Flash to iPhone ports blocked!
Posted on April 9th, 2010
Before yesterdays release of the iPhone OS 4 SDK it was widely known that Adobe’s next version of Flash was going to include an “export to iPhone” option – this was the main back of the box bullet point.
Apple have now updated the developers Terms to state:
” Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).”
This effectivly blocks the new development from Adobe and forbids users to create games in flash and export them to the iPhone platform.
Many developers, especially flash devs who want to get into the iPhone market without learning new skills are up in arms about this and “Apple’s evil closed system”
I think it’s a smart move by Apple…
1. They won’t have to deal with a dozen crappy tween animation apps for every good/great one.
2. They won’t have to deal with script kids hassling them about “you are teh gay for rejecting my App! It’s awesome lol”
3. Keeping the bar raised for entry means that developers must be at least fairly competent and so (sh)/(c)ould understand Apples UX guidelines.
4. It stops people developing for 2+ platforms at once – i.e. Android or win mobile. Single development, targeting multiple devices often water down the experience as it caters to the lowest common denominator.
5. It’s a win for Apple and a win for it’s users. The only people who get screwed around are developers and we all know we’re whores who’ll work for whichever technology is exciting and has a paying audience.
Screws Adobe and CS5 badly though.
Apple, sex and Bongo Babes – why we’re not upset.
Posted on March 15th, 2010
A few weeks ago Apple removed many existing apps from their iPhone store. These were pretty much all related to sexual content in some way.
It was a highly publicized move with a lot of press coverage and many many developers complaining about the unfair treatment.
Unsurprisingly our app/game Bongo Babes was one of those affected and pulled from the store. Thankfully this wasn’t one of our main income generators so we didn’t feel the effects as strongly as some developers.
In fact, I’d almost say we’re not too bothered, it’s possibly even a good thing for MBXGames for many reasons:
- * We developed the app to get experience of Objective-C
- * We had a showcase piece on the iPhone allowing us to confidently offer it as a service to clients.
- * We specifically chose a topic we knew would be hard to get into the app store – this meant we experienced the full pain and hoops of a difficult submission process to Apple.
- * We ran the app for most of it’s life at various price points and could measure the effect on sales.
- * The final few weeks before it was pulled we made the app free and downloads increased a hundred fold. For advergame type software, “free” is clearly the way forward to get your brand in front of as many users as possible.
- * Bongo Babes was hacked and appeared on torrent sites within a few days – we now know how to raise the bar slightly higher to avoid this for a longer period after launch.
- * Following it’s removal, we’re looking at the jailbreak scene and maybe releasing on there – just to see what else we can learn from this one piece of software…
- * We had fun making it.
We always knew it may not have ever been accepted, and once it had, it may be pulled – that’s part of the very restrictive set of rules Apple makes you agree to when you sign up.
I may not agree on a personal level with the way Apple is cleaning out the store and removing anything adult related, but I can see from a business case why they are. I’ll post more thoughts on that and what Apple should really do, in the next few days.
UK Government fails the games industry again.
Posted on December 9th, 2009
Today saw the announcement in Alistair Darling’s pre-budget report that a controversial £6 broadband tax would go ahead for all fixed landlines in the UK.
There was however a glaring omission of tax breaks for the UK games industry as proposed and recommended in the government’s own digital Britain report of July this year.
Failing to include this is, for me, a disappointment, a mistake and ultimately short sighted.
During the formative years of the global game industry, figures such as Rare and the Darling brothers of Codemasters led the world in innovative game design and production values. In the years since then, the focus (and money) has shifted to America and unsurprisingly Japan. All this while at the same time more and more courses are being offered by Universities in the UK for game design and development than ever before.
I get sent CV’s of aspiring candidates every few days looking for work, many of them recent graduates. Unfortunately, having just come out of a recession we’re not in a position to be able to take a risk and expand our workforce too quickly, even though many of the applicants are very talented and would be a huge boost to out production capabilities and output.
During the past few months, we at MBXGames have been compiling and keeping lists of freelancers and potential hires with a view to expanding in the coming 12 months. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that financially it does not make sense to hire most of the staff internally. We would be far better off employing a small core of creative staff in the UK and outsourcing most of the development to overseas contractors in Thailand, China and Russia.
When I say there is a financial difference I don’t mean savings of 5 or 10%, but development costs at the moment would be nearer 50% when outsourced.
I understand the Government isn’t in a position to help every sector and I realise that we as an industry must look to invest in upcoming talent but this currently feels like a very one sided relationship. If the chancellor could meet the games industry halfway, it could lead to British studios once again leading the field and retaining the talent we are currently hemorrhaging so painfully abroad and to other disciplines.
The fact the Alistair Darling doesn’t see fit to offer a break to an industry that does more currently for the UK economy than the film industry is a sad state of affairs and I fear a reflection on the still prevailing view that video games are not “real, grown up entertainment”.
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