After three difficult years, Microsoft is finally in a position where it can trumpet meaningful market share in major territories.
Developer support and enthusiasm, however, is another battle entirely, which is why the American giant's indie dev charm offensive has been notched up with the revelation that some games are generating more downloads and revenue on Windows Phone than iOS.
The firm has published a blog featuring statistics from the developer behind location-based game QONQR (pronounced conquer), with the studio claiming it sees ten times the number of weekly downloads and twice the amount of weekly revenue on Microsoft's platform compared to Apple's.
Development issues
Microsoft claims QONQR CEO Scott Davis attributes the game's overall profitability to the Windows Phone version, with "more than a hundred thousand users" generating revenue on the OS.
"Scott mentioned that one of the key advantages of developing for Windows Phone has been the simplicity of supporting all the different phone models," details the blog entry.
"In iPhone his team has had challenges ensuring full backward compatibility with previous versions of iOS, and in their efforts of porting to Android they have faced significant hurdles managing device fragmentation."
More interesting, however, is Davis' assessment that the higher number of downloads on Windows Phone is due to better visibility than on the App Store.
Visibility
Discovery is a key issue for all mobile developers, but it's rare for even the most loyal of Windows Phone studios to say anything positive about the set up and layout of the platform's default marketplace.
QONQR, however, asserts that the store's New & Rising rundown, in-store promotions, the marketplace's web version (which consumers can purchase and download from) and having a Windows 8 app available too have all contributed to high downloads on Windows Phone.
Of course, these figures can be spun in another way, too. If the Windows Phone version is generating ten times the weekly downloads of iOS, then you might expect its revenue rate to be far higher than double that of the iPhone version's.
That effectively means that, QONQR monetises at a far higher rate per user on iOS than it does on Windows Phone, and if the developer behind it could master its visibility on Apple's platform and up its download rate, its revenues could jump majorly.
Either way, we can expect more chest beating from Microsoft in this manner in the months ahead, as the company looks to pitch Windows Phone's growing userbase as a profitable one for developers currently allied solely to the iOS and Android duopoly.
[source: Microsoft]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
News
9 hours, 28 minutes ago
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
11 hours, 39 minutes ago
Stumble Guys welcomes Looney Tunes characters in latest high-profile crossover
News
9 hours, 28 minutes ago
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
May 31st, 2024
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Events
Indie Game Fest & Indie Campus 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Game Access Conference 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Indie Craft K-Game Festival 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Gaymer Pride | North America | Jun 1st |
BostonFig Online 2024 | Jun 1st | |
GameSummit Summer 2024 | Jun 1st | |
Gotland Game Conference 2024 | Nordic | Jun 3rd |
Games Mental Health Summit 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |