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Gameloft's Rowley reveals why Android Market isn't as 'consumer friendly' as publishers would like

Firm unable to target builds at specific handsets

Gameloft's Rowley reveals why Android Market isn't as 'consumer friendly' as publishers would like
There's been a lot of talk of late regarding possible issues with Android Market and, more specifically, the reason why it isn't necessarily the first port of call for many publishers.

Most such instances have centred around consumer isolation.
Angry Birds for Android, for instance, initially launched on GetJar for free because of concerns that Google Checkout would restrict younger gamers, and those in countries where the marketplace doesn't support paid purchases, from buying the title.

News that Gameloft's Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus will only be available on the publisher's own Android Store, however, centres around a different issue entirely.

Qualifying qualityIn a email to Pocket Gamer, Gameloft UK PR and marketing manager Callum Rowley set out to explain why the publisher is adverse to throwing its weight behind Google's marketplace.

"Since its origin, Gameloft's philosophy has always been to create the best experience for each consumer, creating the games he liked and the handset he had, and to sell those games through the most consumer friendly distribution channels," Rowley said in the email.

"To accomplish this, we have decided to create a wide range of games to satisfy all users and cultures, but also to adapt them for any device available on the market so that each version would be the best possible."

Rowley claims the reason why Android Market doesn't fit the bill on this score is because it would lead to Gameloft having to code their titles for multiple handsets, all at once.

"As it stands, the submission rules on Android Market Place do not accept that we submit the games per device, meaning a build must work on a range of devices in order to appear on the marketplace - you can imagine how tricky this might be, or the potential perils it brings considering how many devices are out there.

"As a result this means we're unable to fine tune our games (to provide the best quality game per device) and achieve a perfect shopping experience for our fans, and this is why we have decided to launch our games on stores that allow this - i.e. our store and some carriers' stores."

Fragmentation phobia

Gameloft's stance has a familiar feel to it.

Earlier on in Android's life, there was concern that many consumers would miss out on apps – or, even worse, install them only to find they didn't work – because the range of handsets available all ran different versions of the OS.

As a result, Google made fragmentation a top priority, taking steps to ensure as many handsets as possible run the latest version of Android currently on the market. Most indicators suggest the firm has enjoyed some success on this score.

However, Rowley claims that Gameloft is looking to deliver its titles in prime condition to each and every Android customer, hinting that to accommodate the nuances in each and every handset in one app would bring down its overall quality for all.

"When it comes to our own store, we have the power and control to make it the best experience we possibly can," he added.

"We have 250 people working on the store worldwide who work to customise it for each country and each carrier. Our teams work on a daily basis to deliver the best shopping experience and our consumer satisfaction rate for our store remains at a very high level.

"We understand that some consumers prefer other shopping experiences and we respect their choice, and we hope that one day we'll have our games on the Android Market Place, but we have to wait until the climate is right so we can uphold our commitment to quality."

So, as things stand, Gameloft is reluctant to deliver its full roster of titles to Android Market, believing that it's the consumers that would lose out if it did.

However, while being an open platform – and, in turn, allowing users to download apps from marketplaces of their own choosing – is a key feature of Android, it's questionable whether Google's OS will ever be able to truely challenge iOS and its App Store if it's unable to serve up an equally palatable marketplace of its own.

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