How to make mobile games successful on PC

When Paradox Interactive and developers Behold Studio set out to build a PC version of mobile hit Knights of Pen and Paper, we ran headfirst into the core dilemmas of mobile devs looking to expand their games to additional platforms: How do you evaluate whether your game is worth porting to PC, and how can you make that port a success? For developers to make the jump to PC a successful one, they need to maintain focus on the audience that supported them on mobile — casual gamers with an appreciation for hardcore games.

Doing mobile correctly is no easy thing, and many developers and publishers have tried to create that perfect, immersive, high-quality experience on a handheld device. The success of recent ports indicates that it’s not a question of “mobile gamers play casual games”: The recent “breakthrough” games — XCOM: Enemy Within and FTL — are proof that the dream is achievable. Many past failures have attempted to fully re-create the hardcore gaming experience on phones to reach those fans, without keeping the advantages and limitations of mobile in mind. In reality, a lot of the people we think of as casual players have a considerable background in hardcore games. These players appreciate the shorter session times of mobile games that fit well within busy schedules, but they’re still looking for the immersive gameplay and setting of hardcore games wherever and whenever they want.