We always knew IUGO made great mobile games. They just weren't OUR games.
IUGO started developing titles for our publisher partners on Java, BREW and Symbian back in 2003. Even our earliest titles, such as Marble Madness, developed for THQ Wireless, were created with the best game mechanics possible. Much blood, sweat and tears went into making sure the physics was just right for Marble Madness.
Later, the IUGO team's skills were truly put to the test with Tiger Woods 2006 and 2007 for EA. Both games received critical acclaim and sold extremely well.
Our last work-for-hire project was Boom Blox Mobile, also an EA title. IUGO was able to blaze the path in user-created content and social networking.
Doing it our way
As proud as we are of all our games created for publishers, IUGO does not own the IP or the games. We wanted to do games whole-heartedly our way. We wanted a chance to grow our portfolio of original games while positioning the company as a premium mobile games developer.
Last Spring, IUGO set a plan in motion to look into the new iPhone and its platform. With work-for-hire fading due to tightening budgets, IUGO could move full steam ahead. Right away the team was intrigued and eager to jump on the platform.
Lucky for us, IUGO was one of the first Canadian developers to be approved as an official iPhone developer. Now, almost a year later, we have five titles out on the App Store, with a very ambitious lineup coming in 2009.
Here are the four biggies as to why we travelled down the iPhone path, and veered away from the more traditional mobile platforms.
Reason 1: No more walls
The world of mobile game development is tough. REALLY tough. Many companies have not survived due to the many obstacles straining profitability.
As a small, independent mobile games developer, these challenges seemed even more poignant. But, we held our own and worked with clients who could trust our skill and expertise.
I cannot count how many times we attempted to contact the carriers. They just weren't interested in working with small fry like IUGO. They wanted to work with the big guns, which ironically meant they were getting our games in the end anyways.
The iPhone tore down those walls. Now all developers big and small can sell their games on the App Store.
Not only did Apple provide the platform, but the fantastic rev share model was the final sell to the device. With carriers slicing the pie thinner and thinner between all parties involved in the mobile games brought to their deck, the iPhone payment structure felt like winning the lottery.
Reason 2: Free to innovate
We are very lucky here at IUGO: Our team of designers, artists and programmers are unbelievably talented and passionate about what they do. They make my job easy.
Evangelizing our Toy Bot Diaries series, for example, was a piece of cake. Our team creates such innovative, super polished games that I can't help but believe in our products.
Once we were able to create games with no restrictions and had no one to answer to but ourselves, IUGO's true magic surfaced.
We are very thankful that others agreed - our games became a financial success on the iPhone. We were able to debut Toy Bot Diaries Entry 1 a month after the App Store launched. Toy Bot Diaries was one of the very first iPhone-exclusive titles that truly maximized the handset's capabilities and unique controls.
I can safely say IUGO will never run out of great app ideas for the iPhone.
Reason 3: Bye bye fragmentation
An obvious plus, but what a huge one! Having to port a game to hundreds of handsets gave the mobile industry a perpetual, collective headache. A significant portion of the budget had to factor in porting costs, which could often compromise on the quality of the game itself.
Then came the iPhone (and iTouch) - the glorious platform with uniform specs! The haze cleared and so did the headache. More time and money could go towards game development. QA time was greatly reduced and could be performed internally.
Sure iPhone handset numbers pale in comparison to Java handsets globally, but success is relative. What might be considered a successful game to IUGO may not be a success for EA.
It has also become apparent that iPhone owners play games. A lot. iPhone users are fuelling the over-500 million downloads that the App Store has experienced to date. That is great news for everyone on the platform.
Reason 4: We heart the iPhone
High-end Java handsets are out there, but when trying to reach the masses, you must cater to all levels of the technology.
This meant creating a game that functions on all models: high, mid and low. As a developer this involves the scaling of a game to cover the range.
Sadly, the high-end, flagship version would suffer due to thinly spread resources.
With the homogenous platform of the iPhone and iTouch, not only can our team focus on that handset's capabilities and fully exploit them, but also the device itself really pushes the limits in power and elegant control.
As many articles have pointed out, iPhone is giving the DS and PSP a run for its money. Additionally, the iPhone SDK has been a great experience to work with. IUGO loves making games for this powerful handset.
Final thoughts on future platforms
Admittedly I must backpaddle a bit here. IUGO still develops games for all the major platforms - it just so happens that all of our games in development right now are for the iPhone.
With the mobile games environment on a fast track to smartphone dominance, IUGO wants to focus on making games for all high-end devices and smart phones, regardless of the platform.
Apple introduced a device that put the mobile world on its ear and now others are scrambling to catch up. This combined with the non-existent budgets in today's economic climate have steered IUGO to its current path of iPhone development.
The mobile biz can change direction at the snap of a finger, however, and IUGO is ready to take a hard left!
About the author: Sarah Thomson, IUGO
Sarah Thomson is an emerging leader in the mobile industry. A strong belief in bringing innovation and quality to mobile games drives Sarah to cultivate success and recognition for IUGO as a high-end mobile games developer.
IUGO is seeking partners who share our vision of excellence within the mobile space. For more information, see the IUGO website.
