This seems like yet another instance of insufficient testing. The newest Batman game, “Arkham City Lockdown,” was recently released and while it’s averaging a good star rating, it’s contending with some fairly serious crash issues for some would-be users. Here’s what one of those potential users is experiencing (from TechNewsWorld):

As much as I wanted to play “Batman Arkham City Lockdown,” I couldn’t. Ten times out of 10, the app would crash before I could start playing. I was using a first-gen iPad, which should be a supported device, according to iTunes. Is this a case of inadequate testing? …

I gave it 10 chances, and it crashed 10 times.

I’d get to the point at which I could select a memory slot in which to create a new game, then suddenly my iPad’s wallpaper would be staring back at me again. Maybe if I stuck it out once more I’d succeed on the eleventh try, but if this game always takes nearly a dozen warm-up sessions to actually get in the mood, I can’t imagine myself playing it more than once. …

Am I the only one experiencing this problem? No again. Sorting the reviews on iTunes by “Most Critical,” I see much use of the word “crash.”

Paul, who wrote the TechNewsWorld article, downloaded the app onto his first gen iPad. At first he thought that might be the issue, but if it is, Warner Brothers (who released the app) have some explaining to do. Back to Paul:

Maybe it’s my iPad. I downloaded “Lockdown” to a dinosaur — a first-gen model built back in the dark ages of 2010. I’ve seen it sputter and whine under the strain of a new and complex app before. Maybe “Arkham City Lockdown” is way too heavy for my little old-timey tablet. Is it possible I didn’t read the system requirements bit correctly?

No, it seems pretty clear: Compatible with iPhone 3GS (hey, that’s even older than my iPad), iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch third- and fourth-gen and iPad. Not “iPad 2″ or “third generation” — just “iPad.” iOS 4.0 or later? Definitely. …

So what happened? Did Warner Bros. not test this thoroughly enough? Or did they test it enough to find out that it often fails miserably on an original iPad, but then decided to sell it for older devices anyway? That would be low.

Maybe it was a lack of testing. Maybe they only tested on a few devices and assumed it would work across a wider matrix. Maybe there’s some weird configuration going on on Paul’s iPad that Warner Brothers didn’t anticipate when they tested in-the-lab (that’s why in-the-wild testing is so important and valuable). Either way, this is a fairly big misstep for such a large company.