'Apple doesn’t care': Why one longtime indie role-playing game maker has left iOS

GamesBeat: "Jeff Vogel never pulls any punches. So when the longtime indie success story released the Avernum 2 role-playing game recently on iOS — then yanked it days later — we knew he’d have some pointed things to say. Here’s the story of why you won’t be able to get future Spiderweb Software games on iPad despite the company’s successful sales for tablets in the past. Also, a suggestion: Better move fast if you want the company’s older works on the platform (Avernum, Avadon, Avadon 2)."

[midnightambler]

I'd be more surprised to read "Apple does care." Seriously, though, I'm sure it isn't good for one company to have such total control over a single gaming platform.

[rainslacker]

There's Android as well, so at least Apple doesn't have a total monopoly. The biggest problem is is that a lot of low budget developers think the Apple store is a goldmine waiting for prospecting, when the truth is is that on 1 in 10K games actually makes enough money to be worth the time to release on the system. The money is there, but success is rather rare. This is true on Droid as well.

What this guy is saying though is that Apple is forcing obsolescence by not allowing legacy code. They eventually stop supporting old stuff, which is reasonable, but when they do so, they completely remove the ability of that code to run by removing the stuff required to run it...which is unreasonable, and not good for developers.

[ScorpiusX]

Apple has never cared for gaming they just want some of the money , yes everyone does but at least those others make an effort to do tons , help and even care .

[LifeInNZ]

They dont care about gaming yet look at their gaming app revenues!

[WizzroSupreme]

Apple's never cared about gaming. That's evident enough by the amount of time I spend on my PC and consoles compared to my MacBook. The only good thing the latter's for these days is Garage band, really.

[MilkMan]

500 games a day and not 1 worth sh$^%

[LifeInNZ]

Dont have an ios device but there are some great games available on the platform....Hearthstone is a great example. Most tablets support mice and controllers nowadays so there are some great games to be had on mobile devices.

[Baka-akaB]

So basically he's blaming mobiles' hardware and coding evolutions , when he can't keep up with it to release 16bits looking games .

Of course apple doesnt care , you came to their ecosystem , and till it works financially they wont cater to you . They were never about revolutionizing gaming or making it better . If anything they made it regress

At least he acknowledges the same issues , only magnified , should he decide to go over the android world

[rainslacker]

No, he's blaming the forced obsolescence that Apple implements within their systems. Apple doesn't have to remove legacy code to force upgrades, but they do. One reason is that it forces people to upgrade their software purchases, which means more money for them. Another is that when they remove the code, they no longer have to support the older code, which is good for their profits as that requires resources.

This would be no different than if MS removed the ability to run 16 or 32 bit code on the PC. It's possible to do, but there is no reason for them to do so, since the ability to run that code is already within the system.

There are advantages to not supporting legacy code, but they end up being terrible for the consumer because it means a complete upgrade to new software.

All that being said, this is nothing new from Apple. It's been around since the Iphone3 at least. The only game I released on there doesn't work anymore, despite being a fairly simplistic game. IMO, though, this guy may be better off getting an engine which could do the port quickly, and simply issue an update to the program. It's not that hard to do, and any iOS game engine can build to 32 or 64 bit.

[lemoncake]

"In my repeated experience, any device more than a few years old loses the ability to run the new operating systems."

Didn't bother reading after that as it cannot be further from the truth, my ipad 2 bought years ago still is being fully supported with the latest operating system. This is one of the good things about Apple hardware unlike my samsung android device which never received a newer os version than the one it came with.

[Gohadouken]

He knows that his run of the mill games have no staying power and are doomed if peope stop talking about them . And well he can't keep up with coding those on new hardware , and can't stay relevant then . Still i dont see how it's Apple issue , he seems fickle and know very well the perils of that trend over quality silly market .

[hiredhelp]

Lemoncake i have 3 girls they all have mini ipads built on 2nd gen ipad 2.
Iphone 4s still fully supported your right.

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

My girlfriend's 4S is so full of bloatware she can put zig zag on it and 200 songs. While the issue of support is not lacking, the huge issue of bloatware is a shame to a once great brand.

Yet my father's android which is older then the 4S has all the new updates and works perfectly with barely any loss in space.

[rainslacker]

You can get the new OS, but it can remove features which can prevent programs from working, which is really what he's trying to say. Eventually your iPad will not be supported with new OS's anymore. Apple will change the hardware enough and they don't really care to support things longer than they have to.

I do agree with you on Droid. Even Windows Phone OS has this problem...which sucks because it really started getting good after the release of the version I currently have that isn't supported on my phone.:(

[Mrveryodd]

iPads are tops , in my house anyway .
I tried teaching my wife how to play games on the PC ... That did not work out well ;(
Since we have got her an iPad , she loves it . The laptop we bought her just sits in a draw .
Not saying all the games are good on iOS , but there are some gems there.

[Question_Mark]

it's a good thing I bought Avernum 2 early, then. It's an absolutely huge game. If you don't mind simplistic graphics and sounds, there's an amazing game underneath.

[Maxor]

I'm sorry but the competition on the PC is even worst. There are CRPGs epics cominng out all the time. The way forward for his niche games lives on the iPad. If he can just chill out a bit he'll realize this. Abandoning iOS is a huge mistake, one which I'm sure he'll correct over time.

[gokuking]

Apple is a company that stumbled upon a gaming goldmine in the app store. They're not interested in running a video games business and their actions are evidence of that.