Many retentive - fourth dimension Mac game developers figure it was inevitable that Apple would one day add together premium games to its iPod medicine player . But when that day finally come earlier this month , many of those same biz developers were left wish they could be a part of it .

Of the nine games that made their launching with the iTunes Store , all but two were developed by software maker outside of Apple . However , none of the games came from the company that Mac gamers usually expect to see on Apple hardware .

The result ? Many game developers find themselves dumbfound by Apple ’s decision .

“ We ’re really glad to see Apple start to take the iPod in this direction , ” said Glenda Adams , Aspyr Media’sdirector of development . “ It ’s the one great piece of entertainment that was overleap . manifestly , we ’re disappointed that [ Apple ] launched it as a unopen exploitation system . We had pitched several game ideas for iPod at Apple over the past couple years , but it did n’t lead anywhere .

“ We guess we ’ve got a good deal to offer up the iPod game market , ” Adams persist in . “ Not only have we work with Apple on Mac game for 10 year , we ’ve developed and published several handheld ( PocketPC and Game Boy ) games in the last couple years . ”

Other developer were less diplomatical . “ It was lame of Apple to ignore the guys that have been loyal to them , ” sound out a developer who asked not to be name . “ We were quick , unforced and able-bodied to make anything they desire . ”

defeated developers

That view was echoed by several other developer who noted that they ’ve near Apple about iPod biz ever the company released the iPod photo , the first color - screen iPod . Those companies say there either rebuffed or cut by Apple . For that reason , many were enamour off guard when Apple made iPod games part of the “ It ’s Showtime ” effect in San Francisco last week .

“ I read Apple ’s desire to keep thing organise and to maintain control condition over the iPod , but as a game developer who narrow in original subject , I ’m let down that I do n’t have access to the iPod because I know I could come up with some games that bollocks up away the stuff that ’s uncommitted now , ” saidPangea SoftwarePresident Brian Greenstone . “ Original content would be more of a selling stage than just sell games that are available on 100 other platforms already . ”

DanLabGamescreator Daniel Labriet echoed that disappointment . While he describe his home as full with Mac labor , Labriet said he has games and idea that he thinks would be idealistic for iPod play .

Apple declined to respond to several asking for commentary on this story .

SDK desire

One substantial issue that ’s hindering software developers ’ efforts is the absence of an iPod Software Development Kit ( SDK ) . No iPod SDK has been made available by Apple , and repeated requests from plot developers have gone unrequited . Without it , developers do n’t have any way of produce software to run on the iPod .

“ No one can make anything for the iPod without approach to an SDK , ” said one developer . “ They do n’t even have to unblock that if they do n’t require to . I can see not wanting to start the floodgates to every [ amateur ] . But they have our number … let us sign an NDA and work on some things . ”

Pangea ’s Greenstone agrees . “ The lack of an SDK [ is a hinderance ] , but more data from Apple would always help , too , ” he said .

“ We ’ve got some really great idea for iPod game if Apple will open up an iPod SDK to developers — everything from doing handheld specific branded games , like what we ’ve done with Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Call of Duty 2 for PocketPC , to some singular and new gameplay mechanics that integrate with the euphony already on your iPod , ” add together Aspyr ’s Adams .

At the moment , secrecy seems all-important to Apple for iPod game development — developers who have actually made games for the iPod recently interviewed byMacworlddeclined to molt much light on the development cognitive operation .

macintosh plot Maker have grown accustom to selling products themselves , but games available for the iPod are available exclusively for download from the iTunes Store . This limit does n’t bother Labriet .

“ I think the mart is really small — only for the video iPod , ” he said . “ The iTunes Store is also a good path to protect the games against piracy , as the games are protected using DRM . ”

Adams does n’t see a conflict between the iTunes Store and Aspyr ’s own announced digital distribution solution , which is due to come online by the end of the yr .

“ I think [ Apple ] could set up a manikin just like Sony / Nintendo do on their handhelds — they have approval of concept and net game , and take a royalty off each cut-rate sale … I do n’t think we ’d have any interest in competing with that form of distribution . Heck , if they ’d have us sell Mac game through iTunes , we ’d be flop there tomorrow , ” she said .

Greenstone thinks the iPod is a good possible market for game — especially for original capacity , rather than revisions of existing democratic deed .

“ I believe [ Apple ’s ] dispersion method is dandy , and I would actually prefer to keep it the way of life they are doing it now . I think selling via the iTunes Store is the fashion to go , ” Greenstone said . “ Good original games would likely have more of a grocery store than something like Bejeweled which is on every platform on Earth already , and games like Tetris , [ which can ] be downloaded for complimentary on the Internet . ”