I develop mobile games since 2002, someone in the Mobile Games Veterans Group (and in the industry) develops mobile games since the first Nokia has built in Snake.
The first thing I learnt was: "write once runs everywhere" is a lie. A game developed for a Nokia 3510 (to make an example) doesn't run on a Siemens (and viceversa). Screen sizes, APIs, HEAP memory, model specific issues, bugs and implementations are things a good developer learns to fight with.
I can clearly remember that my thoughts in 2004 were: "ok, this is the thing right now, but in the future things should be a little better, one years or two and I can get rid of Nokia S40, Sharp GX series and Siemens phones".
Now we are in the second half of 2008, are the things changed? No at all! Today we develop for powerfull phones with fast processors, decent screen sizes, plenty of heap memory but operators (and publishers) ask us games that have to run on old old old old phones.
I know, the more the compatibility the more the game sells, but... what is today the market share for a 3510i? and for a Sharp GX? and for a Siemes phone?
I see dozen of download reports every week, and these phones doesn't download games! From my point of view, these ports are costs that have no returns at all. Why, then, operators/publishers continues to include these phones in their compatibility lists? Looks like, to make an example, EA ports the last FIFA game for a C64 or a 486 PC; but these platform doesn't sell then EA doesn't develop for them!
What I'm asking is: cut off old (and not selling) phones! Look at the reports, and see wich phones do not download at all, if they do not download, why continue to develop for them?
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