William Volk, CCO

Post featured on Gamasutra

I’ve always believed that a “software meritocracy” … a market with entry to all and rewards to winners … would create a massive wave of game development … and the iPhone App Store has proved this true.

Meanwhile Nintendo has been having some problems. The 3DS has not sold as well as expected, even after Nintendo discounted the device (something they had not done for such a new item in quite some time … maybe Virtual Boy?). The Wii’s appeal has wained and the prospects for the next generation hardware are uncertian.

The result:

The last six months may have been much worse for Nintendo than the company has previously admitted. According to Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun–as related by Reuters, Nintendo will show a fiscal first-half loss of 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) when it announces its earnings tomorrow.

At the same time there’s a real hunger for Nintendo IP on iOS and other devices. An example would be “Duck Hunt AR” which was an augemented reality version of the classic “Duck Hunt” game. The app has already been pulled from the store, probably becuse of copyright issues.

Video demo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgIhNIb1L5E

There is no doubt that Nintendo has created some of the greatest games in video game history and I for one, know they would be blockbusters on the iPhone and similar devices.

So, will Nintendo go the way of Sega and become a game publisher? Well unless some major changes occur, that seems to be a good probability.

William Volk, CCO

Post featured on Gamasutra

Many of us wouldn’t be doing what we do if it wasn’t for Mr. Jobs. What’s more, he has changed the world of gaming in a way that just being realized.

From my first published game, coded the Apple II (Avalon Hill, Conflict 2500) in 1980, to the Mac games I wrote in 1984/5 (The Pyramid of Peril, Mac Challenger) to the first CD-ROM game at Activison in 1988, to the iPhone … I’ve always been connected to Apple.

Here’s the truth … I am doing what I do today, helping to create casual/social games on mobile devices, because the iPhone App Store broke the stanglehold the mobile carriers had on content. To me, this is the most significant achievement.

Apple launched the iPhone in the summer of 2007. Prior to the launch, mobile content (ringtones, wallpapers, apps) were under the control of the operators. Anyone who complains about the iPhone App Store should ask developers what it was like to get an app “on deck” at AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon in 2005.

For all the complaints about approvals ad-nauseum, the iOS App store is the first time a ‘open’ market for software existed on a mobile device. hundred’s of thousands of apps and billions of downloads later, the historical importance of this is clear.

The idea of a ‘meritocracy’ for a software market with digital distribution is an idea who’s time has come. It is only a matter of time before all the gaming platforms adopt this as the main distribution method.

Look at the creativity this has spawned. From the Mario-sized franchise “Angry Birds” to niche games that serve all sorts of play style. This is very cool stuff.

All I can say is … Thank you Mr. Jobs.