As you no doubt already know, Apple released the iPhone software 3.0 update today. It’s available now through iTunes. The new features that 3.0 bring to gaming on the iPhone has caused excitement around the industry.
Here are some recent comments:
Smule creator Dr. Ge Wang says:
“iPhone OS 3.0 fundamentally changes the mobile social experience. With OS 3.0, mobile applications are not limited to passive, isolated experiences, but instead may achieve a new level of social engagement”.
Ian Lynch Smith, Co-Founder and Vice President of Freeverse
Smith feels that OS 3.0 turns the iPhone and iPod Touch into a next generation gaming platform. From Push notifications for turn based games, to Peer-to-Peer connectivity to In App Purchases, games are now taking center stage in the emerging App Store ecosystem. Smith also makes the following predictions:
- Push Notification in OS 3.0 is going to vastly increase the appeal of social turn-based games and time-sensitive event based gaming on the iPhone.
- Increasing success on the App Store for OS 3.0 will be about creating a long term relationship with your users.
- With in-app purchases, iPhone 3.0 lets game developers continue the life of a game long after its release.
Chris Byatte, Director Chillingo says:
“OS.30 is significant for us in many respects, and compounded with tomorrow’s launch of the 3GS. Its release has been well orchestrated and, more interestingly, is highly anticipated by consumers. What this will hopefully mean is a faster uptake of the upgrade in the UK, and less ‘dumbing down’ for game development to allow for older OS and different handsets – something that has consistently held back the wider mobile gaming market.”
The scope for Chillingo and its game development partners to push the more heavy-duty gaming titles like CS.ONE forward will literally boom overnight when the upgrade hits. I can honestly see iPhone gaining ground at a much more accelerate pace on the established handheld gaming formats: not necessarily eating into their market, but co-existing and offering feature-benefits only possible on an iPhone or iPod Touch. This is a significant milestone for consumers and developers.”
Shay Casey, CEO, H.Grenade
“The new OS3.0 from Apple is an amazing opportunity to open up the iPhone as a more viral and social gaming platform. Push notification will be incredibly important for any game developer moving forward. The next biggest impact I think will be downloadable content. Will we see a ton of $.99-to-play MMOGs with a long term commerce system or are the iPhone gamers more of the purchase-play-move-on category. Publisher and developers are rightfully nervous that the App Store is like the dime store of software. Does DLC help with that impression amongst the industry or is it going to hurt it further? Only time will tell.”
“The thing I am most excited about is the rating system. Now Apple doesn’t have to worry about offending anyone by offering mature games. Grand Theft Auto could not have happened in the App Store even if Rockstar were interested, which was too bad considering the amount of “explicit” tracks available in iTunes. Not to mention tons of South Park episodes and other R rated movies and TV shows. Now games should finally be on an even playing field. Personally, I really hope that the market will start to shift away from cute, boring stuff and on to games with more risk and more reward. It can’t happen soon enough, if you ask me! We’ve really been campaigning hard and getting a superb response from titles like Circuit_Strike.One.”
“There’s a massive market for games with more in-depth control schemes and more challenge, but players really have to hunt for them. Fortunately, as this category grows it’s spawning an extremely pro-active specialist media, who will be instrumental in championing the gamers’ games.”
“The other interesting development for us if the opportunity for great peripherals with the Stereo Bluetooth for expanding the experience, like a pair of VR shades with an IMAX style surround screen and noise canceling headphones. Sell that with a wireless true six-axis dual thumbstick controller that you could use by touch alone and the iPhone could achieve a level of immersion not yet seen in gaming in general not just on a mobile platform.”
