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Casual developers can 'make millions' on Android, says G5 CEO Suglobov

iOS is not the end all

Casual developers can 'make millions' on Android, says G5 CEO Suglobov
Having made the leap from PC to smartphones, it's not unexpected that Swedish/Russian outfit G5 Entertainment would talk up the growing strength of the mobile market.

But in an interview with the official Casual Connect website, CEO Vlad Suglobov suggests too many developers are falling into the trap of focusing solely on iOS.

 

It's a strategy he believes could see them come unstuck in the years ahead.

Weekly wins

According to Suglobov, G5 releases one new game on iOS and Android a week, with its current tally having surpassed 200 smartphone games, mainly on iOS.

Compared to PC, Suglobov claims said games make "several times more on mobile" than on PC.

"In a couple of years, virtually everyone is going to have a touch-based smartphone in their pocket or a tablet in their hands capable of running casual games," added Suglobov, before noting that iOS isn't the only option.

Outside iOS

"Some publishers only focus on casual games for iPad, but it’s wrong to ignore the rest of the market, which includes iPhone and, of course, Android devices," commented Suglobov.

"In the long term, analysts expect iOS to hold only about 20 percent of the market, so bringing your games to Android is very important. And G5 achieved outstanding success in monetizing casual games on Android."

Suglobov said G5 has released 20 games on Android since July 2011 and is "making millions", with total downloads coming in at "50 times ahead of our nearest competitor in casual games on Android stores."

Going freemium, too, has proved to be a boon.

Free-for-all

"Using a free-to-play model removes the ceiling on how much a player can spend within a game," he asserted.

"If your casual game is $6.99, that’s as much as one can spend on it. If a free-to-play game is engaging and balanced in the right way, some people may spend 99c, some $4.99, but some would spend $20, $50, or several hundreds of dollars.

"I would recommend converting ... casual games to a free-to-play monetisation model first, and then add social elements. We are ready to share our recipe and knowledge with developers."

Suglobov's optimising assessment of Android comes months after he delivered a presention at Casual Connect Europe in Hamburg in February (see below), proclaiming Android the fastest growing platform on the planet for games.



[source: Casual Connect]

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