Fortumo warns developers that not supporting Windows Phone could lead to a 10% cut in their revenue

We posted yesterday on how RatRod Studios were surprised by expected success on Windows Phone, racking up millions of downloads on the platform in only 6 months.

Now Pocketgamer.biz reports from the Pocket Gamer Connects conference in Helsinki, that developers could be missing out on as much as 10% of the market by not supporting Windows Phone with their cross-platform games.

The message comes from Andrea Boetti of mobile payments and direct billing network Fortumo, who notes developers need to "think a little bit forward at what’s coming next" rather than merely focusing on the here and now.

"It may surprise you, but there are many countries – to be precise, 24 countries worldwide – where Windows Phone is selling better than iOS," opened Boetti, citing emerging markets such as Mexico and Saudi Arabia as well as Nokia strongholds like Finland and Poland.

"If you have a cross-platform application, 10 percent of your users might be lost if you’re not porting your game to the Windows platform as well," he continued.

He notes this is especially true when developers are targeting emerging markets.  There Windows Phone has a better carrier billing story and a more secure, less piracy-riven marketplace for developers.

Boetti likens the current dismissive attitude to Windows Phone to that which surrounded Android in 2010.

"In 2009, we were kind of crazy when we launched our first product on Android at a time when the press was asking if Android had already failed," said Boetti.

"In 2014, I believe we have a different view regarding Android. We’re seeing the same thing during the last 18 to 24 months with Windows Phone. Between 2012 and 2013, Windows Phone grew by more than 100 percent when Android and iOS did not grow to the same level."

He notes that Microsoft is extremely friendly and keen to help developers, while Google has become increasingly dictatorial while trying to govern the ungovernable Google Play store.

"Microsoft is very friendly," he concluded, "and if you have an application that’s already on iOS and Android, it’s very easy to port it to the Windows platform now." RatRod Studios for example said it took a matter of days to port a game to Windows Phone using the Unity game engine.

I think it is pretty clear already that we are seeing a changing attitude towards Windows Phone, particularly in Europe where the OS is already doing pretty well. Hopefully this will continue to snowball into both a strong and healthy app store and a competitive market share.

Via Pocketgamer.biz