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Why Game Developers Should Support OS X and Linux

Posted by Soulskill on from the good-faith dept.

kevind23 writes "Although Mac OS X and Linux have a small (but growing) market share, Jeff from Wolfire Games argues that supporting non-Windows platforms can lead to a huge increase in game sales. Using their popular game Lugaru as an example, he shows how less-popular platforms, or more specifically, their userbase can be a powerful advertising force. This can lead to a dramatic increase in popularity and exposure, which usually means a large boost in overall sales. The short article is an interesting read, especially for those working in game development and sales."

1 of 283 comments (clear)

  1. Portability across languages? by tepples · · Score: 0, Troll

    All the more reason to write your software in a portable way.

    You said "portable". True, for some platforms, a proper separation of business/game logic from presentation allows for easier portability. But consider these hypothetical game platforms:

    • Platform D runs only software written in C, C++, and Lua.
    • Platform P runs only software written in Java.
    • Platform T runs only software written in Objective-C.
    • Platform W runs only software written in ActionScript.
    • Platform X runs only software written in C# (or in a contorted dialect of C++ that looks more like C# than C++).

    How do I write portable software for all of them?