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After some time developing games for others I'm thinking of moving towards my own productions. My background is 10+ years of software development, with last 2 years spent on the iOS development (Objective-C and CoronaSDK).

With my current experience in Corona I can quickly develop for iOS and Android systems. And this is something that I'm probably gonna do with several of the game ideas I have, at least for the prototype part.

But - I'm wondering if it's not a bad idea to focus on those 2 systems only. After all there are other mobile platforms, there are PCs, Macs and Linux boxes... All of them having gamers using them.

I was wondering if it wasn't a good idea to try some other SDK, giving me more flexibility when it comes to platform-independance. There's Unity3D (I think I can develop a 2D game in it though), there's MoAI from what I checked.

I see a few options, not sure which one is best as I have little experience in this field (publishing own games):

  1. Stick with CoronaSDK for the whole time, release for iOS and Android platforms, screw other mobile devices and PCs,
  2. Use Corona for prototyping, then when the idea goes more into the "production" phase rewrite it in MoAI or Unity3D for more platforms support,
  3. Start with one of those 2 SDKs right now (which means the prototype phase will be delayed a bit, but after that I can jump right into real coding).

Any clues here, what to do?

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But - I'm wondering if it's not a bad idea to focus on those 2 systems only. After all there are other mobile platforms, there are PCs, Macs and Linux boxes... All of them having gamers using them.

If you want to make money on your games, and even if you don't, you just want to reach a large audience, there really are no other mobile platforms. Android, iphone make up most of the market, with RIM dying out, and Windows Phone barely making a dent.

If you think you have the time, then there's no harm in experimenting with other SDKs. Just learning how to efficiently use new tech can take some time though. I would go with option 1 if you're just trying to get a game out.

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If you already have access to Corona SDK I think you should stick to it for a while. You can build up presence on those two platforms and later you can move onto others with solid game portfolio which you can reference later on. Also instead of wasting time learning a new environment you can experiment with game ideas and business models with an SDK you already know.

It sounds good that you can start learning Unity without buying it but as time passes you are going to miss the pro version features and the ability to build onto mobile platforms and that costs a fortune. (With Corona SDK and Unity in mind you might prefer fancy tools for game creation but if you are interested in other possibilities libGDX is a free alternative)

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    \$\begingroup\$ I looked at libGDX too, but its lack of iOS support would be a shot in my own foot right now :) \$\endgroup\$ – kender Dec 10 '12 at 7:08
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just wanted to chime in and say this is kind of what i'm planning on doing also! I am currently using Corona SDK and am building my prototype right now. Planning on starting my own one man indie game dev studio (wfh) and with Corona, iOS and Android will be my only target markets.

My plan is currently to subscribe to corona for one year and see through that year. If all goes well - right now, i find corona easy and quick, and lua also - i may switch over to moai. I would like to stick with lua.

With the type of games i am thinking of building, and with the strength of smartphone and tablet devices, i think just targeting iOS and Android will be enough for the time being.

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iOS and Android combined are large markets, with OUYA and NVIDIA Shield around the corner, Android is definitely going to be a hot spot to consider since minimal changes can be made to support these platforms. However, don't limit yourself because you like a specific platform, put that game on anything with a screen and an input device.

SDKs aside, if you want to maximize your audience then you should consider getting your game on Kongregate, Desura and if you've got something great, Steam Greenlight. You've also got console opportunities with PlayStation Mobile although I don't know how large that audience is.

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