Targeting iOS for Gaming

Entropy

Veteran
A10X, 4K, HDR. Home screen in 4K/HDR, screen savers in 4K/HDR.

Some software updates, particularly centered around sports it seems.

They also showed ThatGameCompany's (Flow, Flower, that sand game whatsitscalled...), next title, it's about flying around in the clouds, optionally with friends. Uses A10X, Metal 2. Looks very pretty.
A10x and Metal2 sounds like a rather capable combo. Will it be targeted though? It would make a fantastic base line going forward if so, and the A11 is not too far off, so iPhones, AppleTV and the Pads going forward would create a nice growing user base, with the ATV having easy access to physical controls if suitable. Could someone with a finger on the pulse of the Apple game developer community say if there has been stirrings of interest in the new AppleTV?
 
So all this power and they're not going to try to do too much with games.

I'd rather buy an iPad Pro with A10x than a Nintendo Switch but none of the third-party console developers are going to make $60 games for iOS.

Especially with the 30% cut that Apple takes for the App. Store.
 
Apple products sell more than 10x as much as any console ever made. Apple sells more iphones alone each year as PS4 has sold over its entire lifespan. That's a huge market for your games, so I don't think the 30% cut is reason in of itself to avoid the app store.
 
So all this power and they're not going to try to do too much with games.

I'd rather buy an iPad Pro with A10x than a Nintendo Switch but none of the third-party console developers are going to make $60 games for iOS.

Especially with the 30% cut that Apple takes for the App. Store.
Compared to consoles, the 30% cut covers royalty to the platform holder, takes care of all distribution, globally, and includes the retailers cut. It's actually not a bad deal.
And of course you get some App Store exposure and reap the benefits of its searchability.

The main question is probably the size of the AAA title audience. How many are prepared to pay how much?
I'll submit that porting old console titles (to touch screen control on top of stale content) is not a good way to find an answer to that question.
 
Yeah the touch controls could put a big damper on acceptance of games.

There appears to be bluetooth controllers comparable to the DS4 for around $60 now. Some of the first ones were more like $100.
 
I'd guess the larger majority of consumers willing to buy 60 bucks games already have a console.
 
I'd guess the larger majority of consumers willing to buy 60 bucks games already have a console.
Or a PC.
That said, I think it makes more sense to look at the total cost to produce the game vs. total revenue, rather than a specific price point for the product. Some 300 million iOS devices are sold annually, so the target market is enormous compared to consoles. It's a question of whether you can get good return on your investment. Since platform royalties and the entire distribution chain cost is taken care of via the App Store, you can price accordingly.
So far the big developers/publishers have been content to test the waters with small scale efforts and a few console ports. As total revenue of the mobile platforms keep rising this is bound to change at some point. SoCs like the A10x can really let higher production values shine through, so from the perspective of my particular armchair the time seems ripe for something more ambitious.
 
"True" mobile gaming is dead and it has been killed by publishers like 2K or Gameloft.

BioShock is incompatible with iOS 8.4 and newer, no updates for 2 years.
XCOM EU has been replaced by Enemy Within, no updates, no 64 bit support.
XCOM EW has no 64bit support, so it doesn't work with iOS 11 and will be removed from the store, https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/art...ouncement-About-2K-s-Mobile-Titles-and-iOS-11

I have no trust in iOS as a gaming plattform for "true" games.
 
Last I checked, Rage wasn't updated for 64-bit support either, and Bethesda isn't exactly a small-time publisher.
 
"True" mobile gaming is dead and it has been killed by publishers like 2K or Gameloft.

BioShock is incompatible with iOS 8.4 and newer, no updates for 2 years.
XCOM EU has been replaced by Enemy Within, no updates, no 64 bit support.
XCOM EW has no 64bit support, so it doesn't work with iOS 11 and will be removed from the store, https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/art...ouncement-About-2K-s-Mobile-Titles-and-iOS-11

I have no trust in iOS as a gaming plattform for "true" games.
I don't see that this is a problem with iOS really, rather the attitude of those publishers.
But it is characteristic of the attitude of the big publishers, they aren't exactly building goodwill on the platform. It may well be that higher budget games will originate not from EA/Ubi/Activision/.. but from companies that have flourished within the mobile eco system already.

The games market on iOS is vibrant and diverse and pulls in very healthy revenue. What is missing is the traditional big budget AAA titles. And maybe most should stay off, I don't think Battlefield or other shooters fit the platform well for instance (apart from the new AppleTV). What would be interesting is big budget original content.
 
I guess it depends on the cost of the port?

Not just a simple port but they have to bolt on multitouch controls as well as support bluetooth controllers.

A big game can gross what, few hundred million? So after they've skimmed all the profits from consoles, do they have enough economic incentive to port to mobile?

Maybe they assume that people who are interested in a particular game would have bought for another system and even if they have a new phone and openness to buying $60 mobile games, most of those people have been captured already.

Even if they can easily put out something better than the Switch in terms of graphics, they know the size of the addressable Switch market whereas there's uncertainty about who with $700-1000 phones would buy console games. Obviously an attractive demographic but still uncertain.

I think rather than some third party, it will take a big trailblazer like Nintendo putting a big game on mobile. If they put out Mario or Zelda games on mobile just a few months after releasing on the Switch, that would be an interesting test of how many mobile gamers are interested in console games at console prices.

Of course Nintendo would rather those big franchises continue to drive Switch sales even years after release.
 
"True" mobile gaming is dead and it has been killed by publishers like 2K or Gameloft.

BioShock is incompatible with iOS 8.4 and newer, no updates for 2 years.
XCOM EU has been replaced by Enemy Within, no updates, no 64 bit support.
XCOM EW has no 64bit support, so it doesn't work with iOS 11 and will be removed from the store, https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/art...ouncement-About-2K-s-Mobile-Titles-and-iOS-11

I have no trust in iOS as a gaming plattform for "true" games.
Well, those guys have put AAA products for sale, and after seeing the results first hand, that is their next move. I guess this is somewhat telling.
Lets se what happens to the Journey-like game on the clouds for the apple TV...
 
I guess it depends on the cost of the port?

Not just a simple port but they have to bolt on multitouch controls as well as support bluetooth controllers.

A big game can gross what, few hundred million? So after they've skimmed all the profits from consoles, do they have enough economic incentive to port to mobile?

Maybe they assume that people who are interested in a particular game would have bought for another system and even if they have a new phone and openness to buying $60 mobile games, most of those people have been captured already.

Even if they can easily put out something better than the Switch in terms of graphics, they know the size of the addressable Switch market whereas there's uncertainty about who with $700-1000 phones would buy console games. Obviously an attractive demographic but still uncertain.

I think rather than some third party, it will take a big trailblazer like Nintendo putting a big game on mobile. If they put out Mario or Zelda games on mobile just a few months after releasing on the Switch, that would be an interesting test of how many mobile gamers are interested in console games at console prices.

Of course Nintendo would rather those big franchises continue to drive Switch sales even years after release.
And there you provide excellent arguments why a platform holder like Nintendo isn't likely to provide high production value games for iOS. :) It might have been different if the Switch had flopped.
 
I guess it depends on the cost of the port?

It's much more than that. It's the fact that once you go higher than 1 USD for a title, it becomes increasing difficult to get anyone to buy your title on mobile. 5 USD still garners some sales. 15 USD and sales start dropping off a cliff. Higher than that and you'll probably be lucky to get 50k people out of untold millions of users to buy your game on mobile.

To combat that you have micro-transactions so that the "whales" (people spending 100s-1000s of USD per game) support the developers. That's basically the only way to make a lot of money on mobile as a developer.

How do you translate something like that to a AAA game?

And then without micro-transactions and an ongoing revenue stream, how do you justify continuing to update the program for each new version of iOS? There are so many games from the big publishers that either update their title months after a new iOS version is released or never update the title due to no revenue stream for the title or so few new purchases that it just isn't worth it?

Until the buying habits of mobile users change, there is almost Zero chance of developers and publishers investing in porting AAA titles to a mobile platform. Not when the choice is between charging 1-5 USD for the title to generate sales volume and/or modifying the game to encourage/force people to pay microtransactions in order to progress in the title.

Regards,
SB
 
IOS app store revenue surpassed console revenue a while ago per year, plus you have android revenue which is even larger than apples app store revenue means theres billions of reasons why to target mobile
 
IOS app store revenue surpassed console revenue a while ago per year, plus you have android revenue which is even larger than apples app store revenue means theres billions of reasons why to target mobile

Do you have a source? Especially for the revenue of Android apps.
 
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From 3 years ago, android sales revenue share has only increased since then.
 
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