作者：Jim Squires

随着上周iOS 6的问世，现在用户在进入App Store时将会发现一个全新的改变。整个新界面呈现出了许多不同的内容，出现了各种全新功能，并且也剔除了许多旧功能。

而今天我们将听听来自iOS领域的一些著名开发者对于这一全新App Store的看法，以及他们认为这种改变将会对自己的游戏发行带来何种影响。

Chris Ye（Uken Games）

我认为只有时间才能够说明这种改变对于独立开发者的业务的影响。显然苹果也不是一开始便做出了最正确的选择，但是他们却能够始终专注于研究如何才能为用户创造出最优秀的应用前端和中心，我也非常欣赏苹果对于Genius功能的完善。这次的设计不仅更加明朗，而且更有效地突出了个体应用而不只是将一个图标突显于其它图标中。我们真心期待苹果能够带来更多改变，为应用开发者社区呈现出更多样的内容。

App Store(from gamezebo)

Josh Presseisen（Crescent Moon Games/Forest Moon Games）

的确出现了许多巨大的变化。在推荐区块，用户不再是向下滚动去寻找最新应用，而变成是横向滚动。这一方法将限制了用户一眼所看到的应用数量。除此之外他们还根据相似的类别进行了划分，让玩家进入一个类别后便能够看到该类别中的新应用，值得关注的应用或者最热门的应用（游戏邦注：而不是一下子就看到该类别的排行榜）。

我相信苹果已经进行了相关设置，所以他们能够更好地控制内容的呈现，而不再只是依赖于排行榜单。而对于这种变化的利弊也将因人而异。对于大型发行商以及那些可能获得苹果推荐的应用来说，利便大于弊。而对于那些未获得苹果推荐，但是在排行榜上仍占据着较高排名的游戏来说这便不是什么好消息。

作为很大程度地受到苹果推荐影响的发行商，Crescent Moon和Forest Moon的确从中获得了巨大的利益。但是对于小型开发者来说，这种改变便不是什么好事。因为用户很难找到一款未获得推荐的特定应用。

Sampo Tyssy（10tons）

现在谈论App Store的改变所带来的影响可能还为时尚早。在面对iTunes App Store时，一些微小的细节便具有非常重要的意义。或许华丽的外观更能吸引用户的注意？其中可以肯定的一点是：首张屏幕截图在搜索结果中变得更加重要了。

Rob Segal（Get Set Games）

在任何电子游戏市场中，特别是对于iOS游戏开发者来说，应用发现应该算是最大的问题。这次的改变更好地完善了App Store的布局，所以从总体来看这应该算是受欢迎的一次改变。其中便包含了一些很棒的改进：

在安装应用/游戏时用户可以无需离开App Store（对我来说这是个大忌），这便能够推动用户同时安装更多游戏。

将Facebook的“喜欢”功能与App Store绑定在一起。当你访问好友的Facebook页面时你便能够看到他们最近喜欢的应用。

你可以将自己所喜欢的应用分享到Facebook，Twitter上，或者直接用SMS或电子邮件进行分享。这应该算是分享自己所喜欢的内容的最简单的方法了。

总的来说，这些改变虽然说不上让人惊艳，但却也是值得肯定和欢迎的。

App Store(from gamezebo)

Matthew Hall（Klicktock）

周六的时候《Doodle Find》和《Little Things Forever》的排行都出现了显著提升。这很大程度该归功于App Store的呈现/搜索/图标/截图的改变。虽然不能准确地说出原因，但是我真心希望看到更多变化。

Neil Rennison（Tin Man Games）

我听说许多独立开发者都在抱怨App Store上未能够提供给“新发行”应用足够的空间，也就意味着他们很难提高自己应用的曝光率。而我则认为，如果你是一名独立开发者，并且你的应用的成功仅仅依赖于新发行时期，你便大错特错了。对于那些缺少足够市场营销预算的开发者来说，App Store在应用曝光率上确实存在着一定的问题，甚至新的App Store布局将让他们面临更加困难的局面，但是我认为取关键作用的还是开发者自己，即我们必须想出更好的办法去完善我们的商业模式。开发者应该挑出界限进行思考。苹果已经为我们提供了大量的机遇让我们能够更好地创造并销售产品，所以所有小型工作室应该停止这种无聊的抱怨并寻找其它突显自己应用的办法。要知道游戏制作过程中有75%是属于市场营销！

Charley Price（Hidden Variable Studios）

对于开发者来说，新的App Store所带来的最大影响便是他们需要更加专注于元数据中的某些特定元素。举个例子来说吧，新的App Store搜索结果不只是强调于应用的图标和排名，同时还突出首张截图。因为封面浏览不再呈现出其它截图，所以首张截图在吸引用户点击应用时将起到关键性作用。

新App Store特别强调了一张清晰且具有吸引力的屏幕截图对于推动游戏销售的重要性。就像我们现在便在思考如何将我们的前两张截图信息整合在一起，以确保带给用户最清楚且最直接的印象。幸运的是这种应用呈现在iPhone和iPad版本间始终都是保持一致的。如此你便能够专注于完善你的应用而无需琢磨两个潜在布局间的不同。

新App Store非常有趣，只呈现出应用早期的一张截图能够留给每一款应用更多的喘息空间，让他们更好地呈现自己的应用体验。另一方面，在用户完成搜索后未呈现列表视图的设置也意味着不能呈现出更多的应用。简单地来说也就是，新App Store的聚光灯变得更加明亮，但同时照射的范围也变得更加狭窄。

这是一种好的改变吗？只有时间才能证明一切，而我们也坚信财神是倾向于那些敢于做出调整的人。开发者如何呈现自己的应用才是最终决定他们是否能从这次新改变中获益的关键。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Developer reactions to the new App Store

By Jim Squires

With the launch of iOS 6 last week, users who visited the App Store were visited with a staggering makeover.  The new presentation brought plenty of changes, from new features appearing for the first time to old features being tucked away, and in some cases, totally removed.

As you might expect, the developers behind the games you’ll find in the App Store have had more than their share of opinion on the changes.  Earlier this week Gamezebo heard from app promotion and SEO experts Tomasz Kolinko and Sylvain Gauchet on the subject, as the two discussed not just the impact these App Store changes might have, but how developers can best take advantage of them.

Today we’ve reached out to a number of notable developers in the iOS space to what they think of the new App Store, and just how they feel it might impact their releases.

Chris Ye, Uken Games

I think time will tell how the update impacts business for independent developers. It’s clear that Apple didn’t get it right the first time, and what they really should be doing is focusing on how to bring the best apps (and there are a diverse set of them on iOS) front and center for users, so I appreciate the attempt at making Genius more prominent. I also feel the design is much cleaner and puts the spotlight on the individual app rather than just the icon in a list of a bunch of other icons. Let’s hope they continue making changes that will showcase the diversity the app developer community has to offer.

Josh Presseisen, Crescent Moon Games/Forest Moon Games

There are quite a few radical changes. Rather than scrolling down to see the latest apps in the featured area, you scroll sideways. This method actually limits the number of apps you can see at a glance. The categories seem to be set up similarly, so that going to a category results in seeing New and Noteworthy or What’s Hot in that category, rather than seeing the top list of that category first.

I believe in many ways Apple have set it up so that they can have more control over what is shown, rather than relying on top lists. I think this can be a benefit or a stab in the back depending on how you look at it. For larger publishers and those likely to get featured by Apple, it is definitely going to be of benefit. But those who haven’t been featured very much, but still my rank higher [on the Top lists] may not actually benefit here.

As a publisher who generally gets featured by Apple quite a bit, I’d say it will benefit Crescent Moon and Forest Moon. The discovery is less for smaller devs, it will be harder in some ways to find certain games that may not have been featured.

Sampo Tyssy, 10tons

It’s probably too early to tell what the effects of App Store changes ultimately are. Tiny, subtle details may have great significance when dealing with the kind of traffic the iTunes App Store has. Maybe the nicer looks simply attract more customers? One thing is quite certain: the first screenshot will become even more important now that it’s displayed in search results.

Rob Segal, Get Set Games

App discovery is perhaps the biggest issue in any video game marketplace, and a very well-known one for iOS developers.  There have been some nice improvements to the layout of the App Store to help with this, and overall it is a welcome change.  Some of the nice new additions include…

?You don’t leave the App Store when installing an app/game (this was always a pet peeve of mine) so there’s now more of an incentive to install more games at one time since you remain in the store.

?Facebook “likes” within the App Store.  Visiting your friends’ Facebook page you will see what they are liking lately.

?You can now share App Store favorites to Facebook, Twitter, SMS and email right in the App Store.  Nothing mind blowing, here but it’s just that much easier to share your favorite things which is great.

Overall the changes aren’t mind-blowing, but they are definitely welcome.

Matthew Hall, Klicktock

On Saturday, both Doodle Find and Little Things Forever had chart jumps.  Must be related to the change in presentation/search/icons/screenshots.  Not sure why!  But I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Neil Rennison, Tin Man Games

I’ve heard a lot of indie developers complain about the lack of “New Releases,” meaning that it will be even harder to get visibility for their apps. I actually think that if you’re an indie dev and the success of your app depends solely on the being in the new releases, then you’re doing something wrong. The App Store has always had visibility problems for those with no marketing budgets, and while the new App Store layout may make that even harder, I think it’s up to us developers to find better ways to develop our business models. Developers need to think outside of the box more. Apple has given us a wonderful opportunity to create and sell stuff, and it’s up to small studios to stop complaining and find cunning ways to let people know you exist. 75% of making a game is the marketing!

Charley Price, Hidden Variable Studios

For a developer, we believe the biggest impact of the new App Store is the adjustment of focus on certain elements of your metadata. For example, the new App Store search results “card” puts a heavy emphasis on not only your icon and rating, but now also your first screenshot. Since the cover flow teasing the rest of your screenshots was removed, the first screenshot now needs to be able to convert a user from a look to a click.

This now places EXTRA emphasis on having one, clear, engaging screenshot to sell what your game is all about. For example, as a result, we’re currently exploring “merging” the message of our first two screenshots into one to make sure we’re getting the best, clearest, immediate impression. Thankfully, this presentation of your app is consistent between the iPhone and iPad versions of the App Store. At least you can now focus your attention on honing one specific pitch for your app without having to split the difference between two potential layouts.

The new store is definitely interesting, and hopefully having a screenshot early in the app discovery user experience will give each app more breathing room to genuinely show what kind of experience they have to offer (a burden that an app icon alone was never really equipped to bear). On the flip side, the lack of a list view after search will also mean that fewer apps will be displayed. Put succinctly, the spotlight appears to have grown brighter, but narrower.

Is it ultimately a change for the better? Only time will tell, but we expect fortune to favor those willing to adjust. How developers present their apps will ultimately determine the benefits of this new approach.(source:gamezebo)