App Stores - the issues for developers

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,835
Forum Member
✭✭✭
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Android/feature.asp?c=48094

The link above is a little article in which some app developers explain the differences in getting games to market on the iOS App Store and for Android.

Whatever your "side" it's still an interesting article.

Comments

  • Hugh_Hugh_ Posts: 951
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Interesting to see even though Android is largest platform by user numbers but apps still sell better on iOS. Also I didn't realise piracy was so rife on Android, I mean for everyone 1 official sale of football manager there are 11 pirated copies on Android phones.

    I would be interested to see piracy numbers on iOS with jail broken devices. I bet it's not far off the same.
  • Dai13371Dai13371 Posts: 8,071
    Forum Member
    A bit less now on iOS Hugh seeing as Hackulous recently closed up shop. I am sure its the old adage, for every one that goes under, two more will pop up in their place.
  • paulbrockpaulbrock Posts: 16,632
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Football Manager is a bit of an exception, given its priced around 6 times the average game price. I saw something somewhere that said piracy was worse on Apple for their particular app. Will try to dig it out.

    More generally, the tide is turning. There are going to be more apps in Google Play than iOS next time they release their figures, so obviously there are plenty of developers releasing their stuff on Android first or exclusively as well.
  • grumpyoldbatgrumpyoldbat Posts: 3,663
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The other difference with developing for Android is that developers can also develop for devices that have their own stores like Kindle Fire (Amazon) and Nook (Barnes & Noble), and for those types of devices the different type of user demographic can mean there's more money to be made supporting those as the users might be happier to pay for their apps.
  • paulbrockpaulbrock Posts: 16,632
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    here we go:
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/115208695107342318629/posts/cBxoGSEtbQW
    For the record, our piracy rate [on Windup Knight] is about 12% on Android and about 15% on iOS.

    from the same developer :
    https://twitter.com/c_pruett/status/229439668150734848
    @c_pruett The piracy rate between these platforms seems to be quite equal, but I guess you profit more from iOS platform, don't you?
    @demartino88 Nope! Almost 2-to-1 better on Android.
  • grumpyoldbatgrumpyoldbat Posts: 3,663
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Based on the developers I know or have spoken to. He is a bit of an exception though.

    If you can get a huge number of downloads on Android and your game is free with ads, you can make more money from Android, but generally with simple pay to download games, iOS seems to fare better in terms of revenue.

    That likely stems back to the beginnings of the Android Market when all the apps were free because there was no pay mechanism in place. A lot of users at that point became used to getting their apps for free, and that ethos has continued in a lot of cases. It's also why you see quite a few apps free with ads on Android, but paid for without ads on iOS. If developers want to generate money from ad revenue alone, that requires a huge critical mass of regular users (see Angry Birds) to make it generate enough cash.
  • Jay-CeeJay-Cee Posts: 2,886
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    IMO I think why piracy is high on android is cause the device is cheaper and most of the games is not available worldwide (other countries)
  • grumpyoldbatgrumpyoldbat Posts: 3,663
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Jay-Cee wrote: »
    IMO I think why piracy is high on android is cause the device is cheaper and most of the games is not available worldwide (other countries)

    This is a very good point. There are still countries where paid apps aren't available, so they don't appear in those stores.
  • jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It's pretty straightforward to get apks and they tend to be quite small so there are torrents for example where you can download literally thousands of cracked apk android apps in one go. Most of these can then be side loaded onto android by just un-checking one of the security items in settings.

    Its a bit trickier with iOS since you have to jail break.

    Individual developers are often rabidly anti-apple for various reasons, but I think in general the Software dev companies that pay the wages possibly still view iOS as a priority over Android. At least for the sort of high investment type of slick video games which cost a lot to produce. Especially in the tablet market.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    jonner101 wrote: »
    It's pretty straightforward to get apks and they tend to be quite small so there are torrents for example where you can download literally thousands of cracked apk android apps in one go. Most of these can then be side loaded onto android by just un-checking one of the security items in settings.

    Its a bit trickier with iOS since you have to jail break.

    Individual developers are often rabidly anti-apple for various reasons, but I think in general the Software dev companies that pay the wages possibly still view iOS as a priority over Android. At least for the sort of high investment type of slick video games which cost a lot to produce. Especially in the tablet market.

    That sums it up pretty well. My company mainly does iOS because the income is higher but piracy is also rife on iOS just not to the extent as on Android.
Sign In or Register to comment.