The mobile game crash of sorts. Oversaturation of the market

[Nando]

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/01/indie-developers-ios/

"For the last four and a half years, the iOS App Store has been a promised land for independent game developers. Teams consisting of only two or three people could develop and publish an app and have a real shot at hitting the top of the charts. Anybody could hit it big: a pair of Croatian brothers (Doodle Jump), a husband-and-wife team (Temple Run) or a construction worker with minimal programming experience (Geared). It was a modern-day gold rush.


Those days are officially over. In fact, they ended in 2011, and even the incoming wave of Android-powered game consoles won't save indie game developers."

[Arkhan Asylum]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA


I said that 4 fucking years ago.  


Dumbshits.


Fuck em.


This is what happens when people get too cute with things and everyone flails and runs and jumps and puts shit all over the place hoping something sticks.

[soop]

I've heard this so many times.  It's sad, but in a way, it's going back to its roots as a bedroom hobby rather than a business.  I still feel sorry for all the people who had to give up their dreams, and in many cases almost everything they owned.

On a positive note, Wired is getting better and better.  I read it quite frequently now.

[Bernie]

I hate mobile games.  I could never get into em.

[soop]

I hate mobile games.  I could never get into em. 

TBH "mobile games" is quite a blanket term.  I dislike immensely using touchscreen controls for traditional games, but for some things it works really well.

I got super into a text based adventure called Wizards Choice.  I have it in mind to make my own - not for the $ obviously, but for fun.

[Nando]

The Sony phone with the slideout pad is about the only decent peripheral that works well for "classic" gaming, meaning no need to touch the screen, and mobile gaming.

Puzzle and Dragons has my mobile devotion right now.

[Tatsujin]

I like good old deticated handheld gaming like GB to DS stuff, lynx, GT, some PSP etc.
I don't like new mobile/droid/iPfone crap with frowsy touchscreen control etc.

[SignOfZeta]

Um...this article isn't about the death of mobile at all, it's about the end of one man teams making $100M off of $0.99 games, which IMO can't come soon enough.

I'm quite interested in paying for mobile games that are worth paying for. It's just a shame that there are like...4 of them. Maybe that's about to change.

[SignOfZeta]

Duplicate post.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Um...this article isn't about the death of mobile at all, it's about the end of one man teams making $100M off of $0.99 games, which IMO can't come soon enough.

I'm quite interested in paying for mobile games that are worth paying for. It's just a shame that there are like...4 of them. Maybe that's about to change.

agreed.   

and it's them making millions off shit people are stupid enough to buy instead of playing for free instead.


There's that many stupid people with phones out there.

[jlued686]

I can't bitch about mobile gaming. Some of the best gaming experiences I've had in the last few years have been on my iPhone/iPad. Looking at my GameCenter list, there are a handful of games I've had a blast with: Ascension, Jetpack Joyride, Plants vs. Zombies, Joe Danger, Pinball Arcade, Pac-Man Battle Royale, Chu Chu Rocket, Game Dev Story, Hypership Out of Control, Run Roo Run, Super World Adventures, World of Goo, Great Little War Game, Kami Retro, iBomber Defense,  etc. Not to mention all of the great Cave shooters that have made their way to iPhone and iPad.

My point is, if you can't find any good mobile games worth paying a couple bucks, you're just not looking very hard.

And yeah, there's a glut of shit out there too. But in my opinion, that's sort of a good thing. The cream is going to rise to the top, while the shit will (mostly) get ignored and hopefully the developers of that shit will get better over time or fall away.

One last thing: Temple Run 2 just came out and it's selling like crazy. Just sayin'.

[SignOfZeta]

I've tried very hard to find good mobile games worth paying for. I haven't tried very hard with menu based stuff, but when it comes to action games I've tried way too hard.

You shouldn't have to "try" at all! I don't need to play 50 DS games until I find one I like. I like pretty much every DS game I've ever bought.

So far the best action games in iOS I've played are the Cave shooters and FIFA 13. FIFA 13 is a miracle, but still a little frustrating. The Cave shooters are the least annoying. The touch-only input annoys me not even slightly with the Cave games, which is something I can't say about any other action games in iOS. Currently I'm playing Dodanpatchi Maximum.

[NecroPhile]

Um...this article isn't about the death of mobile at all, it's about the end of one man teams making $100M off of $0.99 games, which IMO can't come soon enough.

Exactly.  Besides, how many indie teams were making millions four years ago?  I'd bet the vast majority failed and went under, just like now.

[soop]

Oh, also:  Ghost Trick. One of the best DS games ever available on iOS for free.  It takes a while to get into, but shit, I was crying by the end.  EVERYONE needs to play one of the most innovative games of the last few years. It's free.  No brainer.

[Starfighter]

To just rule out a whole market as "stupid" is tempting, but utterly childish, so I won't venture where others have.

I have bought many mobile games this last year just to see what I was missing and while, like SignOfZeta said, just a small fraction of them actually was worth paying for - the only purchase that really made me feel stupid was Insanity...

[esteban]

To just rule out a whole market as "stupid" is tempting, but utterly childish, so I won't venture where others have.

I have bought many mobile games this last year just to see what I was missing and while, like SignOfZeta said, just a small fraction of them actually was worth paying for - the only purchase that really made me feel stupid was Insanity...

Ha! Now, just to clarify, are you referring to Insanity (TG-CD) or has Insanity been ported to Android/iOS?

[Starfighter]

The 360-version.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I have bought many mobile games this last year just to see what I was missing and while, like SignOfZeta said, just a small fraction of them actually was worth paying for - the only purchase that really made me feel stupid was Insanity...

It's not a Mobile game, so why is it in this discussion?

Also, how did it make you feel stupid?

Because you paid 1$ for a port with a bit faster gameplay, slightly better music, and more robots?

[Starfighter]

It's not a Mobile game, so why is it in this discussion?

I'll clarify, and please note that I'm saying this with a smile on my face, no grudge. You said there are many stupid phone owners that buy shitty games, and so I wanted to say the shittiest purchase I made wasn't even a mobile game. And it came from one of the first to call people stupid for buying shitty games. I thought it was kind of ironic.

[esteban]

Because you paid 1$ for a port with a bit faster gameplay, slightly better music, and more robots?

STATUS: WE'VE BEEN CHEATED!

Arkhan, release an updated version of Insanity for TG-CD.

We'll pay nominal shipping for the Insanity that should have shipped initially.

That is all.

[geise]

RoyVegas will need a new version as well.

[Arkhan Asylum]

It's not a Mobile game, so why is it in this discussion?

I'll clarify, and please note that I'm saying this with a smile on my face, no grudge. You said there are many stupid phone owners that buy shitty games, and so I wanted to say the shittiest purchase I made wasn't even a mobile game. And it came from one of the first to call people stupid for buying shitty games. I thought it was kind of ironic.

That's not what I said at all.  

I said there are people who are stupid enough to buy games for their phones that exist as free versions elsewhere (aka: on the browsers their phones can use to go to free games) (see Bejeweled Clone #9590202).  

Insanity doesn't exist for free anywhere, and, it's different than the version for the TG-CD.  Gameplay has been sped up, more robots have been added, music has been rediddled a bit (especially the PSG ones).  The AI has been redone a bit (The robots sometimes back away from walls now).  Not to mention, the floor is black now, and the robots have a few more steps to their animations.

So, I still don't get it.

EDIT: Also, I did not rule out the entire market as stupid, as you implied previously.

lrn2read.

[soop]

It's not a Mobile game, so why is it in this discussion?

I'll clarify, and please note that I'm saying this with a smile on my face, no grudge. You said there are many stupid phone owners that buy shitty games, and so I wanted to say the shittiest purchase I made wasn't even a mobile game. And it came from one of the first to call people stupid for buying shitty games. I thought it was kind of ironic.

Hmm.  Sorry to wade in - it's none of my business really - but that does seem quite rude.

[geise]

So basically Starfighter you're saying Insanity is a shitty game and you are out $1.00?

[Starfighter]

I said there are people who are stupid enough to buy games for their phones that exist as free versions elsewhere
EDIT: Also, I did not rule out the entire market as stupid, as you implied previously.
lrn2read.

Hm.. "and it's them making millions off shit people are stupid enough to buy instead of playing for free instead" is your way of saying "there are legal free versions elsewhere"? lrn2write ;)

[Starfighter]

So basically Starfighter you're saying Insanity is a shitty game and you are out $1.00?

Yes and no. Insanity is a shitty game but I don't care about the money.

Hmm.  Sorry to wade in - it's none of my business really - but that does seem quite rude.

Yeah. That's why I clarified that I didn't mean it rude. And Arkhan is the master of rude so I'm sure he can manage.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Hm.. "and it's them making millions off shit people are stupid enough to buy instead of playing for free instead" is your way of saying "there are legal free versions elsewhere"? lrn2write ;)

If you'd have spent as much time discerning that from what I wrote instead of trying to find a way to insert punxrawx logic into your post, I think we could have avoided this whole thing. 

Yes and no. Insanity is a shitty game but I don't care about the money.

lolol.

Yeah. That's why I clarified that I didn't mean it rude. And Arkhan is the master of rude so I'm sure he can manage.

There is a distinct difference between being rude, and being an ignorant dipshit who's making jackassed remarks like a wannabe tough-guy at a shopping mall foodcourt.

Reasons:

1) You failed to understand that I wasn't calling EVERYONE stupid, and then went on to call it childish.  More on this below!  I meant the people who buy up the same shit that's already been rehashed 90 million times and overhype all of it are stupid.    The people who throw that crap up there just to cash in on the next match-3 clone, are stupid.   This does not mean all the people who buy legit, original games are stupid.  Nor are the people who go that extra mile to make something for mobile that isn't the same recycled crap we've been playing on Newgrounds since we were like, 15.

2) This is a mobile games market discussion.  Insanity X is not mobile.  Nor is Insanity.  You brought it into this discussion solely for the fact that you disagree with me calling people stupid in a manner that you clearly misunderstood, and you need to find some kind of edge to help get your waste of a point across.  Find proper fuel for your fail rocket next time.  Who's doing something childish now?

3) You did the typical "oh, no grudge, bro, I'm smilin, bro! Your game is shitty, bro!" bullshit that every forum jackass does when they want to make some stupid remark but want people to brush it off as if it's some kind of joke.  Get behind your words like a man.  Don't be all like YO DUDE YOUR GAME FUCKIN SUCKS, BUT ITS COOL CAUSE IM SMILIN, NO BEEF BRAH.

 

[Starfighter]

insert punxrawx logic into your post

Hahaha! Well, I did and I'm pleased.

There is a distinct difference between being rude, and being an ignorant dipshit who's making jackassed remarks like a wannabe tough-guy at a shopping mall foodcourt.

Are you... calling me names ? I am _very_ surprised!

and you need to find some kind of edge to help get your waste of a point across. Find proper fuel for your fail rocket next time.  Who's doing something childish now ?

I'm really not trying to use this as anything, I don't like when people assume things about me and then acts like they have the upper hand. My feelings for you still stand, you are just a regular bully with a fierce attitude and I hate people like that.

You did the typical "oh, no grudge, bro, I'm smilin, bro! Your game is shitty, bro!" bullshit that every forum jackass does when they want to make some stupid remark but want people to brush it off as if it's some kind of joke.  Get behind your words like a man. Don't be all like YO DUDE YOUR GAME FUCKIN SUCKS, BUT ITS COOL CAUSE IM SMILIN, NO BEEF BRAH.

So, you CAN'T handle being treated like you treat others. Message recieved, you little twat. Well, I'm gonna be the bigger "man" here and just leave once and for all since I only get worked up over your angry and mostly irritating posts. And you can't be all like "haha, you pissed off when you had nothing more to say" because 1) I won't be here to read it and 2) I really don't care what you think of me. I am, after all, punxrawx. Have to get my riot on, you know...

[Arkhan Asylum]

Hahaha! Well, I did and I'm pleased.

You should be displeased about moronically inserting something into a discussion about the mobile gaming market.

Are you... calling me names? I am _very_ surprised!

*shrug* You get what you ask for.

I'm really not trying to use this as anything, I don't like when people assume things about me and then acts like they have the upper hand. My feelings for you still stand, you are just a regular bully with a fierce attitude and I hate people like that.

If you aren't trying to use it as anything, why even bring it into the WRONG TOPIC.   There's nothing to assume about you.  Your actions speak clearly.  You have the lower-hand here immediately by 1) Bringing the wrong things into a discussion and 2) Doing so by insulting another forum member's stuff.

and Me?  A bully?  Give me a break.  It's not bullying when you call people out for being complete dumbasses.  On the other hand, you're being a bully of sorts yourself by needlessly bringing shit into a discussion when you've now basically admitted you've done it because you get worked up over my posts or whatever.   What happened to not being rude/doing it with a smile?   It's clear you had different intentions.

So, you CAN'T handle being treated like you treat others. Message recieved, you little twat.

I don't treat others here with rampant ignorance.  Everyone here is a friend to me, save like, 2 people who can remain nameless because this is not the place to bring it up.

Nor do I piss in someones cheerios in the wrong context. Nor do I hold phantom grudges based solely off how someone posts towards random shit.  I save that for when I have actual disagreements with people that end in a heated manner, and they've done something to personally offend.    Kind of like you're doing right now.

Nice use of twat, btw.  Did you get that off your UK Subs album?  Or maybe it was Sham 69.  

Well, I'm gonna be the bigger "man" here and just leave once and for all since I only get worked up over your angry and mostly irritating posts. And you can't be all like "haha, you pissed off when you had nothing more to say" because 1) I won't be here to read it and 2) I really don't care what you think of me. I am, after all, punxrawx. Have to get my riot on, you know...

Citation needed for my angry, and mostly irritating posts.  I mean, is that a blanket statement for everything I post, or just some of them, or what?  I'd wager that only about 40-50% of what I post is angry, depending how you look at it.   And, irritating is completely subjective.  What you find irritating, others probably find funny/whatever.

I'm sure you've got a large repertoire of experience with the daily happenings here, what with your <400 posts and all.  You're a regular, for real!

I find this point about anger/irritation funny anyways, coming from a punk rocker such as yourself.  What with the usual anarchy, angst, chaos, etc., and all.  

also, why did you quote man?   Do you have a vagina?  Are you really a woman?

anyway, we all know you're still reading.  You aren't fooling anyone.  If you didn't care what I thought, you'd have shut the fuck up from the get-go.

[Emerald Rocker]

I didn't know Insanity was on Xbox, and for only a dollar?  I'll be buyin' that soon, suckaz.

[nectarsis]

Seriously....you bring something up COMPLETELY irrelevant to the topic (ie Insanity) just to bait a fight, and then bitch when one comes your way???

[NightWolve]

I didn't know Insanity was on Xbox, and for only a dollar?

Yeap, only one measly dollar! How 'bout that?

I'll be buyin' that soon, suckaz.

You won't regret it!!!

[Arkhan Asylum]

I didn't know Insanity was on Xbox, and for only a dollar?  I'll be buyin' that soon, suckaz.

Yeah! With slightly faster gameplay (Since the PCE CD one, people said was kinda slow).

and, more robots/sorta smarter AI.

It was a pretty big hit at CCAG when I demo'ed it the year it launched. 

Let me know what you think!

[esteban]

UPDATED STATUS: Still cheated. Awaiting mobile game crash. I'll trade-in my beta Insanity (TG-CD) for one that has been fixed. That is all.

[soop]

Ok, that's fucking ridiculous.  Insanity is better than every turbo game I've ever made.

Starfighter has completely misjudged the tone of Arkhan's posts and then basically is being a dick now.

It kind of reminds me of hecklers who go to a stand-up show and think they're being hilarious.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Guys why are we even talking about it still?  I mean, Starfighter said he's going to be a big woman and leave the forum forever.

[NightWolve]

Starfighter has completely misjudged the tone of Arkhan's posts and then basically is being a dick now.

It kind of reminds me of hecklers who go to a stand-up show and think they're being hilarious.

Yeah, that was my feeling too. It was no friendly jab. And of course if you take a cheapshot to offend the other person, he/she is likely gonna respond and insult ya back. That doesn't make that person a bully! He basically did a, "You're calling some people stupid?? Well, uh, um, your game is what's stupid, buddy!!! How do ya like that? RAAAAAWWWWWRRR!!!"

I don't usually speak in Arkhan's tone, but it's a matter of letting a person be himself/herself most of the time. That's how he talks, partly to make his posts a little entertaining I suspect. There are stupid things that people do, and we ought to be able to point that out once in a while.

[jlued686]

Arkhan manufactured a new game for the TurboDuo. For that alone I will defend his honor!

En garde, Sir!

But seriously: dick move.

[OldRover]

I didn't know Insanity was on Xbox, and for only a dollar?  I'll be buyin' that soon, suckaz.

I bought it... it's a vast improvement over the PCE version in terms of gameplay.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I didn't know Insanity was on Xbox, and for only a dollar?  I'll be buyin' that soon, suckaz.

I bought it... it's a vast improvement over the PCE version in terms of gameplay.

Which is funny because all I did basically was make the guy move faster than the original Berzerk speed, lol.