By | No Comments
Last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Did Apple know what the future held when CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone during his Macworld Expo keynote in January 2007? They probably had some sense of it, but they likely had no idea that games would become such a big part of the platform, especially considering the outsider status of gaming on the Mac. The company is clearly ready to take full advantage of the current situation, however, as evidenced by the recent iPod touch ad that focuses solely on games. “In looking at Apple’s game sales on the App Store in general, there are a few cases where Apple’s monthly sales have surpassed certain carrier sales for the same period,” Travis Boatman, Electronic Arts’ (EA) Vice-President of Worldwide Studios, told me. He also noted that more than 70 percent of the titles on Apple’s Top Paid Apps list are games, although others I interviewed expressed concern over being able to stand out in a crowded marketplace that already features more than 10,000 apps, around 2,000 of which are games. “Some of [the games] are just terrible so while there are almost 2,000 games, some are barely a game. But of the good ones it is hard to stand out,” said Bruce Morrison, a producer at Freeverse. “That’s why we are focusing on making our games with that extra bit of shine and polish. Really focusing on gameplay and look. And then listening to the users to get their requests implemented right away.” Freeverse has already issued updates to several of its games, including Burning Monkey Casino, Flick Fishing, and Flick Bowling. Are Ratings Enough to Stand Out? Mr. Morrison wasn’t alone in praising the App Store’s rating system, which allows developers to quickly get feedback and implement changes to their titles. “With the comments forum on the App Store, you get…

Read the original here:
Is iPhone the Wii of Handheld Gaming Devices?

CommentSubscribe