Typical dev response to making an iOS or Android app for WP

[frett]

My family is all sitting around playing Spaceteam for iOS and Android. We are at a family reunion with probably 4 Android devices and 25 iOS devices. I'm the only one with a Windows Phone.

I checked out the dev's website for Spaceteam and found this FAQ:

Will there be a version for Windows Phone??!

Not any time soon I'm afraid. I just don't have the time, resources, or experience to do the port myself and since Spaceteam doesn't make a lot of money I can't justify paying someone to help.
It's possible that in the future I will port the game to Unity or some other engine that supports many different platforms, but I have no plans to do this at the moment.

​

This seems to be a common refrain among developers. Unfortunately, by the time the dev makes enough money to consider porting this to WP, the fad will be over. I don't blame him one bit for ignoring WP, but it's frustrating. Is WP that difficult to develop in or port to? Why do some apps/games port quickly and others do not? Is Microsoft still encouraging devs with money?

Just curious to see what everyone thinks--especially the developers reading this.

 

[Chregu]

My family is all sitting around playing Spaceteam for iOS and Android. We are at a family reunion with probably 4 Android devices and 25 iOS devices. I'm the only one with a Windows Phone.

I know, this might be very obvious comment, but why are you guys having a family reunion when you then don't talk to each other?

 

[frett]

I know, this might be very obvious comment, but why are you guys having a family reunion when you then don't talk to each other?

LOL Your question is legitimate, but you obviously don't know about Spaceteam. Or you don't play games as a family when you get together.

You can play up to 4 people at a time through local WiFi or even Bluetooth(!) and it's quite entertaining--even if all I can do it watch.

 

[frett]

I just got a very fast and gracious reply from Henry Smith, the developer. As he states in his FAQ, he doesn't have the time, resources, or knowledge to do a WP version.

So, are most developers creating apps in parallel on iOS and Android? Or do they do port one to the other? Is there no market for people to just specialize in re-writing/porting an app from one OS to another? I'm sure there is and I am just clueless.

 

[appeveli]

I am a developer and I understand your frustration. The problem is, developers are caught up in the Android and iOS ecosystem. Those ecosystems are overcrowded, I believe many developers will start developing games for the platform. I don't think it is difficult to develop for windows phone. It is a lot easier to develop for windows phone than Android, from my experiences. I just published a game called "Decades of Harmony" for windows phone. I plan on developing more apps for this ecosystem to help users have the same, or better experience as iOS and Android users.

 

[frett]

@appeveli I really appreciate your insight from a developer's viewpoint, and I hope you have success with your app(s)!

 

[a5cent]

Why do some apps/games port quickly and others do not?

The Spaceteam developer indirectly already answered that question. Newer games are typically developed using a cross platform framework, like Unity. That game then doesn't interact directly with the OS, but with Unity. Unity is available on Android, iOS and WP, so porting such a game is just a matter of a few days or weeks at most. On the other hand, Spaceteam does interact directly with the OS. Porting such a game is almost equivalent to a complete rewrite, which can easily take months and months of work, which isn't easy if you've got a day job.

 

[k0de]

This seems to be a common refrain among developers. Unfortunately, by the time the dev makes enough money to consider porting this to WP, the fad will be over. I don't blame him one bit for ignoring WP, but it's frustrating. Is WP that difficult to develop in or port to? Why do some apps/games port quickly and others do not? Is Microsoft still encouraging devs with money?

Just curious to see what everyone thinks--especially the developers reading this.

Is WP that difficult to develop in or port to? Nope

Why do some apps/games port quickly and others do not? Is up to the dev team.

Is Microsoft still encouraging devs with money? Yes, up to 80% of app revenue. More than any other platform can offer.

Rip, Rip, Rip.

The excuse is market share. But with all honestly. My thoughts. I don't think that the is the reason. There is something else to it.

I don't know what. And I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps some expert can elaborate to your questions.