iOS success?

General (non-technical) Marketing and Monetization
#1

How many of us on here have had reasonable success on the app store. By reasonable success I mean some form of sustainable income? If you did what do you think helped influence people to buy your product?

I’m really interested to know this as there is a lot of information out there on flops, failures and generally why not to bother and also a small amount of information on success stories. I’m really keen to get into indie developing full time but am having a hard time staying motivated to focus on mobile platforms when there is so much talk of failure.

Opinions?

Phil [import]uid: 148866 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 332859[/import]

#2

I haven’t released any games on my own yet (working on it), but I did work for another iOS game developer for about three years. We always had great ratings but only a couple of our games made us any decent money. This is what I took away from it:

  1. Keep in mind the price point of the apps out there. If you don’t have a very expansive game with an established brand behind it, then don’t try to sell any higher than $0.99. Even if you get great ratings, too few people will be buying the game to keep it on the top app lists (where you get most of your exposure).

  2. Keep mechanics simple. People like things that are easy to pick up but difficult to master

  3. Minimize the presence of tutorials. People don’t like being restricted or having their hand held, and tutorials tend to do both. Also, if you kept the mechanics simple than the player can pick it up in no time with a bit of trial and error.

  4. Build a bridge between your player and your game. Fun gameplay can get people to return and keep playing, but if you’ve established an emotional connection between your player and the game then the drive to return is much greater (even if the gameplay isn’t perfect). Avatars, home-cities, and pets are all good examples of emotional connections you can use.

  5. Minimize Text. Angry Birds does a great job of this. A two-year old can pick it up and play because they just need to know how to tap play and select a level. They never have to read anything. Even for adults who have no problems reading, lots of text can be a bit off putting. Large amounts of text also make localization a nightmare.

  6. Let players use their imagination. Don’t explain everything in detail. Provide a framework for the player and let them build their own story with their own personal nuances.

Obviously you don’t have to strictly abide by all of these, and there are plenty of success stories that don’t follow these guidelines, but in my experience these traits can really help a mobile game succeed.

-Treb [import]uid: 181948 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130593[/import]

#3

Hi Treb great information there, that on its own has given me a lot to think about. [import]uid: 148866 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130594[/import]

#4

I haven’t released any games on my own yet (working on it), but I did work for another iOS game developer for about three years. We always had great ratings but only a couple of our games made us any decent money. This is what I took away from it:

  1. Keep in mind the price point of the apps out there. If you don’t have a very expansive game with an established brand behind it, then don’t try to sell any higher than $0.99. Even if you get great ratings, too few people will be buying the game to keep it on the top app lists (where you get most of your exposure).

  2. Keep mechanics simple. People like things that are easy to pick up but difficult to master

  3. Minimize the presence of tutorials. People don’t like being restricted or having their hand held, and tutorials tend to do both. Also, if you kept the mechanics simple than the player can pick it up in no time with a bit of trial and error.

  4. Build a bridge between your player and your game. Fun gameplay can get people to return and keep playing, but if you’ve established an emotional connection between your player and the game then the drive to return is much greater (even if the gameplay isn’t perfect). Avatars, home-cities, and pets are all good examples of emotional connections you can use.

  5. Minimize Text. Angry Birds does a great job of this. A two-year old can pick it up and play because they just need to know how to tap play and select a level. They never have to read anything. Even for adults who have no problems reading, lots of text can be a bit off putting. Large amounts of text also make localization a nightmare.

  6. Let players use their imagination. Don’t explain everything in detail. Provide a framework for the player and let them build their own story with their own personal nuances.

Obviously you don’t have to strictly abide by all of these, and there are plenty of success stories that don’t follow these guidelines, but in my experience these traits can really help a mobile game succeed.

-Treb [import]uid: 181948 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130593[/import]

#5

Hi Treb great information there, that on its own has given me a lot to think about. [import]uid: 148866 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130594[/import]

#6

My iOS success for my apps isn’t anything to write home about. It covers the cost of Corona and my Apple Dev license. I think in my case it’s about volume. If I could get another 3-5 titles of my own up, that income would be noticeable. Amazon is about the same amount at iTunes, but Barnes and Noble is doing 4x better for me and I have fewer titles up there.

But it is nice to see residual money go into the bank each month. Kind of like a movie star who keeps getting paid well after the work was done. [import]uid: 19626 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130608[/import]

#7

My iOS success for my apps isn’t anything to write home about. It covers the cost of Corona and my Apple Dev license. I think in my case it’s about volume. If I could get another 3-5 titles of my own up, that income would be noticeable. Amazon is about the same amount at iTunes, but Barnes and Noble is doing 4x better for me and I have fewer titles up there.

But it is nice to see residual money go into the bank each month. Kind of like a movie star who keeps getting paid well after the work was done. [import]uid: 19626 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 130608[/import]

#8

hey phil!
i am a mobile dev, been at it since this january and have had enough success to keep me going :slight_smile:

ignore the nay-sayers- i found myself reading a lot of articles to the same effect- oh, it’s so impossible to make money, it’s all the big companies now, etc. ignore 'em! lol. read more about wild or moderate successes :slight_smile:

here is a great article with lots of post mortems and surveys and charts (that i find fascinating)- basically yeah, your first app will probably not make you rich and famous, but as you build more apps, you’ll get better at it. they’ll be better and more profitable and they’ll support each other and it becomes sustainable. here is the link: http://thegamebakers.com/money-and-the-app-store-a-few-figures-that-might-help-an-indie-developer.html

and the lovely miss peach pellen posted another very encouraging article on how to be successful by keeping at it, building more apps, slowly getting better and being able to have a decent stream of revenue. link is here: http://peachpellen.com/2012/01/17/what-it-takes-to-be-a-developer/
direct quote: “A good app that gets no extra attention, no costly marketing and no Apple love can still make money – even if that money is only $20 a week. If you create an app a month (320 working hours) you are up to $240 a week within your first year. Enough to live on? No, but it is a solid start. That’s $960+ a month, or $12,480 a year.”

true, most app devs aren’t going to program the next angry birds, but there are a lot of working devs out there with a portfolio of apps, all making x and y amounts that total up into proper folding money :slight_smile: [import]uid: 121467 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131484[/import]

#9

hey phil!
i am a mobile dev, been at it since this january and have had enough success to keep me going :slight_smile:

ignore the nay-sayers- i found myself reading a lot of articles to the same effect- oh, it’s so impossible to make money, it’s all the big companies now, etc. ignore 'em! lol. read more about wild or moderate successes :slight_smile:

here is a great article with lots of post mortems and surveys and charts (that i find fascinating)- basically yeah, your first app will probably not make you rich and famous, but as you build more apps, you’ll get better at it. they’ll be better and more profitable and they’ll support each other and it becomes sustainable. here is the link: http://thegamebakers.com/money-and-the-app-store-a-few-figures-that-might-help-an-indie-developer.html

and the lovely miss peach pellen posted another very encouraging article on how to be successful by keeping at it, building more apps, slowly getting better and being able to have a decent stream of revenue. link is here: http://peachpellen.com/2012/01/17/what-it-takes-to-be-a-developer/
direct quote: “A good app that gets no extra attention, no costly marketing and no Apple love can still make money – even if that money is only $20 a week. If you create an app a month (320 working hours) you are up to $240 a week within your first year. Enough to live on? No, but it is a solid start. That’s $960+ a month, or $12,480 a year.”

true, most app devs aren’t going to program the next angry birds, but there are a lot of working devs out there with a portfolio of apps, all making x and y amounts that total up into proper folding money :slight_smile: [import]uid: 121467 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131484[/import]

#10

Good thinking. I like your view on it. Peach also has a good way of looking at it. I think in my head it was hit it big with one app or don’t bother. Like you say though, having several OK apps could be just as good if not better. Thanks for the inspiration! [import]uid: 148866 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131570[/import]

#11

+1 to Robs response…

Currently make enough to pay the bills of the LLC (apple, corona labs etc), and buy some toys for development.

Quantity of apps does indeed matter (the more the better). It has allowed me the ‘street cred’ to get some consulting gigs and private app development deals.

By far we do better on B&N than on all the other stores combined… [import]uid: 9070 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131583[/import]

#12

Good thinking. I like your view on it. Peach also has a good way of looking at it. I think in my head it was hit it big with one app or don’t bother. Like you say though, having several OK apps could be just as good if not better. Thanks for the inspiration! [import]uid: 148866 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131570[/import]

#13

+1 to Robs response…

Currently make enough to pay the bills of the LLC (apple, corona labs etc), and buy some toys for development.

Quantity of apps does indeed matter (the more the better). It has allowed me the ‘street cred’ to get some consulting gigs and private app development deals.

By far we do better on B&N than on all the other stores combined… [import]uid: 9070 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 131583[/import]

#14

Just a question to those older Dev’s out there. The apple Tiers have not changed for a while - Correct?
ie Free, 0.99, 1.99, 2.99 …
I am just starting and would like to be able to make a living “being my own boss” - but when you consider the payouts for what appears to be the price (0.99) that most people are using which gets you 0.70 return - if this has not changed for years ( i suspect ) then inflation will have a significant impact on your ability to sustain a living.

Yes i know inflation affects everything - but my point is that wages normally keep up with inflation ie when prices go up -employees moan that they cannot afford to live on current wages - so they get a raise - then later on prices go up again, and so on.

So with so many apps being priced at Tier 1 (the bottom price) is this not putting us developers on the back foot behind inflation - if Apple doesn’t adjust for inflation should we as a group not try to create a new bottom tier price ie free, 1.99, 2.99 so 1.99 becomes the new 0.99. If this was to occur then as

Developers we have more of a chance of producing a sustainable living. I realise this is going against the crowd ( customers who are used to cheap 0.99 apps, and developers who are currently making a living at 0.99 ( due to volume)).

Just something i have been thinking about, what are your thoughts?

[import]uid: 199068 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 142587[/import]

#15

Just a question to those older Dev’s out there. The apple Tiers have not changed for a while - Correct?
ie Free, 0.99, 1.99, 2.99 …
I am just starting and would like to be able to make a living “being my own boss” - but when you consider the payouts for what appears to be the price (0.99) that most people are using which gets you 0.70 return - if this has not changed for years ( i suspect ) then inflation will have a significant impact on your ability to sustain a living.

Yes i know inflation affects everything - but my point is that wages normally keep up with inflation ie when prices go up -employees moan that they cannot afford to live on current wages - so they get a raise - then later on prices go up again, and so on.

So with so many apps being priced at Tier 1 (the bottom price) is this not putting us developers on the back foot behind inflation - if Apple doesn’t adjust for inflation should we as a group not try to create a new bottom tier price ie free, 1.99, 2.99 so 1.99 becomes the new 0.99. If this was to occur then as

Developers we have more of a chance of producing a sustainable living. I realise this is going against the crowd ( customers who are used to cheap 0.99 apps, and developers who are currently making a living at 0.99 ( due to volume)).

Just something i have been thinking about, what are your thoughts?

[import]uid: 199068 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 142587[/import]

#16

I too am just starting this new adventure and working on my first game - hopefully i can provide some of my own experience and feedback later when its been released but with regards to your question i guess it depends on what you consider success to be really.

For my forthcoming first game, its mainly for the fun, experience and learning. I would consider this a success if i get good feedback from this and enough downloads to cover my Apple and Corona license costs, maybe also my web hosting too!

Moving onwards, once i start adding to my portfolio/projects and build more games and apps, i would be looking to make enough to live on. Longterm, if i can keep up being an indie game dev as my career and lifestyle, that would be a success for me.

Thanks, [import]uid: 175094 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 144873[/import]

#17

I too am just starting this new adventure and working on my first game - hopefully i can provide some of my own experience and feedback later when its been released but with regards to your question i guess it depends on what you consider success to be really.

For my forthcoming first game, its mainly for the fun, experience and learning. I would consider this a success if i get good feedback from this and enough downloads to cover my Apple and Corona license costs, maybe also my web hosting too!

Moving onwards, once i start adding to my portfolio/projects and build more games and apps, i would be looking to make enough to live on. Longterm, if i can keep up being an indie game dev as my career and lifestyle, that would be a success for me.

Thanks, [import]uid: 175094 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 144873[/import]

#18

I too am just starting this new adventure and working on my first game - hopefully i can provide some of my own experience and feedback later when its been released but with regards to your question i guess it depends on what you consider success to be really.

For my forthcoming first game, its mainly for the fun, experience and learning. I would consider this a success if i get good feedback from this and enough downloads to cover my Apple and Corona license costs, maybe also my web hosting too!

Moving onwards, once i start adding to my portfolio/projects and build more games and apps, i would be looking to make enough to live on. Longterm, if i can keep up being an indie game dev as my career and lifestyle, that would be a success for me.

Thanks, [import]uid: 175094 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 144873[/import]

#19

I too am just starting this new adventure and working on my first game - hopefully i can provide some of my own experience and feedback later when its been released but with regards to your question i guess it depends on what you consider success to be really.

For my forthcoming first game, its mainly for the fun, experience and learning. I would consider this a success if i get good feedback from this and enough downloads to cover my Apple and Corona license costs, maybe also my web hosting too!

Moving onwards, once i start adding to my portfolio/projects and build more games and apps, i would be looking to make enough to live on. Longterm, if i can keep up being an indie game dev as my career and lifestyle, that would be a success for me.

Thanks, [import]uid: 175094 topic_id: 32859 reply_id: 144873[/import]

#20

Nice topic! I have no relevant experience as a developer but from the view of a buyer or gamer, I would say “game exposure” on the app store is also an important factor.As appstore is the place where I discover most of my apps also most of the time I won’t spend too much time searching for those "buried’ apps. I believe most people are just like me. So a good rank will get ur app more attention and definitely bring more traffic. I read a blog about app store optimization which is just like SEO brings your website at front place by google search.

Top 10 App Store Optimization Companies in 2013