Playstation 2 Android emulator AetherSX2 developer, Tahlreth, has attracted both support and criticism today for their expression of frustration about the problems of support provision for emulators. In some messages on the AetherSX2 Discord, Tahlreth vented their frustration about demands for an iOS version of the emulator, something highly unlikely to happen. They also made it clear that they were considering stopping development on the project.
In a Reddit thread about the issue, Tahlreth posted to explain the lead-up to these events. They highlighted the large number of emails they receive constantly demanding new features, and the struggle of feeling that their hobby has stopped being enjoyable and their motivation to carry on is very low.
Shots Fired At Team Skyline
In the Discord posts, Tahlreth also announced their intention to ban the developers of the Nintendo Switch emulator Skyline from Discord, due to feeling that they had ‘paywalled’ their own emulator content.
While the public version of Skyline is open source and free to download, the developers have a more powerful prototype, Skyline Edge, which is available only to people who’ve subscribed to the developers’ Patreon.
Whether you agree or disagree with the AetherSX2 developer Tahlreth’s criticism of the Skyline team, the whole situation does raise some more issues that affect the world of emulation. Most of the developers of our favourite emulation apps are simply hobbyists creating for personal fulfillment.
Dev Fatigue Is Real
Many creators will be developing in their free time whilst working a normal day job. While this means they can deliver amazing projects without asking for anything in return, the amount of time and energy they can give to the project is limited.
Skyline has tackled this issue by having a Patreon that offers early builds as a reward. With a modest monthly earning of around £1500, they’re not earning bank for the development, but it might make it easier to devote time to it and cover some costs.
Whichever side you’re on in this falling-out, there’s one big takeaway from this. Hobby dev is rough. Be nice to the developers of your favourite emulators. They’re most definitely not expecting to get rich or famous from the work they do.
Want another you could show your appreciation to? Vita3K is looking amazing right now.
