The reasons behind the move are unknown, but news that EA Mobile's line up has mysteriously disappeared on the Android Market in Canada over the weekend adds weight to growing concerns that the marketplace isn't fit for purpose.

As discovered by tech blog Dave Loft, the publisher's catalogue – which included Need for Speed: Shift, The Sims 3 and Tetris - appear to have been withdrawn from sale.

One specific issue seems to have been an update to Need for Speed which broke the game. An older version is now available on Android Market but only in the US.

Shifting away

"I did a search for Need for Speed: Shift, Tetris and The Sims 3 and found no results," Loft says of his initial attempt to use the Canadian market. 

"I had purchased all three of these games and I now am unable to re download them from the market."

Loft then checked out the US market, but couldn't gain access to all three of the games he'd purchased. He also reported some price fluctuations in the US market, noting the various versions of each game on sale – and the price attached – differ carrier to carrier.

Marketplace muddle

Though EA is yet to offer any official comment, the publisher's activities in North America follow a spate of public problems publishers have had with Android Market.
Angry Birds developer Rovio chose to launch its multi-million selling game on GetJar for free. Likewise, Gameloft avoids Android Market altogether, making its games for the platform available on its own website.

 

As revealed by UK PR and marketing manager Callum Rowley, it's a decision the publisher took due to restrictions by Google over multiple version of the same game appearing on the marketplace.

Gameloft releases individual versions of games tailored to specific Android handsets in an attempt to avoid fragmentation – something Google doesn't permit on Android Market, instead insisting that publishers serve up universal apps.

History repeatingIt's a theme further expanded upon by VP of business development at IUGO Sarah Thomson in a guest column on PocketGamer.biz.

"When Android first came out, we were excited," says Thomson in the entry, going on to claim Android soon morphed into the new Java.

 

"This time, fragmentation wasn't just about handsets though, as handset makers and carriers can customise and utilise whichever version of the OS they want, creating an extra layer of nastiness."

Thomson paints a picture of a marketplace dogged by bad decisions, with a culture for offering apps for free - a perception developers have struggled to alter ever since.

Android also suffers from an inability by Google to get to grips with carriers unwilling to offer firmware updates to consumers.

"I really hope Google finds a way to fix the mess, but I'm not holding my breath," Thomson concludes.

[source: Letters from Dave]