Hot Five

The PG.biz Hot Five: Piracy rates pummelling devs on Android, Jetpack Joyride jumps, and iOS studios predict death of home consoles

Last week's top five stories

The PG.biz Hot Five: Piracy rates pummelling devs on Android, Jetpack Joyride jumps, and iOS studios predict death of home consoles
Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.

Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.

Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.



Why Apple and RIM were the big news at London Android show Droidcon 2011

Hot footing it down to London town, Pocket Gamer's smartphone editor Will Wilson was at Droidcon 2011 on behalf of PG.biz last week.

While the event was not solely a games focused one, it certainly demonstrated how important they are for the future of Android.

Undoubtedly the biggest question of the event, however (and arguably one on the mind of every mobile developer the world over) was just how do you make money on Google's platform? Answers on a postcard, if you will.

Click here to read more.



GDC Online 11: Android's piracy and compatibility issues mean it's not a viable platform for us says Appy's Sargent

Android might be top in terms of market share, but Appy Entertainment's Steven Sargent is less sure it's an enjoyable one to develop for.

"We're a very Apple friendly company. We hadn't even seen an Android phone before we started the porting process," Sargent said, as a precursor to his talk about the studio's operations on Google's platform.

"The audio was very buggy, and we couldn't work out how to fix it, so we didn't. And just as the company was getting to grips with the process; Android 2.3 came out and broke everything".

Bugs weren't the only problem Appy faced. Piracy also reared its ugly head, to a degree the studio wasn't prepared for. 

"The piracy rate on Android was 70:1 compared to 3:1 on iOS," Sargent revealed. "That's crippling."

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iOS 5 a far bigger leap for developers than any Android update, claims Bolt Creative CEO Castelnuovo

Those on either side of the smartphone platform wars - Android or iOS - don't need any additional material to use when leaping to the defence of their chosen platform.

In an interview with Bolt Creative CEO Dave Castelnuovo, however, we may have found some anyway.

"I think it would be an insult to the devs at Apple to say that something is missing." he said.

"iOS 5 is probably the biggest update to the platform so far, and this update is much larger than what Google can add to Android in the same amount of time."

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Halfbrick's Phil Larsen on the opportunities of a market that enables global blockbusters like Fruit Ninja and very profitable niches like Jetpack Joyride

With downloads passing the 600,000 markJetpack Joyride is undoubtedly another big hit for Australian studio Halfbrick. Nonetheless, Fruit Ninja will likely always be the game most associate with the developer.

"We are aware that a game like Fruit Ninja is one of the biggest of all time," Halfbrick’s chief marketing officer, Phil Larsen told us.

"To replicate that isn't an easy task, so we make every project work for us in the best possible way to give us even more information about who we are and what we can do better."

Larsen went on to detail how emerging business models on mobile are givinf developers much more freedom.

"Freemium has a lot more legs now, and that has only given developers more options. Paid charts are still on the rise overall and other revenue paths have surfaced - there's more options today than ever before."

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iOS 5's AirPlay Mirroring will be the beginning of the end for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, reckons Mobile Pie's Will Luton

Rarely is debate spurred on quite as vehemently as when individuals in the industry highlight the potential death of a platform at the hands of another.

You can imagine the fallout when Mobile Pie's creative director Will Luton predicted the death of all home consoles thanks to the rise of Apple. In fact, you don't need to imagine it - a large portion of it was played out on Twitter.

"AirPlay Mirroring is the biggest feature iOS has and a feature that will start a chain of events that will change the games industry completely, with mobile devices replacing the console." he said.

"In the future, however, I fully expect to see AirPlay certified TVs, and when that becomes ubiquitous, it'll kill Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3."

Click here to read more.

Until next week, PocketGamer.biz pickers...
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When Matt was 7 years old he didn't write to Santa like the other little boys and girls. He wrote to Mario. When the rotund plumber replied, Matt's dedication to a life of gaming was established. Like an otaku David Carradine, he wandered the planet until becoming a writer at Pocket Gamer.