What monetization options are available to us?
“Free with ads” ?
“In app putchase” ?
Or is the paid model the only option?
None so far.
And displaying ads in a desktop app is very rare. Especially for games.
Currently, it’s up to you to decide how to package and distribute a Windows app. There’s definitely no one way to do it. Most Windows apps are still distributed the traditional way, such as via your own website, where you may offer a trial version and provide some kind of license file/code that a user has to purchase to unlock it. There is no standard for this and most software vendors implement their own.
And then there is Steam, Windows app store, GOG, and other online distribution stores. They all have their own rules and packaging schemes.
Steam doesn’t allow just anyone’s app on their store (must be green-lit), but they’re the top dog when it comes to game distribution. We are actively pursuing a steam plugin.
For the Windows app store, I don’t think there is anything stopping you from getting distributed on their store. You just have to package the Win32 app according to their instructions. The only problem here is this store option is only available on Windows 8 and newer OS versions… and Windows 7 is currently the most popular Windows OS.
So, if you can’t make it onto Steam, then you may be on your own for distributing your Windows app yourself. This also means that you have no in-app purchase or licensing system to leverage. You’re on your own to build your own.
None so far.
And displaying ads in a desktop app is very rare. Especially for games.
Currently, it’s up to you to decide how to package and distribute a Windows app. There’s definitely no one way to do it. Most Windows apps are still distributed the traditional way, such as via your own website, where you may offer a trial version and provide some kind of license file/code that a user has to purchase to unlock it. There is no standard for this and most software vendors implement their own.
And then there is Steam, Windows app store, GOG, and other online distribution stores. They all have their own rules and packaging schemes.
Steam doesn’t allow just anyone’s app on their store (must be green-lit), but they’re the top dog when it comes to game distribution. We are actively pursuing a steam plugin.
For the Windows app store, I don’t think there is anything stopping you from getting distributed on their store. You just have to package the Win32 app according to their instructions. The only problem here is this store option is only available on Windows 8 and newer OS versions… and Windows 7 is currently the most popular Windows OS.
So, if you can’t make it onto Steam, then you may be on your own for distributing your Windows app yourself. This also means that you have no in-app purchase or licensing system to leverage. You’re on your own to build your own.