This week was buzzing with life-changing Tech News. Netflix’ dramatic price hike triggers a debate that pales the discussion about the US debt ceiling. 10 million people now discuss Google+ on Google+. Apple punishes UK users for voting against the Euro. More devs are buying an iCade. Eli and Lydia bought a dog. And Cocos2d releases the official Version 1.0 after more than three years and 2600 debates on how to properly name CCBatchNode*.
The one post that electrified me the most got little attention though, so I wanted to take a chance and point to it one more time, as I think it opens a big door for independent game developers. This is my #idevblogaday contribution for today.
Sony embraces Indies
Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida said in this article that there is a clear and growing recognition of independent developers at Sony and that the Vita development kit was specifically engineered with affordability in mind.
What I like about this, besides the obvious message, is that Sony finally found a way to say Apple did the right thing, without saying that Apple did the right thing. I think we are seeing the first tangible changes in positioning towards Indie developers of the “post Apple shock” era.
What is it with the “A-word”?
Sony and Nintendo time over time presented tremendous difficulties to even casually mention “Apple” in press statements or keynotes. Recognizing Apple officially as a player in their space is something they feel the need to push out as long as possible, for two simple reasons.
- there is no need to add any tiny bit of traction to the momentum Apple already has, like a “Nintendo admits it is afraid of Apple” headline
- if you work in upper management in a major corporation like Sony you don’t run around with a T-Shirt in front of your shareholders saying “Sorry! They completely blindsided us!”
I’m sure this will change over time, right now it is good to assume this is all still quite fresh and understand why those guys seem so reality distorted with their keynotes.
Strategic impact
When a newcomer hits an established players’ home turf and gains tractions, there are two basic strategies.
- Neglect, keep focus on classic approach, push for that segment to remain dominant. Includes a healthy dose of praying.
- Adopt
The second approach is much harder than it seems. Playing catch up with a new and nimble player is not something big corporations like doing nor are particularly good at. There is no glory in that fight, in fact it makes for an endless stream of “still not there” press.
Nintendo digs itself deeper and deeper into 1). They make 3D handhelds for the players that are so hardcore they don’t mind headaches, an HD console with a tablet that isn’t a tablet and hate Indies more than ever.
Sony played the Indie aspect more vaguely. And I think we are seeing first signs of a full fletched turn. Not because of Apple. But because of Nintendo.
Nintendo doesn’t get it
By adamantly holding its “we don’t want garage developers” position, Nintendo offers Sony a great excuse to start saying the opposite. Times will change, but at this point it is MUCH easier for Sony to take that position countering Nintendo than acknowledging Apple. What they are saying is “They don’t want you, we do!”.
What is in for Sony?
Creating a strong independent program will be very beneficial for Vita sales. That is something both Sony as well as their classic industry partners have a vital interest in and for the first time in history, an established player introducing a strong, bleeding edge device is not a guarantee for strong sales anymore. Embracing Indies can give Sony an additional amount of groundbreaking titles that will give the Vita additional exposure in the News. Everything counts.
What is in for me?
There is a HUGE difference between offering an independent game developer platform and making it a good one. The more of an outspoken strategy it is, the more a company needs to put real effort into it, make it less of a “pseudo marketplace” and remove more roadblocks.
Mind Nintendo has a downloadable game channel. It is the worst experience for the gamer ever and that directly results into abysmal sales for developers. Note Nintendo DOES work with independent publishers and developers, they “just’ want to cherry-pick the good ones. But frankly, these days I’m in a pretty convenient position as an independent developer, I pick my battles and I don’t need all the hostile messaging. In my experience, those trickle down in the company and a mediocre platform will remain mediocre for a long while, as nobody in Nintendo feels a passion for fixing it.
Microsoft is a great example of embracing Indies with the XBox in a more dedicated way but still puts tons of roadblocks out. From naming it “Indie channel” (read “B quality” as a consumer) to a sometimes strange curation process to a bad discoverability on the XBox. With the result that even the success of the best selling titles is paled by what is financially possible on Apple’s platform.
All good in Sonyland?
Not quite. I’d say these are very promising signals and worth following. If Sony is serious with that strategy and if they and their industry partners are realistic about the chances of the Vita and allow for a strong downloadable store that independent developers have equal access to, Sony has a chance to catapult itself up into becoming one of the top platforms for independent game developers. Especially in the console space, that door is still wide open.
The first thing I’ll be looking at is discoverability. Lure your customers into shopping downloadable games like there is no tomorrow. Weekly Features, categorized Top Ten lists, all the good stuff that is selling apps like crazy needs to be there. I feel very strongly that there can not be a separation between AAA titles and independent titles. App Stores can take a positive approach, like a “AAA category”, but not a negative approach that signals “B quality”, like an “Independent category”.
Ultimately, it all boils down to sales. Yes, we all have our fav platforms, but the community is about making great games, not platforms, more than ever. Financial success factors are very important picking a platform, sales numbers of successful titles tell me everything I need to know about how well any given platform is setup and managed. Try to hide those from us and I guarantee that
- We’ll find out
- We’ll be super suspicious until I find out
- We’ll find out
Invest anything you have into discovery mechanisms for games, make the top games rise to the top, get your customers to buy those games instead of creating roadblocks. In a time where the Indie community is better connected than ever before, any other strategy is illusional.
Sony seems to get it. I hope they are serious.
Let me know how you see the different platforms and their outlook in the comments!
* just to be crystal clear: I’m a huge fan of Cocos2d, use it in everything I do, have tremendous respect for Ricardo and everyone who contributed. If I make friendly fun of it, it is with the deepest respect and gratitude.
