Transitioning Wildwood from Mobile to Desktop
November 14, 2024
When I first released Wildwood, it was a game designed for phones exclusively. Mobile fit my initial vision for a simple gameplay experience. But over the past few years, the scope of Wildwood has grown alongside my ideas for it. It has become something that needs more space to stretch out. (…and reflects my own growth and need to stretch out)
For anyone not super familiar with Wildwood or game development: this isn’t just a simple port. A platform shift like this is a big decision for any developer because it involves rethinking the entire player experience.
Mobile design is all about simplicity and making the most with that tiny screen. In contrast, desktop allows for adding layers of complexity, richer visuals, better controls, etc etc — things that can be hard to fully realize on mobile. But its not just about more stuff on a bigger screen… it’s about enhancing the gameplay to make Wildwood what it should be.
A few months ago, I reached out to Chris Zukowski, who runs the How to Market a Game website for advice on promoting mobile games. His response was brief but honest: “Too hard.”
His advice punched me in the face in a good way. It was the confirmation I needed to consider alternatives. After years of pushing Wildwood up the Sisyphean hill of mobile game marketing, his suggestion to try desktop felt like a breath of fresh air. After a couple more emails, his final recommendation was to try to find joy in creating games again (and that a small desktop game could help me do that).
But instead of making an entirely new game (which I did consider for a bit), I decided to start with the current version of Wildwood as a base. That also meant changing Wildwood in ways I hadn’t even considered when I first started this project back in 2019. Just some of the initial work has included refactoring the control schemes (and adding gamepad/controller support), and making sure things still feel intuitive.
The biggest realization I’ve had though is that I need to add more new content and make some big changes to the main gameplay loop. And that’s a bit scary. There’s no guarantees. I’m trying to keep things simple though and focusing on finding the fun. Also, I think small games are having a bit of a moment right now and that’s where I’d like to be.
For those who love the mobile version of Wildwood and have been with me since the beginning, don’t worry! I’m not leaving it behind completely. It will continue to be available on the App Store for the foreseeable future.
Ultimately, I’m excited to get deeper into the process and discover what Wildwood can become on a platform that feels better aligned with its spirit. And finally, I want to give a huge shoutout to my friends who got together and gifted me a ROG Ally for my birthday. That was the catalyst that really got things into gear. I’ve been able to play so many more games on it, and it has completely changed my perspective on desktop/gamepad gaming. Thanks guys 🙂