UK retailer GAME told MCV that while it might not be planning a huge pipeline of holiday titles, it plans to selectively use its distribution channels to publish undiscovered titles under its own brand name.
“If it works commercially for GAME and helps a smaller publisher get off the ground by GAME sharing some of the risk, then we would look at it – we have a distribution channel and we can offer a service.”
Wow, that’s a big step and further evidence that the gaming industry, which was previously thought to be sewn up, is in fast growth mode. There are more and more publishers coming out of the woodwork but you have to consider where they’re coming from and where they’re going to:
For some sectors of the market, the game industry entry bar is low due to readily available tools and development equipment that most consumers would have. Look at Microsoft’s XNA – a version of it is available for free download in addition to the other DreamSpark tools free to students, it’s taught in several universities (including QUB and UU) and, according to a comment on the RPG podcast “Fear the Boot”, developers have been hired to the XBox team based on their released work using XNA. Games created using XNA Game studio are limited to non-commercial scenarios for Xbox 360 titles. However, the software may be used to create commercial games which target Windows.
Having loaded Steam onto my MacBook Pro via CrossOver Games (but not yet loaded any games) just a couple of days before buying four games at the Apple iTunes App Store for iPhone, it’s obvious that digital distribution is the future of gaming – though the WHERE of the distribution is something yet to be decided by the market. Apple has their iPhone platform sewn up, Microsoft is retaining some good control over their XBox marketplace but the market for Windows/Mac (and I guess, most smartphones) is pretty open and could do with a few more publishers. Maybe someday someone could make a success out of developing games for Linux?
Man, there are jillions of opportunities out there for people to do iPhone games for people like me who find graphic games just too complex and tiring (but I will be getting SMB and MR!).
http://mikecane2008.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/games-the-iphone-and-ipod-touch-need/
I see someone put up a version of Text Twist (not with that name) on the App Store, but it’s so fekkin fugly, I’d never buy it — or even take it for free!
Also ,with the iPhone, they should think multiplay. You never know when someone with an iPhone sitting nearby could have the same game on and you can pass the time playing.
Define ‘nearby’ when you’re talking about a device that can have an always-on (battery permitting) connection to the internet.
Multiplay adds a significant layer of complexity due to the timings, latency and handling of events like disconnection.
That said – Mario Kart Wii does it in an uncomplicated fashion.