[casual_games] iPhone SDK (& revenue sharing in general)

[Joe Schultz]

Agreed the iPhone revenue share sounds good.

To provide a little perspective, a 70-30 split was a fairly standard  
deal before online took off, i.e. before portals strong-armed  
unknowing devs into accepting the same or worse in a purely virtual  
environment. Just ask any portal to justify their taking the lion's  
share of the profit from the developers labor and listen how quickly  
the talk turns into the standard string of "umm everyone's doing it"  
excuses.

Adding, Portals are increasingly forcing a "no negotiation" policy on  
new deals, which is just another slap to the face IMO.

No matter how you justify it "Portals" (if there are any here  
listening) the result is the same; you're cannibalizing your own  
profit source and helping bring ruin to the industry, all for the sake  
of unchecked greed, pure and simple. The upside for us Devs is that it  
will only be bad for as long as we (including YOU) put up with it.

Sure holding out for better terms might not help sell your game in the  
short term, but over time, the more devs do not accept whatever paltry  
'standard' deal they are thrown, the more we accept nothing less than  
what we're worth, the more portals will realize that their attitude of  
"we've got guys lining up around the corner to give us content"  
results in nothing more than crap quality. Would you accept such an  
attitude from your S.O. in your personal relationships? No, you'd dump  
them and say "good luck". So why accept it in your professional  
relationships?

Remember, as content makers, you have all the power. If you're a  
developer, and are reading this, the question you need to ask yourself  
is "am I part of the problem or the solution?".
______

If you need help seeing the big picture, just look at the mass  
developer exodus from mobile gaming, after carrier strong-arm tactics  
made it impossible to do anything that is not derivative and  
unprofitable (to the dev) and you'll see the same lessons repeating  
here in casual.

In fact, look at every other creative business and you'll see the same  
strong-arm tactics used, until the industry is on the verge of  
creative bankruptcy (more clones anyone?) and the customers have no  
reason to care anymore (can you blame them?)

This will continue until we the creators unite and refuse to accept  
any less than what we're worth. In solidarity we can take the power  
back (BELIEVE IT).

Sadly, there are those amongst us in the industry who think it's still  
advantageous to try to be a gate-keeper instead of an content enabler,  
all in effort to take the lion's share and screw the content makers; a  
"short-sighted" view, at best.

Devs, if this is reaching you, do your part to help us start by making  
good games and saying "no" to abusive distributors (you know who you  
are).

joe

Joe Schultz
Game Director
ByDesign Games
http://www.bydesigngames.com



On Mar 7, 2008, at 22:20 , Brian Meidell Andersen wrote:


> I think 70% revenue share sounds good compared to the level we are  

> used to from the casual games industry at large.

>


On Mar 7, 2008, at 22:20 , Brian Meidell Andersen wrote:


> I think 70% revenue share sounds good compared to the level we are  

> used to from the casual games industry at large.

>