Take a look around on your daily train commute, and chances are you will see someone playing a game on their smartphone. Mobile gaming has become a huge platform for developers, with many phone games able to sell just as well as their big brothers on console or PC, although at a fraction of the price. The quality and accessibility of mobile games provide an alternative to standalone portable systems such as the Nintendo 3DS and Playstation Vita, the latter of which hasn't been performing as well as Sony would like.
To potentially level the playing field and popularize their own devices, Sony recently announced that they are waiving the development fee for their Playstation Mobile platform, which encompasses games on both the Vita and a variety of smartphones. While independent developers previously had to pay $99 for a Publisher Licence Fee, they can now get their games on the online market for no extra charge.
According to the official Playstation Blog, this change is in effect as of May 7. The news will certainly make independent game developers happy, and provides aspiring creators an alternative to making games for Apple's App Store and the Android Market.
Since the Playstation Mobile platform is available on a host of Sony, Sharp, and HTC devices, any game published to the marketplace could enjoy significant exposure. Do you think this move will inspire indie developers to develop games for Sony products? Perhaps more importantly, do you think this could enhance the somewhat-ailing game library of the Playstation Vita?
