'Footy' is close to release. It's been close to release for a whiles now! Play testing and debugging to make it perfect have slowed things up, but it's just about there. Which makes the latest delay extra frustrating, as the name 'Footy' is taken. Or at least, reserved. So how does one name their product?
Here's the issue: Back when Footy was conceived 8 months ago, we brainstormed names. Each name was tested against Android and the App Store to ensure it wasn't already taken. 'Footy' was the best name; it was available; we used it. However, when it came time to submit and list the game, we're told it's already taken on iOS. There's no Footy game onthe App Store, but the name is taken. Which means you've literally no way to know if a name is available or not short of registering it at the beginning of your project. Looking at the App Store isn't enough.
But what's more, services like Unity's Everyplay which allows for recording and sharing of gameplay also have a name registration to worry about. And yes, 'Footy' is taken there. So too is Adventures. There's no 'Adventures' on Android, nor on iOS (and I've bagged that name), but Adventures clips on Everyplay once released won't be able to be called Adventures. Is that because it's a fairly generic name, or because someone read I'm developing a game called Adventures and decided to secure it and ransome it to me for millions like website pirates in the early days of the 'net? Paranoid much? ;)
I guess the wisdom here is, secure your name first thing into the project. Try names and see if they're available. That or don't worry about what your product is called until the end, and just find any old name that'll suffice. But with so many apps gobbling up all the names, it's getting harder to just name your project. As if developing software wasn't hard enough!
Update: EveryPlay save the day
Wow, kudos to the EveryPlay team! I emailed about their policy on sceuring names, explaining my position, and they checked the database and found those names were long passed active, so freed them up for me. Woot! Well done for amazingly fast response and a really decent, sensible solution.
Here's the issue: Back when Footy was conceived 8 months ago, we brainstormed names. Each name was tested against Android and the App Store to ensure it wasn't already taken. 'Footy' was the best name; it was available; we used it. However, when it came time to submit and list the game, we're told it's already taken on iOS. There's no Footy game onthe App Store, but the name is taken. Which means you've literally no way to know if a name is available or not short of registering it at the beginning of your project. Looking at the App Store isn't enough.
But what's more, services like Unity's Everyplay which allows for recording and sharing of gameplay also have a name registration to worry about. And yes, 'Footy' is taken there. So too is Adventures. There's no 'Adventures' on Android, nor on iOS (and I've bagged that name), but Adventures clips on Everyplay once released won't be able to be called Adventures. Is that because it's a fairly generic name, or because someone read I'm developing a game called Adventures and decided to secure it and ransome it to me for millions like website pirates in the early days of the 'net? Paranoid much? ;)
I guess the wisdom here is, secure your name first thing into the project. Try names and see if they're available. That or don't worry about what your product is called until the end, and just find any old name that'll suffice. But with so many apps gobbling up all the names, it's getting harder to just name your project. As if developing software wasn't hard enough!
Update: EveryPlay save the day
Wow, kudos to the EveryPlay team! I emailed about their policy on sceuring names, explaining my position, and they checked the database and found those names were long passed active, so freed them up for me. Woot! Well done for amazingly fast response and a really decent, sensible solution.