This might anger even the least Sega Genesis fan out there.

[pikointeractive]

So I found a person that has done several ports of famous flash games to the Genesis (about 11 of them)

One of them was gravity duck; it is definitely a OK port.

I have tried contacting the original developers of the flash games and finally got a response that it made me sick to my stomach.

I honestly thought that every game developer out there that makes a living making games for current platforms (even IOS and Android!) appreciates the consoles we grew up with; specially the 16bit era, as for many is the most prominent and the one that left the strongest impact in their life (like myself).

Then, I got a response from Ravenous Games, the developer of Gravity Duck. And got:

"We aren’t interested in releasing games on such antiquated platforms."

Antiquated!? I honestly think that adjective is an insulting one for the Genesis. Specially since other developers have made games 1000x better than any of the ones out there on mobile (just like a Pier Solar).

What do you guys think? Do you think other mobile or PC developers feel the same way? I've talked to major Indie developers that giggle like a little girl to the thought of having their game made for a console they grew up with; and then I got that from them. Totally Threw me off guard.

[QuickSciFi]

What an asshole.

[Kamahl]

Most indie devs would jump at the opportunity even if it won't make them much money.

1. It's free advertising, the sort that spreads around.
2. It's just legitimately cool to have your game released on such an iconic console.

Flash game devs are a special breed of indie dev though. Most that release games on sites like kongregate and such are just in it for a quick buck.

[Jeckidy]

Unfortunately, many flash game developers are often posers. I agree with Kamahl on this one.

[Benjamin]

I'm not really seeing the issue here beyond taking offense at the use of the word "antiquated," which in context is a valid sentiment. I can't see many developers actively looking to develop on "antiquated" hardware which is only going to sell to a niche enthusiast fanbase. People who develop for old hardware are actively fans of that hardware. It's more a labor of love than looking to develop for profit.

Beggar Prince had two production runs totaling 900 copies at $40 each. That's $36,000, which is nothing for game development, and that's even before accounting for the production expenses. That's just for what is essentially just a translation job. Not everyone can be expected to be WaterMelon or Brian Provinciano. You have limited time and money regardless of the product, so why would you more or less squander it on a platform which just isn't going to sell compared to the more modern, lucrative outlets. Why restrict your vision to the technical limitations of 25-plus-years-old hardware?

Gravity Duck is fun and would look great on the Genesis, but I can't fault a developer for not wanting to waste his resources making a port to the system. Genesis development is hard. It's not as if there's a Unity plug-in you can just drop in and compile to the system. Not that I'm aware of at least. It's a good game as it is and free to boot. I'm happy enough with playing it on my laptop.

[Barone]

Flash developers aren't developers in my book.

But, anyway, we live in a world where I'm frequently hearing that Java is now a language for antiquated and hardcore developers (lol).

[goldenband]

Gravity Duck is fun and would look great on the Genesis, but I can't fault a developer for not wanting to waste his resources making a port to the system.

Unless I misunderstood the OP, isn't the port already done?

[The Jackal]

Unless I misunderstood the OP, isn't the port already done?

I'm thinking it's a homebrew port/remake and he's just asking the original dev of the game if he will port the game properly instead, so it's an official port done by the original developer.

EDIT: Well I was wrong.

[pikointeractive]

Port was all done, they would only cash a check of royalties lol.

[goldenband]

I can imagine that they were afraid (in a contemptuous way) that being associated with an older console would somehow make their game seem simplistic or dated. Insecure people do weird things, including turning down free money.

[Golpezas]

So I found a person that has done several ports of famous flash games to the Genesis (about 11 of them)

11 ports... Who is that guy?

[Sik]

Between the overhead of legal paperwork, taxes and the fact that they'd probably want to have control over how it's promoted, I would assume they just see it as an expense. Companies won't do anything unless they believe there's potentially going to be a significant profit from it.

I bet they probably didn't even attempt to check it simply because they just assumed it's not worth it.

[Mr Jones]

Between the overhead of legal paperwork, taxes and the fact that they'd probably want to have control over how it's promoted, I would assume they just see it as an expense. Companies won't do anything unless they believe there's potentially going to be a significant profit from it.

I bet they probably didn't even attempt to check it simply because they just assumed it's not worth it.

Wow. That actually makes me sad.

[LinkueiBR]

"We aren’t interested in releasing games on such antiquated platforms."

[Lanzz]

Then, I got a response from Ravenous Games, the developer of Gravity Duck. And got:

"We aren’t interested in releasing games on such antiquated platforms."

Gravity Duck (original flash version) is developed by Woblyware right? Are Woblyware a part of Ravenous Games?

Anyway, Gravity Duck is one of my favorite flash game...