Tag Archives: Games Developer

Could Train2Game students develop games for an Apple console in future?

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Apple Train2Game

Train2Game students are very aware that Apple’s iPhone is one of the best platforms to start in the games industry. The App store provides a portal for small independent developers to distribute games to a very wide audience, and some like Cut The Rope go on to be very, very successful indeed.

(Games Industry consultant Nicholas Lovell recently told Train2Game about how indie games developers can distribute their games)

There was a time where nobody would have expected a mobile phone produced by Apple to become such a force in the world of mobile gaming, so what else could the company try their hand at? Well, according to EA Senior Vice President Patrick Soderlund Apple could develop a games console and challenge Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation.

CVG asked Soderlund if Apple were to move from mobile gaming into mainstream gaming, if they could challenge the established giants. The EA Vice President replied:

If it was anyone but Apple, I’d say that’s going to be very hard,”

“I still think it’s going to be extremely hard for them but they’ve surprised many people before.

“Look at what they did with the iPhone, right? They are a truly brilliant company so I would give them a relatively good chance to succeed if they tried.”

In October, there were rumours that Apple were going to purchase one of the giant games companies, while Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime is on the record saying that Apple are the biggest threat to Nintendo.

Naturally, if Apple did decide to produce a games console of their own in the future, it could eventually provide another platform for Train2Game students to develop games for.

So Train2Game, do you think Apple will attempt a move into mainstream gaming in future? If so, do you agree with the VP of EA that they could actually succeed?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Square Enix show even struggling developers can become hugely successful

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Square Enix must be a very happy publisher. Why? Only because their sales increased by 41.7% in the fiscal year ending in March 2010 compared to 2008-2009. The Japanese giant’s sales total for the 12 month period came to £1.5 billion, or 192.3 billion yen if you think that sounds more impressive.

Of course, the release of Final Fantasy XIII – the first game in the series for current generation of consoles – was a huge boost for Square Enix as millions of copies have been sold worldwide and it’s still performing strongly in the charts. The companies’ acquisition of British publisher Eidos last year also means that Square Enix will have taken a slice of the profits from the hugely successful Batman: Arkham Asylum along with a number of other titles.

So, 2009-2010 was a highly successful year for Square Enix, who with the Final Fantasy series have a history of well selling, successful games. However, things weren’t always so rosy for Square – as the developer was known before the merger with Enix in 2003.

Back in 1987 Square was still a small developer and despite some moderate success with previous titles, the company was flirting with bankruptcy.  They thought the game they had in production would be their last, so they called it Final Fantasy. Fortunately for Square this ‘Final’ Fantasy was a massive it and went onto spawn one of the biggest franchises in gaming – big enough to help contribute to making £1.5 billion!

Train2Game students can definitely take something from this tale. After all, the games industry can be a tough environment to forge a career in – just travel back in time and ask someone from Square Enix circa 1987! But perseverance is the key, keep pushing and keep doing the right things and it’s possible to overcome even the most daunting barriers. Do you think you can help produce the next massive franchise? Does your current project have that potential? Let us know.