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Australian independent outfit Halfbrick has hailed Windows Phone 7 as “the next big mobile platform”, days after the studio discovered its Fruit Ninja game has topped the mobile’s games chart.
The studio’s marketing director Phil Larsen told VG247 that Fruit Ninja is currently “the number-one selling game on Windows Phone 7” following its December 22nd release.
Yet, despite his optimism for the platform, Larsen still has reservations for Windows Phone development.
“The challenge for developing for Windows Phone is you need to accommodate for different devices with different specs,” he said.
Microsoft’s new phone OS is currently available on ten separate smartphone handsets, from manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung.
Diversity of hardware has previously been cited as a development challenge on Google’s rival OS, Android.
Larsen added that gaining spotlight status on Windows Phone’s online store requires additional dev time – though there’s no guarantee a game will be featured:
“Microsoft, for Windows Phone 7 specifically, has managed portfolios of games. Like Xbox Live Arcade there are only so many slots to have their featured game,” he said.
“They also have the indie games, which anyone can release, but if [you want to release] an official Windows Phone game you have to go through Microsoft certification, dealing with their account managers.
“They have their team testing, and you communicate with them back and forth.”
Despite the additional challenge of developing for the device, Larsen believed there are “no real barriers” for indies working on Windows Phone 7.
Fruit Ninja was last week highlighted by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as part of his Microsoft keynote speech.
