‘Publishers are becoming dev saviors on App Storeâ??

Publishers are returning to the App Store as developers now see more reasons to partner with them.

That was the observation made by Mobile Entertainment’s prolific online editor Stuart Dredge, who presented a speaker session on mobile phone apps during the inaugural Develop in Liverpool conference.

“With so much competition, you have to really build buzz around your game on the App Store,” said Dredge.

Apple recently revealed that there are now over 100,000 apps available on the App Store; a frightening number for indie developers looking to make a living from the online portal.

“When the App Store started out, everyone was saying that they don’t need publishers anymore. Many thought that they could just stick their games on there, make a fortune and give Apple just a 30 per cent cut.”

However, publishers are starting to emerge again on the App Store, as discoverability becomes an increasingly pressing issue for most iPhone game developers.

“The App Store now has downward pricing pressure and ferocious competition,” Dredge said.

“Sure, if you make a hit on an iPhone you can make a lot of money, I know there’s a lot of news headlines saying things like ‘man develops iPhone game in bedroom and makes fortune’, but a lot of companies have spent a lot of money on the iPhone, and haven’t got what they wanted.”

Dredge concluded that, in an environment where developers are finding it increasingly hard to get noticed, the publicity opportunities that publishers provide can give developers more returns, despite the higher cut.