Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently asserted that tablet devices could support a $30 – $40 price point for games. Paul O Connor, Brand Director for developer Appy Entertainment, respectfully disagrees.
“Price points aren’t lower on iPhone because of five minute games — our latest game, Trucks & Skulls NITRO, clocks in at six hours-plus for $0.99, and our metrics indicate players return to Trucks several times a week, with average sessions longer than five minutes,” said O Connor. “Prices on iOS game are compressed to free or $1 because this platform is at the center of the most competitive entertainment software market in history. Surviving here requires a new kind of thinking that, frankly, most of the console industry has been unwilling (or unable) to achieve.”
“Display size is a consideration in game development, sure, but drawing a direct relationship between screen size and depth of play is like saying ‘movies can only be robust and entertaining when viewed on an IMAX screen,”noted O’Connor. “A larger screen can make an image more engaging but if your game isn’t designed to take full advantage of this new, connected (and unique) touch-driven platform, then all a larger screen is going to do is amplify the shortcomings of your game.”
Source: IndustryGamers.com
