GDC Europe & GamesCon

The InMobi team have just returned from Europe's biggest games conference - GDC Europe. We had a great time chatting with all the developers who came to show off their mobile wares. I wanted to share some of the highlights of the trip with you.

YoYoGames

First up, YoYoGames and their GameMaker software.  

Working in a GUI, it's a fun and easy way to get started in mobile game development. Their HTML5 version is coming out soon. We all loved their latest game "They Need To Be Fed" which is available on Android and iOS. Well worth buying.

Papaya Mobile

Oscar from Papaya gave us a master-class in social gaming.  

Top Tips included...

• Remember that different types of players need different types of rewards
• No one wants to be number 5,234,891 on the leaderboard - let people compete with friends
• There's no such thing as a "freeloader" - every player adds to your ecosystem
• Let players share their achievements - but be careful not be seen as a spammer

If you're a developer and want to include social features in your game, download the Papaya Social SDK now.

FishLabs

The geniuses at FishLabs gave us an detailed walk-through on how you convert an intensive 3D game from iPhone to Android.

The results are spectacular. Galaxy On Fire 2is available on NVIDIA Tegra android devices and the Xperia PLAY. Shows what you can achieve using the Android NDK.

PixOwl

Last, but not least, PixOwl. You may have seen the video demo for their brand new game "SandBox". What blew us away was their "Doodle Grub" game. Fast, fun, innovative, and with graphics to die for. It proves that sometimes simple ideas really are the best.  

The game is available on Android and iOS.

Key Thoughts

Some thoughts we had when the conference was over:

• Where were the Windows Phone 7 developers? Lots of iPhone and Android - even the occasional BlackBerry developer - but nothing on WP7. Strange - as it really is built with gaming in mind.
• We've passed the point where mobile gaming was at the standard of old 16-bit consoles. How long before they overtake Xbox & Playstation in the graphics stakes?
• Game design talent comes from all over the world. We met great developers from all over America, Europe, and Asia. We even bumped into the Iranian delegation!
• Every single game developer we met had plans to move into mobile. While there will always be a place for console & PC gaming - we think more and more customer time will be spent playing on phones.

...and finally

Our very own Victoria met the Duracel Bunny!  

It doesn't get much better than that! Can't wait for next year...