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2012 in review: Top 10 quotes of the year

Speech marks of distinction

2012 in review: Top 10 quotes of the year
What makes a good quote? Aside from being controversial or down right contrary, something that proves to be rather prophetic arguably wins the day.

In truth, there are countless interviews on PocketGamer.biz that contain within them a nugget of wisdom or foresight worth shouting from the rooftops.

Here, however, are ten of the best, showcasing quotes that either encapsulate the last 12 months in mobile gaming, or give valuable clue as to what the next 12 may hold.

10. A real Supercell...

Timing is everything.

Albeit, no-one needed a crystal ball in 2012 to know that Finnish studio Supercell was, in latter months, doing rather well for itself, but App Annie's decision to proclaim the company as 'the next Rovio' in an interview with us at the end of November was especially well timed.

A matter of weeks later, App Annie's own index proclaimed Supercell the current top dog on iOS, with its two titles – Clash of Clans and Hay Day – bringing in more revenue in one month than any other outfit.

"For me, Supercell is duplicating the success of certain other publishers, such as Rovio and Halfbrick Studios. My feeling is that Supercell is going the same way as these companies," said CEO Bertrand Schmitt.

"When you look at those publishers that are based on one or two IPs – as opposed to those that spread their bets over a number of properties – and the way that they run their companies, they tend to be really focused on quality," added VP of marketing Oliver Lo.

"It'll be interesting to see how those companies develop in the future."

9. Dead successful?"Dead Trigger's piracy rate is 80 percent," said Madfinger's Anna Porizkova quite plainly in an interview with PocketGamer.biz back in July.

"That means we only get paid only for 20 percent of all copies of Dead Trigger and all of the rest are pirate copies."

"Of course there are differences among countries. In some countries piracy rate reaches 99.998 percent."

Piracy was one of the themes of the year, and while Madfinger's estimation was a particularly high one, it was by no means the only studio to suffer such a fate.

8. OMG, we've had a hit!

Before the Zynga acquisition – which both raised and then muddied the studio's profile in a matter of months – OMGPOP was simply a developer that had come out of nowhere to have one of the biggest hits of the year.
Draw Something quickly became a sensation.

"I am a 45-year old father of two," said then CEO Dan Porter candidly.

"Before OMGPOP I never worked in the game industry. And while I like games, I wouldn't call myself a hard core gamer.

"After the first day we had 30,000 downloads. I remember thinking, '30 more days of this and maybe we will hit 1 million'.

"It seemed just epic. Then we broke 100,000 and it seemed possible that we could get to a million. But we had trouble breaking the App Store top 25. We were stuck at 26, which was depressing.

"We made some performance enhancements to the game over a week or so, and then it really started to explode. My wife started texting me, 'You're at 22! You're at 16! You're at 8!' Then we knew we had something special."

7. How not to win with Windows

Everybody loves a bit of drama, don't they? But when a new platform is in its formative days, a notable developer speaking out against it can do a great amount of damage.

Rubicon's assessment that Windows RT – Window 8's close cousin, design to run on Surface RT tablets and other ARM-based devices – isn't worth developers' time caught the eye of sites the world over.

Rubicon owner Paul Johnson was angry that his game, Great Big War Game, had been awarded a promo spot on the Windows Store, despite having won accolades and downloads aplenty on iOS and Android. Microsoft had, in his view, sabotaged any chances of the title enjoying similar success on its new home.

The reason Microsoft had refused to push the game, of course, was that it was available on Windows RT only and not Windows 8.

When asked what Rubicon itself had done to promote the RT version of the game itself – and, as such, whether the developer was relying too heavily on a platform holder to promote its game – Johnson served up one of the most revealing quotes of the year.

"Nothing so far," admitted Johnson.

"We were assuming that because the format is brand new that everyone who buys one would visit the store at some point and see our game straight away, without us needing to push it."

6. We're sorry, we're sorry, we're so so sorry

How often does a company apologise?

GREE, having acquired social games platform OpenFeint in 2011, finally announced its closure in November.

The only problem was, the company revealed its servers would be shut down little over a month later, with all developers required to move all elements of OpenFeint from their titles before the end of 2012.

Needless to say, many weren't all too happy. Good of SVP of marketing Eros Resmini, then, to take to PocketGamer.biz to offer an official apology – an act that doesn't right any wrongs, but does stand as something of a rarity.

"First of all, I want to personally apologise to developers that we've put in this tough situation," said GREE SVP of marketing and developer relations Eros Resmini.

"It was a very difficult for me to hear about all the frustrations and pain this has caused the developers who've supported OpenFeint, and we're acutely aware that this is the least ideal time.

"We know that it is a challenge but hope developers can adjust under short notice and will be here to help them as much as possible every step of the way."

5. Bigger best forgotten
CSR Racing. My Horse. 2012 was the year that Oxford-based NaturalMotion joined the big league and – despite not officially being branded a publisher – started competing with the big boys.

According to CEO Torsten Reil, however, the company doesn't plan to alter its approach despite its elevation.

"None of us at NaturalMotion want to turn into a faceless giant," said Reil in October.

"The UK development scene has some of the best talent in the world, especially for high-end 3D content.

"At the same time, it can sometimes place too much emphasis on core console experience over fast-paced learning of new platforms. Anyone able to embrace the new has the world at their feet!"

4. The Kickstarter revolution

Revolution Software – the legendary studio (in this humble writer's view) behind the Broken Sword series – had an advantage over other UK developers this year: It had earned its stripes on Kickstarter before the crowdfunding platforms official launch on British shores.

Perfect, then, for co-founder Tony Warriner to give his advance advice for studios taking to the site for the first time.

"Don't over-plan the campaign," offered Warriner.

"You need a rough roadmap of course, but all sorts of unexpected things will occur during the process that you will need to react to, and then show that you are reacting.

"Stay engaged with the backers at all times, and post comments as individuals that pledgers can relate to, rather than using the corporate Kickstarter account. Your key public personas must be visible and available.

"Lastly, once it starts don't make any other plans for the next 30 days. Every waking moment will be consumed by Kickstarter. It is relentless."

3. 'Shit hot' BlackBerry 10

One way or another, 2013 is going to be a big year for RIM: With the launch of the crucial BlackBerry 10 having been delayed until the start of the year, it all comes down to this.

Can BlackBerry compete with iOS, Android and Windows Phone, or is it done for?

In an exclusive interview back in November, RIM's director of business for it gaming division Volker Hirsch was feeling bullish, proclaiming the platform "shit hot".

"I think the approach we have [to UI] is the most innovative since the other fruit guys launched their first iPhone," said Hirsch.

"The hardware is sort of good design, solid, competitive spec, we really want to focus on the difference of the experience and not get into a spec race, because we think the market has moved away from that."

2. Price play

2012 was a year when, not only did developers have to consider whether to stick with the paid model or to go free-to-play, but also what to charge and when.

The idea quickly built that, for those sticking with paid releases, 99c/69p was the only way to go.

The success of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead – with episodes coming in at a weighty $4.99 – challenged that idea, however.

"The idea of a 99c gamer on iOS is more myth than fact, it's the quality and depth of each product that will drive the right price for consumers," said SVP of publishing Steve Allison.

"We've had good success selling episodes of our other titles on the App Store for $6.99 on iPad and $4.99 on iPhone.

"We knew The Walking Dead was shaping up to be a great touch screen experience and as our first universal iOS title that would also be available on console, $4.99 an episode is consistent with our past successful experiences on the App Store and with the pricing on other platforms."

1. The curious Peter Molyneux

Sat on a bench outside a kindergarten in Amsterdam, surrounded by chickens and with the sun beating down heavily on our heads.

Had Molyneux been a bore to interview, that's likely all I'd remember from my trip to the Dutch capital for Unity's annual conference. In reality, however, Molyneux served up enough in twenty odd minutes of chat to create several different headlines and generate scores of different articles.

If pushed to pick just one soundbite, however, it would be Molyneux's assertion that 22 Cans – his latest studio – and not his earlier works that could well prove to be his legacy.

"To go out and start all over again, and not to have backing and not to have a team that is fully funded, not to have desks and computers and relationships with Apple is a mad thing to do, but the time in your life when you get the most out of life itself is when you take on something incredibly hard," said Molyneux.

"It would be a sorry state if I glimpsed something, but didn't act on it and someone else did. But it would also be a sorry state if only I could use it.

"It's a fantastic feeling to be part of an industry that evolves and changes, whether that in a tiny way inspired by something I've done or not...

"It would be amazing [legacy to leave behind]. Amazing."

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