AfterDawn: News

Games guru criticizes Apple's mobile gaming strategy

With the demand for the iPhone soaring worldwide, Apple's business strategy seems to be paying off, yet games guru John Carmack would not approve of the company's mobile gaming strategy. Carmack's id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment recently formed id Mobile to provide superior quality games to the mobile market. Carmack believes that Steve Jobs' strategy in the market may negatively affect the iPod and iPhone's future in gaming.

He pointed out that there are between ten and twenty times the number of mobile phones in use in the world today than computers, and more than 100 times more mobile phones in use than gaming consoles. Carmack believes that mobile gaming could eclipse conventional gaming platforms, but admits it would be no easy task.



"We've certainly been looking at it but Steve Jobs and I have not been seeing really eye to eye on a lot of important issues," Carmack told GameDaily BIZ in an interview. "We were in a fairly heated argument at the last WWDC and we've had a few follow-ups. I have an iPhone right now and it's a platform I would enjoy developing for but Apple is not taking progressive steps in regards to [gaming]. Their strategy seems to be working just fine from a business standpoint, so I'm not going to second guess them and tell them they're being fools or idiots for not focusing on this."

He went on further: "The honest truth right now is that Apple's not exactly hugely supportive of this. When they finally allowed games to be put on the iPod... in many ways it's one of the worst environments to develop games for. You have to work on an emulator... just all these horrible decisions. I expressed my fears directly to Steve Jobs that some of these mistakes might be carried over to the iPhone, so they're at least aware of all of them, but they're not giving any spectacular signs that it's going to be a big deal for them in the next year."

Source:
Electronista

Written by: James Delahunty @ 24 Nov 2007 15:01

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• 6 comments

• duckNrun

  I'm shocked that this is the case. I mean Apple and Jobs Mob IS the leading edge for PC gamining and do SOOOO much to insure that their apple fans can play games natively in the OS that should be on everyone's desktop!
  
  Oh wait... none of that is true. I don't see why ANYONE would expect Jobs to show any desire to really involve the iPhone in any major gaming scenario. If he doesn't do it for the PCs why do it for the phones?

  25.11.2007 04:50 #1

• ali2007

  yup the games would be preety good on ipod , bring some more

  25.11.2007 06:41 #2

• vinny13

  I'm happy enough with iDoom.

  25.11.2007 10:20 #3

• lecsiy

  1 You get a phone to call people
  
  2 You get a ipod to listen to music
  
  3 You get a DS to play games.
  
  4 You get a laptop to go on the internet.
  
  So the iphone is trying to combine 1,2,4. Fair enough. Number 3 is way too far. No-one wants something that does everything.
  
  Anyway thats just IMO.
  
  Lecsiy

  25.11.2007 17:05 #4

• vinny13

  Originally posted by lecsiy: 1 You get a phone to call people
  
  2 You get a ipod to listen to music
  
  3 You get a DS to play games.
  
  4 You get a laptop to go on the internet.
  
  So the iphone is trying to combine 1,2,4. Fair enough. Number 3 is way too far. No-one wants something that does everything.
  
  Anyway thats just IMO.
  
  LecsiyAhem... PSP.
  
  DS is for 2 year olds(accept Pokemon, and maybe Mario Party but they screwed me with the wi-fi). Sure, it has a touch screen but it's the worst investment I've ever made lol

  25.11.2007 22:54 #5

• borhan9

  See to me mobile gaming is not that important its not a vital thing if you want mobile gaming go and get a psp or a DS devices like that if u want phone its not a game devices its more use to be a phone or a pda the most do not make it what its not.

  20.12.2007 05:55 #6