The Wright Stuff: Sh.t games on sh.t devices
The mobile games veteran tells it how he s... .t
This time, let's start the column with some audience participation...
[Holds up 'Clap wildly' board]
The first question is, What's the worst mobile game you've played (and please supply the device you played it on)?
[All answers - please just add to Join the discussion section below]
You see I have a theory; within the list of atrocious mobile games you've played, I'm willing to bet there are some good games that were just bad because you were playing them on low end devices.
The problem is network operators are forcing publishers to support a device list (it's officially known as the 'drop list') that exceeds 700 different phones. The equivalent situation would see GTA IV being released on PlayStation 2, PSone, Mega Drive, SNES, NES and even the Spectrum and the C64, purely because 'there are millions of them out there'.
This means mobile game publishers end up spending more time/money on porting their games than on the actual game development itself. The sad thing is publishers will only make money on 20 per cent of those 700 devices. The sales on the remaining 560-odd devices won't even cover the cost of porting and hence represent a huge lost for publishers.
Of course, forcing publishers to support these handsets means we end up with games that are of such poor quality they'd be lucky to get a 1 out of 10 in a Pocket Gamer review. For example, take a look at any Nokia 7210 version of a currently released game to see how unplayable it is. Anyone who buys that version of a current mobile game will almost certainly never buy another mobile game.
In this way, the drop list negatively affects the public's overall view of mobile games, as well as some of the better games out there.
Game publishers have realised such behaviour is a false economy. The simple solution would be to cut the drop list by 75 percent, allowing developers to double their development budgets and massively increasing the overall quality of mobile games.
Operators, on the other hand, don't appear to understand this extremely simple concept. They need to stop forcing ridiculous lists on publishers, making them spend a huge amount of money by porting games onto devices that can't support the game and don't sell anyhow. That way publishers can spend their money making good games and increasing the overall market.
So why are they doing this? To be honest, I have no idea but I do know network operators read Pocket Gamer, so here's a second opportunity for some audience participation. Please, can someone tell us why?
[Cue massive applause. Exit stage left]
After 12 years in the games industry, the last eight as head of production at I-play, Chris Wright finally has escaped. He now runs his own consultancy focusing on casual games. He thinks his greatest achievement is having worked on the mobile version of Space Invaders, while his greatest regret is not having invented Space Invaders. He can be contacted at chris[at] gamesconsultancy.com All opinions expressed are the author's own.