Is Android Worth It

It’s been about a week since Janken Samurai Online launched on iOS. While I did see a slight boost to downloads, my numbers have roughly stayed the same.

Janken gets about 300 downloads a week. And it’s currently at 20.9k total downloads since its February release.

I did no marketing.

I have a very small social media following.

How have I gotten 20,000 downloads?

On the Google Play Store I have… less than… 50 downloads? I’m not actually sure. The statistics they offer are not that intuitive.

I do know there are about 30 Android users that have the game installed.

So why the discrepancy?

When you look at the market share, it just doesn’t make sense.

According to NetGuru.com, “Android and iOS have a duopoly over the global mobile operating system market, with Android accounting for about 70% market share and iOS at around 28% (as of August 2022). The percentage of iPhone users vs Android users in Europe (as of 2021) doesn’t differ much at 32.1% and 67.2%, respectively.”

With only a third of the market, how is the difference in exposure so incredibly vast?

I’m no expert. In fact, I’m stumbling through life with a blind-fold on, bumping my head at every turn. But, my best guess is that the App Store market plays games. Since the iPhone’s inception it has been identified as a gaming machine. In fact, it would go on to define what Mobile gaming even is.

As Mike Diver writes for Vice.com, “Chances are, if there's a smartphone of any kind in your pocket right now, it's got a game or some on it. And that phenomenon, that revolution, began with the iPhone… But while the App Store wasn't a launch feature of the iPhone, arriving on handsets in July 2008, it almost instantly became stocked with products that were less applications for business or social interactions, more simply and explicitly games, just not of a kind that traditional handhelds, consoles and computers were used to.”

The iPhone and the App Store specifically have cultivated a culture of “Gaming.” I know for me, browsing the App Store for games is a thing. And if I were to see Janken, with its strong aesthetic of hyper low res pixels, with a nostalgic palette, and animations–for free? I’m gonna check it out.

Does Android have this culture? I just don’t know from personal experience but I can say, based on the Janken’s numbers… maybe not.

Just a couple of days ago I realized I never made an Android update for Janken Online. So I’ve spent the last few days updating my data collection policy (made much easier by Google’s policy wizard and Unity’s Ad Reference guide for Google) and updating my SDK and getting the new build on Google Play. As long as I have just one user on Android, I’ll be supporting the Android build for Janken Samurai.

But moving forward with future games, is it worth the time and effort and money to port to Android platforms?

I just don’t think so.

Thanks as always for reading and following me on this journey.

Andrew