The Allure for Developers

With another generation of super consoles around the corner, how does the Game Boy continue to attract some of the world's finest (and largest) videogame developers?

The primary reason is simple economics. A typical Game Boy title put together by a two or three-man team in a matter of months can outsell a PlayStation game developed over two years by a team of 25. Though the games are cheaper, the right title can potentially achieve millions of sales.

In terms of time, money, and resources, the risks are considerably lower than any other platform. Additionally, the Game Boy has 99 per cent of the market share, so if developing a hand-held title is your aim, there's only one logical choice.

The Game Boy Color will help expand the number of official developers, as the market for fresh titles (and maybe the odd revamp) continues to grow. Utilising the new hardware features, developers can give gamers bigger, bolder, and better-looking adventures. And, surprisingly, they fully intend to.

Luckily, the Game Boy Color remains technically very similar to the original, and this means that experienced developers can become acquainted with new hardware within a matter of days.

The secondary reason is that, strange as it might seem, there are those who simply adore writing games for the system because of the back-to-basics nature of Game Boy development; basic hardware, strict limitations, and, ultimately, pure gameplay. You'll never see a patch for a Game Boy title.