

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#38

Post by jnem »

eridius wrote: post #12

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. This is a curious argument to make. The platform is too popular ? Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? I suspect what this really means is "there are more games than ever, and the iOS App Store is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on as a discovery mechanism, thus requiring advertisin…

I don't think Vogel was saying the platform was too popular for users, but rather too popular for developers, resulting in too much competition.

Besides, if you've ever read his blog, you know hes been self ridiculing his own marketing skills for over a decade, and has a charming way of not caring.

Re: Why We Are No Longer Developing for the iPad

#39

Post by eridius »

rodgerd wrote: post #24
eridius wrote: post #12

> Competition on the App Store has risen to a frenzied level. This is a curious argument to make. The platform is too popular ? Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? I suspect what this really means is "there are more games than ever, and the iOS App Store is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on as a discovery mechanism, thus requiring advertisin…

> Would it have made any sense at all if anyone made the same claim about, say, Windows game development? In Windows game development you've have a long history of many ways to distribute your wares, with different pros and cons. Not so much for Androids or iOS. Note that similar complaints have been levelled at Steam, which is the closest thing to the iOS model.

Is there really that much of a difference between "Click [here](link-to-app-store) to buy this game!" and "Click [here](link-to-self-hosted-page) to buy this game!"? The only real difference I can think of is when software was primarily distributed via physical media, but that hasn't been the primary distribution mechanism for a while (and I would expect that nearly all software these days doesn't even have an option for physical media).
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