Web Native Game Development

What It Covers

Eric Dubelbor, principal engineer at Poki (100M monthly users) and web game developer, covers the technical evolution of browser-based gaming — from WebAssembly and WebGPU capabilities to engine selection trade-offs, file size constraints, and how Poki's developer platform handles distribution, playtesting, and monetization for indie developers.

Key Questions Answered

• •WebAssembly performance trade-off: WASM compiles C++ directly to an intermediate bytecode layer, executing faster than JavaScript but with one critical web drawback — engines like Unity and Godot output a single monolithic blob that must fully download before gameplay starts. Every additional megabyte costs several percentage points of players who abandon before loading completes.
• •WebGPU adoption threshold: WebGPU currently reaches 68% of Poki's player base, enabling compute shaders for skeletal mesh animations and particle effects previously impossible in WebGL. Unity already offers experimental WebGPU export. Developers targeting broad audiences should still build WebGL-first with WebGPU as a progressive enhancement until Firefox enables it by default.
• •Web game onboarding design: Players abandon web games within seconds if mechanics aren't immediately clear — no tutorial text, no slow ramp-up. The recommended approach mirrors Vampire Survivors: open with maximum ability spectacle to demonstrate the game's potential, then strip it back and let players rebuild momentum organically through natural progression.
• •Portrait-mode mobile priority: Poki's player data confirms portrait orientation is mandatory for mobile web games. Unlike app-store games where users invest effort downloading, browser players switch games instantly. Developers must also account for device notches blocking UI elements and test specifically on iOS Safari, which aggressively deletes cookies and localStorage mid-session.
• •Poki playtesting tool: Uploading a build to Poki for Developers triggers video capture of 10 real players within minutes, using the browser's native Canvas captureStream API. This bypasses the core flaw of friend-and-family testing — familiar testers already know the onboarding, making it impossible to observe first-contact confusion that determines web game retention.