PG turns 10: ustwo's Dan Gray on how the App Store has changed the way games are delivered
And why the pricing model has to change
As you've heard a bunch of times already, it's Pocket Gamer's 10th birthday. And, to celebrate, we've reached out to our favourite developers and publishers to get their thoughts on the past and future of mobile gaming.
This time it's ustwo's Dan Gray on how the App Store has changed the way games are delivered, and why the pricing model has to change.
What was the biggest change in mobile gaming over the past 10 years?
"It's amazing how much can change in ten years. In the App Store's brief eight years of life the way games are made and delivered has changed multiple times - it's incredible.
"The biggest change though is in how games are delivered to the masses. The switch from small paid games made by three people to huge behemoths like two thousand employee strong King has been extraordinary.
"It was almost a purer place ten years ago, as developers cared most about creating content that they truly believed in. Nowadays most leftfield ideas are shot down before they've been born due to not monetising effectively enough.
"Risks are still being taken though, and one great thing that's come out of this is just how big the mobile games industry has become. We're reaching millions of people we never used to be able to."
Is it better to be a developer now or in 2006?
"Having said the above, I'd still take our current situation over that of ten years ago, as developers have so many more options now when trying to reach an audience.
"Back then, Twitter and Facebook were brand new. Now, thanks to their growth, smaller teams have a better chance to cultivate a fanbase than back then.
"Also, the tools available to us now far exceed what we used to work with. Take Unity for example, which has enabled a whole bunch of new people to start creating content. It's great to see our artists getting straight in there and tinkering with levels directly."
What do you want to see from mobile in the next 10 years?
"More diversity in acceptable pricing. Right now - without a game being a port of a console or PC game - it would be almost suicidal to create a $30 mobile game and expect it to do well.
"Because of this, larger budget and production value titles are increasingly difficult to consider."
"I'm hoping that steadily over the next few years we can change this expectation with the quality of the games we produce, and really push mobile as a platform for impactful, meaningful, and polished experiences even further."
