-
Website
http://www.makeitbigingames.com -
Original page
http://makeitbigingames.com/2009/03/it-is-not-too-easy-to-make-iphone-games/ -
Subscribe
All Comments -
Community
-
-
Top Commenters
-
Popular Threads
All Comments
But beyond good marketing, you also have to have a good product. Make something that doesn't suck and you are ahead of 50% of the market already. If you make something good you are ahead of 90% of everybody. If you make crap, it won't get you very far (unless you compensate by having, say, very good marketing).
The general idea is to find a lower competition category that your game can fit into. For example I initially launched my latest game SkylineBlade in the Action and Simulation categories. Sales have been good but after 2 days the title has begun its decline from the top of the New Release list. While my sales were good, they weren't quite good enough to make the top 100 in either of those categories (missed it by about 30 positions).
By watching other titles and using the same keywords that they use for search I can see a list which is ordered according to popularity on iTunes. Then I can cross reference that and see where these other titles are positioned in other categories. Long story short I've moved my latest title over to Adventure and Racing which are perfectly applicable and where my title will appear in the top 50 or possibly even the top 20 best sellers.
There is a definite strategy to selling on the App Store. Of course you also have to make contact with the players themselves through websites like TouchArcade. It was through their forums that I began building up an initial base so that the title had some recognition at launch.
You also need that player base to help you take advantage of the update system. By getting real time feedback from players you can streamline functionality and add new content that they want to see. This all ensures that the next update of your title (which brings it back to the top of the new list) is even more fun for newcomers than the last update.
As for the closed system, I think people trust iTunes more than some random company on the Internet. People give them their credit or bank information because it's Apple. The only thing they need to do is type their iTunes password to buy something rather than having to pull out the credit card for each purchase. Creating the technology to do this for my own website isn't difficult, in fact I've had the technology for the last 2 years or so but earning the brand recognition and trust would take longer. For the small developer that wants to make games but is still living month to month the App Store is quite possibly the only solution.
BTW, I put up a pretty lengthy App Store Strategy article on my blog, check it out if you're getting into the iPhone business:
http://www.TheStillOfTheNightCausesAStormInTheM...
The benefits of the App Store far out way the old Developer/Publisher model. Apple doesn't care whatsoever what your game is about so long as it isn't pornography and it isn't something which infringes upon their business model. There have been many highly successful games which would not have met the quality standards presented by Garage Games back in the day and yet they are many times more successful financially than for instance Aerial Antics which I had worked on for a year before it got the go-ahead to be published.
On the other end of the spectrum it takes a lot of time and energy to generate traffic on the Internet. People may complain about the App Store but as Jeff said the Internet consists of millions of competing products, not just 25,000. By comparison the App Store is a beautiful thing. Apple provides millions of eyeballs for only $99 a year and a 30% cut of your sales. You cannot possibly generate the sort of traffic you receive on the App Store for that kind of money. An App in the App Store might be akin to a needle in a haystack but a website on the Internet is like a water molecule in the ocean.
I have not felt restricted by the App Store creatively and at the same time I've never felt like it was impossible to get noticed. People may not have liked certain Apps but it's apparent that they at least witnessed them.
I guess I think these guys from Nnooo are crazy for wanting a more restricted App Store but at the same time I can't condone an indie heading for completely open waters with a web based business either. The App Store strikes a perfect balance in my eyes. There are a few restrictions but there's plenty of freedom to be creative.
It sounds like the people who Jeff is ranting against have not learned this lesson yet. If it is easy everyone will do it. If everyone starts doing it, it suddenly isn't easy anymore. People who aren't lazy will always make sure lazy people don't take what could be theirs.
Even if these developers get their closed markets, they will still be vulnerable to market darwinism and will be attacked by much more savvy, determined, and ruthless opponents.
That said, game sales can dip. The market does not have to grow like all game companies seem to assume it will. That is why I would not buy stock in the large game companies because they are doing essentially the same thing, i.e. flooding the market with a lot of look alike games. This intense competition is also why I believe the price of games is heading lower.
It's interesting how this scenario is more likely to happen within a closed market context.
Open markets can push innovation forward. Thanks for reminding us again. That was a nice post!
Period Tracker (helps women know their cycle better) - why isn't that owned by Tampax?
Look around, there are thousands of examples like this. All I see is opportunity. I believe in this enough that I built and launched the first iPhone App Auction last Saturday. I hope I'm right!!! But guess what, if I'm not - I'll get back up, dust myself off and go at it again!
This should help others with thoughts like aschearer!
By the way, kudos to one Push Button Games for making One Button Press available!