Supermono's Tak Fung on why Windows Phone 7's focus on games is key

Weighing up the pros and cons of a new format is something every developer has to consider whenever a new hat is thrown into the ring.

The risk of backing a dead horse is one most can't afford to take financially, yet the prospect of missing out on a format that quickly takes off is equally damning.

In the case of Supermono - the new name for Tak Fung's outfit; now two developers strong - it's bringing its iPhone classic MiniSquadron to Windows Phone 7.

We caught up with Tak to get his take on platform.

Pocket Gamer: How did you get involved with developing for Windows Phone 7?

Tak Fung: I was approached by Microsoft to do a port of MiniSquadron.

What is the platform like to work with?

The platform is very nice to work with. Its strength and weakness, however, is that it uses C# as the development environment.

This meant I had to port my code over entirely, but as I had some C# experience it wasn't too bad. The libraries themselves are very simple to work with.

What opportunities does Windows Phone 7 offer?

It's another platform to expose my games to.

Do you think Windows Phone 7's emphasis on games will give it an advantage over other smartphone?

I think this will give Microsoft a certain amount of persuasion to people who already have an Xbox Live account and are looking to buy a mobile phone.

I think Xbox Live is an excellent service from the Xbox 360 and that's certainly a good selling point for a Windows Phone 7.

What facets of the platform will you be looking to tap into?

Taking more advantage of Xbox Live integration sounds very interesting.

Would you say the smartphone market is becoming overcrowded?

I think so, but there is a real focus on gaming with Windows Phone 7, which I don't think the other phones have - apart from the iPhone and to a certain extent Android phones.

Any further plans for Windows Phone 7 in future?

None as yet, but we will see after MiniSquadron is out.

Thanks to Tak for his time.