TIGA, the network for game developers and digital publishers, have revealed the key finding from its 2014 Toolbox report and it shows that developers are refocusing their attention on the current generation of consoles.
The results - taken from a survey of 100 UK game developers - show that Apple’s iPhone and iPad were the most popular devices amongst developers, with 72-73% working on iOS platforms; however, the current generation of consoles has seemed to entice developers into jumping across to the hardware, following the success of the release, with 52% of devs planning to develop for the Xbox One and 48% for the PlayStation 4.
The PlayStation Vita has also seen considerable growth, seeing the fourth largest increase when it comes to devs developing for the hardware - a growth of 11%.
The success of these ‘new’ platforms may come at a cost to mobile and PC games, with 15% of developers planning on dropping titles on the platforms in the future. With that being said, 63% of developers are still highlighting PC as a key platform for development (almost double those focusing on Mac at 35%).
Dr. Richard Wilson, CEO of Tiga, stated: “The 2014 Toolbox Report shows developers are significantly refocusing their attention on the new generation consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Both Microsoft and Sony have invested heavily in engaging developers, especially indies, to make games for their platforms. This investment seems to be paying off. The PS Vita’s position as the 5th biggest change (and 4thlargest increase) also ties in neatly with Sony’s efforts to boost sales by focusing on the handhelds close compatibility with the PlayStation 4. It’s also interesting to note that a smaller proportion of developers plan to develop games on the iPad and iPhone in the future. This is probably due to the congested marketplace developers face given the popularity of Apple’s platform, and the challenges for discoverability this brings.”
The popularity of engines was also reported, with Unity 3D being used by 62% of developers, internal engines being used by 47% and the Unreal Engine being used by 12%, with similar percentages being seen for wanting to work with the respective engines in the future.
The complete table of results can be seen below:
Q: What are the top platforms that you develop for?
- iPad 73%
- iPhone 72%
- PC 63%
- Android 62%
- Mac 35%
- Windows Phone 22%
- Xbox 360 18%
- PlayStation 3 18%
- Xbox One 17%
- PlayStation 4 15%
- Linux 14%
- Other 12%
- PS Vita 11%
- Wii U 8%
- Wii 7%
- Smart TV / Set Top Box 7%
- BlackBerry 6%
- Nintendo 3DS 3%
- None of the above 1%
