Why being a gamer with an Android phone can seriously suck sometimes

Threes coming to the Xbox One could be kinda cool, as I discussed recently. It’s not nearly as momentous compared to when the game finally debuted on the Android platform, though.

See, I own a Galaxy S4 phone. I will never, ever own an iPhone. This means I get regularly shafted when it comes to mobile games. It seems that whenever the latest and greatest mobile game is released, it’s exclusively for the iOS platform. Granted, this isn’t that big of a shock; Wired’s Ryan Rigney took on this very subject in a piece last year. The biggest takeaway makes the most amount of sense: more people are buying on iOS devices than they are on the Android platform. David Kalina, the co-creator of Walking Mars, said that the game sold over 140,000 copies on iOS but less than 5,000 on Android.

Based on these numbers alone, I can’t imagine why a developer wouldn’t make a game for iOS first and then release on Android should it prove to be successful. Consider the fact, too, that there are many mobile developers who are a small outfit. Given limited resources, you’re more likely to release on a platform that has proven results. Sure, the developers are making excellent decisions, but as an Android owner, I’m basically SOL unless the game is ported over.

This is the problem as an Android owner. I’m used to looking across the aisle and seeing friends and colleagues talk and Tweet about how they’re addicted to a brand new mobile game. I then naturally look at the Google Play Store, only to find dozens upon dozens of bad clones, slowly realizing that the real deal is only on iOS.

Thankfully, patience is often rewarded in these situations. The best of the best seem to always be ported over to the Android platform. Still, the wait can be pretty bad sometimes, especially since by the time I’ve downloaded the game, people have moved on to the next big deal.