[Sonicmouse]

Apple's App Store is just... Horrendous.

That thing needs a massive re-working. There are plenty of us who have released apps, games that were great, only to be buried by apps that were terrible.

The cream definitely doesn't rise to the top using the current App Store model.

It's just a fricken lottery at this point.

[potatolicious]

I'm a bit more pessimistic - I'm not sure if fixing the App Store will fix the mobile gaming industry. IMO the well is thoroughly and completely poisoned at this point.

People are learning to reject IAP-everywhere monetization models, but they've also retained the notion that nothing should cost more than $1.

Even if we eliminate the discoverability problems, the shitty copycats, all that noise, will the economics of mobile game dev still even work out without stooping to EA's Dungeon Keeper-esque shenanigans?

[TillE]

There's a small but growing number of "premium priced" iPad games like Baldur's Gate or XCOM which have apparently been successful enough.

I don't think mobile phone games will ever be a serious thing. The small screen combined with no hardware controls is too limiting. But a tablet can excel in certain areas, particularly anything turn-based.

For example, I'm convinced that a full version of Football Manager for tablets would be massive at $15-20. They've actually done most of the necessary UI work for a touch interface with the "Classic" mode, but apparently mobile CPUs are still a limiting factor.

[x0x0]

But Baldur's Gate or xcom aren't ipad games. They're a port, presumably with a complete codebase + assets already made. That must be substantially less expensive than building. So realizing accretive revenue from a port, sure. As a game target, I dunno.

[potatolicious]

This still leaves the market in a state where the only "premium" games that are viable are ones that have already recouped investments on other platforms.

It doesn't suggest that mobile gaming will ever be able to afford substantial budgets.

[mmanfrin]

Apple's is at least better than Google's Play Store; it is next to impossible to find games that are not those cookie-cutter check-every-five-minutes-to-collect-coins type games.

[Arzh]

That's only if you look at the 'Top' lists. It's pretty easy to find interesting games if you look around. I have a lot of game guys on my google+ account which also help.

[untog]

Right, which is more than you can reasonably expect most people to do. Discovery in most app platforms is pretty broken.

[endtime]

Would you mind sharing some examples?

[Arzh]

There are a bunch of categories in the 'games' section of the play store that allow you to discover games that you might like. Also giving reviews of games, the store will then start showing games of like types.

[JohnTHaller]

I think the expectation of free or at most $0.99 in mobile just kills any sort of incentive to build the kind of good and rich games you get on PC and console. The false advertising of "Free to Play" games going away, while a good thing, likely won't help the situation too much.

[benologist]

The onus is on the developer to differentiate between "making a game" and "making a game sell". Jumping platforms because you failed is throwing away all the experience and knowledge you now have for an unknown platform. Developers who can't figure this stuff out just don't get to make games for a living.

Startups face the same problem and almost exclusively fail for the same reason. And businesses in general. And authors. Musicians. Actors. Artists. Singers. The list goes on and on. You have to be good at what you do to make it your occupation.

[sytelus]

Or in other words, you have huge marketing problem :). App store looks at trends to find the "cream" to surface. However it's YOUR responsibility to kindle the fire. Once fire starts, Apple can provide plenty of oxygen to get it going. This is most challenging part of any business where you have tons alternatives - whether its books or music or games. People who succeed in these kind of spaces are on top of their game to start the fire.

[rodgerd]

Congratulations: you've discovered what everyone in the music industry knew decades ago! Success in the market is independent of quality!

Seriously, sucess is how well you promote what you do. Being a good programmer will have as much to do with your sucess as being a virtuoso guitar player has to do with the likelihood of making a living as a musician.

[coldtea]

It's not the App store's responsibility to market your game. It's yours.

[zanny]

Then don't develop for it.