Two months after Windows Phone 7's launch, we can see how its Marketplace – playing host to more than 5,000 apps at the last count – is designed to operate.

While big releases from Microsoft's publishing partners receive a typically blockbuster billing in the form of a listing in the Xbox Live section of the Marketplace, cheaper apps from independents are left to fight their own corner.

In Jason Doucette's view – co-founder and lead programmer at Xona Games, which released Decimation X2 at launch – this is not a situation that will benefit Windows Phone 7 in the long term.

We caught up with him to ask how he thinks Microsoft should handle the smaller studios in the months and years to come.

PocketGamer: How do you think WP7 has been received since launch?

Jason Doucette: I'm not a good person to ask, since I haven't been watching this closely, but the response seems to be mixed.

Some believe that because it didn't completely take over the market right away that it will fail, which is silly of course. Lots of people seem impressed with the hardware and GUI. There are inevitable comparisons with other smartphones, and I think people admit that it holds up quite well, and is better in many ways.

I think the developers are happy that it's so easy to develop for Windows Phone 7. Porting games already made in XNA is really rather simple, although it's not something you can just do in one day. There's a learning curve to it, as with anything. It's difficulty to really test the phone in the emulator, you need the actual hardware to know for sure how the final result will turn out.

How did you get involved in developing for the platform?

Microsoft approached us and asked if we would like to have a launch title, based on Decimation X already released on Indie Games, and our two-time Dream Build Play placing, Duality ZF, planned for XBLA - also made on the XNA Framework.

How are you finding the marketplace?

The submission process is very easy. There are a few quirks, but it is an easy process. Microsoft checks your game before it hits the market to make sure it 'plays nice', and developers have to be aware of requirements before submitting, to ensure their product will pass with no issues.

The marketplace is a little disappointing in a few ways. First, there is not way to link to a webpage to showcase your app like you can with XBLA and Indie Games. You need Zune installed on your PC to view, and any link to a game will ask you to install Zune instead of just showing a webpage with the game. Also, this link only worked in Internet Explorer, and not other popular browsers, so often these links appear broken.

Further, the marketplace, by default, only shows results for LIVE titles. Therefore Decimation X2 won't even appear anywhere in a normal browse or search routine. It doesn't even appear in a New Releases section. This offers no chance for survival.

What sort of download numbers are your titles seeing so far?

Almost nothing. With no visibility, there are no downloads.

What is the platform like to work with?

It's very easy to develop for. The touchscreen is powerful, although you need the actual hardware, or a touchscreen on your PC to emulate it if you wish to beta test your app before it hits the market, which is a must for anything that uses more than one touch point as a mouse cannot replicate this.

The CPU is fast. You can do a lot with 1 GHz. The GPU is fast. Some people were amazed at the dazzling particle display of Decimation X2, and truth be told, I couldn't do much more on my Xbox 360 without slowing the game down - keep in mind the Xbox 360 runs at 60 Hz, whereas Windows Phone 7 runs at 30 Hz. That's impressive.

The strength of the WP7 is the quick development time and the power of the hardware to make amazing games that are just not possible with a game controller or a mouse.

Do you think Windows Phone 7's emphasis on games is an advantage?Windows Phone 7 is certainly ahead of the game - no pun intended - with its game-focused marketplace. Building Achievements and Leaderboards into the framework, as well as offering free trials, makes for a proper experience.

Microsoft has always done this kind of thing in the proper fashion, and better than everyone else. It's nice to see that they are continuing this with Windows Phone 7. This will be an advantage.

Gamerscore is now a currency that gamers care intimately about. The next steps I would like to see is giving the independent developers these same features, without contracts or partnerships. The platform also needs to give visibility to all games in some manner, not just the Live games - otherwise, developers are not going to return.

While we at Xona Games believe we can partner with Microsoft to get onto the Live section, if we didn't have this opportunity, it would not be viable at all to produce for Windows Phone 7 as it sits today. This doesn't mean the platform won't be a success, however - all other gaming consoles have done well without being entirely open to third party developers.

So kudos to Microsoft for letting us try on both Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7, but there's still room for improvement.

Is there a danger games that lack Xbox Live features will get overlooked by consumers?

Yes. Xbox Live features are worth more, so those games can charge more for being the exact same game with the addition of such features. The largest danger is the lack of visibility of the smaller studios' games, but you are right in that, even with proper visibility, the lack of Live features will still hurt them.

Not all Live features are essential. Achievements with Gamerscore and leaderboards are important - even though leaderboards can be done in-house, it's not the same thing.

Do you think the number of smartphones is a help or a hindrance?

More hardware to support with different development tools makes it hard for developers. Porting is never easy.

I don't think the market is overcrowded, but it could be. People forget what it was like in the early 80s before PCs were standardised by the IBM PC and clones with Windows handling all of the mess for you.

Imagine trying to develop for 20 pieces of hardware instead of just one. It's just not possible for most developers. While you can prepare for porting to make it less painful, it takes more effort to do so.

What improvements do you think Microsoft should make?

First, give thirdparty developers a chance by offering up some visibility, and secondly, allow all developers to make use of Achievements and leaderboards.

Microsoft successfully made a world of people care about Gamerscore, and thus it is fully expected that gamers won't be lenient on purchasing games that offer no Gamerscore.

Any further plans for the platform?

Xona Games is going to look at becoming a partner to produce Live titles. For what game and when is currently up in the air - no concrete plans yet. It's unlikely we will produce another app for Windows Phone 7 under the thirdparty section that doesn't get much love at the moment.
Thanks to Jason for his time.You can keep up to date with Xona Games via its website.