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Battleheart on Android generating 80% of iOS' daily total says Mika Mobile

But 1-2% of users suffering problems

Battleheart on Android generating 80% of iOS' daily total says Mika Mobile
A quick scan of the latest blog post by Battleheart developer Mika Mobile, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the studio held Android in complete contempt.

"There are days where I just want to pull the plug on the whole thing because I'm sick of 12 year olds (or people with comparable communication skills) trying to convince me they've been wronged and I should give them their 3 dollars back," the post concludes.

Indeed, much of Mika Mobile's assessment of life on Android Market focuses on the little nuances that make the platform – and dealing with the problems that arise – so much more difficult than on iOS.

When it comes to pure numbers, however, the developer is keen to do away with the myth that working on Android isn't a profitable exercise.

Rolling in revenue?

"While it's still a much smaller market than iOS, there's money to be made through paid apps," the entry states.

"Daily revenue from Battleheart on Android is fairly close, within 80 percent, of its iOS counterpart at the moment."

The studio does go on to clarify that ratio, however, pointing out that Battleheart is currently charting higher on Android than it is on iOS - inside the top 50, compared to outside of the top 200 on the App Store.

The iOS release also enjoyed a much stronger start on the App Store thanks to some early promo by Apple, though the tablet version of the game has recently received a similar push on Android Market.

"Still, despite those disclaimers, Battleheart for Android has become a meaningful source of revenue, and has proven that the platform isn't a waste of time," the entry continues.

"In fact, I'd go as far as to say that a polished, high quality product is more likely to be embraced on Android than on iOS because the quality bar on the Android Market is so pathetically low."

Mika Mobile points out that Battleheart currently has a user rating of 4.8 on Android Market, compared to 4.5 on the App Store – an all the more impressive feat, given the problems users have installing games on Android handsets according to the developer's feedback.

Teething problems

"The most frustrating part about developing for Android is actually just dealing with the deluge of support e-mail, most of which is related to download and installation problems which have nothing to do with the app itself, and everything to do with the android OS and market having innate technical problems," the studio states.

"Based on the amount of e-mails I get every day, download problems effect 1-2 percent of all buyers, or in more practical terms, somewhere between two and three shit-loads."

Mika Mobile also complains that having a hand in Google Checkout (as all vendors on Android Market must) means consumers suffering problems come straight to the developer, rather than – as on iOS – directing their complaints towards Apple.

"I just want to make games, not listen to people whine about how their app won't install (due to user error nine times out of 10) and they missed the 15 minute window to give themselves a refund, or didn't even know there was such a policy."

Nonetheless, while Mika Mobile laments the lack of a 'shield' as provided by Apple's platform, it confirms it plans to continue working with Android, given there is – contrary to popular belief – money to be made.

[source: Mika Mobile]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.