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Company: Marmalade
Platform: Android, BlackBerry OS, iOS, Mac, PC, Smart TVs, Windows Phone
Used in: Call of Duty: Black Ops – Zombies, Cut the Rope, Draw Something, Pro Evolution Soccer, Talisman
www.madewithmarmalade.com
Marmalade has blossomed into a trusted SDK for cross-platform development. It allows developers to use C++, Lua or HTML5, while working entirely within a Windows or Mac environment. Its main selling point is the ability to deploy from a single codebase to a wide range of mobile platforms, desktops and selected smart TVs.
Marmalade also welcomes third-party extensions and open source components, which can be produced in C++ and OpenGL ES.
Marmalade CTO Tim Closs is excited about the latest iteration of the SDK, Marmalade Quick, an open RAD programming environment for developers who wish to code in Lua rather than C++ and still take advantage of its cross-platform functionality.
“It sits on top of Cocos2d-x, Box2D and other best in class open source components, but adds really high-level Lua APIs that let developers achieve an awful lot with very few lines of code,” explains Closs.
Marmalade has been comparatively swift when it comes to catering to small developers that are looking to get noticed by targeting the less-established platforms such as BlackBerry and Windows Phone. And it has made sizeable gains as a result, with Marmalade users on BlackBerry increasing to 24 per cent in January, compared to fewer than three per cent last August.
“We’re looking at a mobile landscape that is becoming incredibly fragmented, and it looks like 2013 is going to be the year when consoles and handhelds start to do the same. In that kind of environment, we want to make cross-platform development as easy as possible, allowing developers to create amazing experiences regardless of the device they’re targeting,” says Closs.
“In a way, our challenges are the ones developers pass on to us. Right now, the biggest issue for developers is how to monetise mobile apps, and we’re looking to do more with Marmalade to help.”
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