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The feeling you get when Apple finally approves your game and you then review the first days numbers

ffzffz
edited in General
I'm not sure if anyone has experienced the feeling of elation followed almost instantly by depression ;)

http://frogfurz.tumblr.com/post/79858348116/the-feeling-of-apple-finally-approving-your-game

Comments

  • edg3edg3
    Don't be discouraged. The app stores on all platforms are a cesspool of bad submissions and drowning into obscurity in other apps/games. Take the Rovio story as an example, they were close to bankruptcy and closing their doors when Angry Birds took off well.

    The reality is that you could receive only the best of best reviews and be on or near the top of lists and many people will overlook your game/app and not even bother to try it.

    A common misconception I see (and deal with) pretty much daily is people releasing what are actually good apps/games to mobile stores and wondering why they don't do well. You need to continue marketing and pushing your game forward, and if you feel it is time to move on after you have done ALL you can to get things going, THEN you can look at new and greater games.

    There was a thread not too long ago about marketing your app/game, you should go through it and do as many of the things they propose as you can.
    Thanked by 3tbulford ffz konman
  • konmankonman
    @ffz *hug*
  • dislekciadislekcia
    @ffz: What were you expecting and why?
  • ffzffz
    Based on my previous game DuckPond which did around 70 sales on the first day (iOS paid), I had 10 on FOB.. there is probably around 12 months between launches and there are a number of factors, market is more saturated.. last time I focussed on a smaller more niche segment where this is more mainstream. F2P is pretty much the norm, but I thought I would go F2P on Android and paid on iOS initially.

    So now I'm going to do a version with ads on iOS and launch that, see what the uptake is there. I'm also going to do some keyword analysis and work on the discoverability side of things. I'm also going to look at porting it to Windows Mobile and heaven forbid maybe even BB.

    And yes, I've gone through this whole explanation but I haven't stopped to discuss gameplay/fun/etc.

    It's tough out there, unless you launch flappy bird crush clan saga. In which case you will probably do quite nicely ;)
  • TuismTuism
    Flappy wasn't successful because it was Flappy. Nor was Candy, nor was Clan. Their success was measured and (in the case of the latters) very expensive and invested.

    Unless you're talking about clones, are you saying that clones of those games get attention automagically?

    Have you had any press coverage for your game? Have you spoken to any press? Have you advertised beyond that video? Have you gotten that video out beyond putting it up? Did you track views to conversion? (was there a link you could track?) Do you have sharing mechanisms? Are they seeing any use? Are you tracking them?

    These are just questions off the top of my head, I'm also not experienced about it but we'll be heading down the same chute soon so I'm keen to learn what kind of stuff to watch out for :)
  • ffzffz
    Flappy Candy Saga is more around discoverability, there still tend to be a high number of searches for those keywords but if the competition is too high then you are wasting your time. Sites like appcodes will help you see the competition and work out what keywords will work for you.

    Yip, sent out a press release that was featured on 27 odd sites, 26 of which simply posted the press release and 1 did a mini story on it. All press releases feature full press kit, links, etc.

    I'm not tracking views to conversions, the numbers are so small right now that that will be a little more relevant when I've got some real traffic. Yes, sharing mechanisms in game such as Facebook as well as rate the app built in.

    So there is a lot more to do, the race has only really begun ;)

  • Chris_BischoffChris_Bischoff
    Honestly, the mobile market scares me. I wouldn't even know where to begin to develop a game aimed there.

    It just seems that the barrier for entry on mobile games has been dropped so low that to even *try* to compete is suicidal. Your game WILL be drowned out in the slew of THOUSANDS of others.

    Then if your game does actually get sales, you are dealing with such small numbers that to turn a profit on them is EXTREMELY difficult - and you area dealing with a demographic that will drop your game in favour of another because of a few cents difference in price.

  • bigbadwoflbigbadwofl
    Chris_Bischoff said:
    Honestly, the mobile market scares me. I wouldn't even know where to begin to develop a game aimed there...
    Very much agree with you. I'm sure there are people who have a passion for the mobile market but I simply can't seem to get myself excited about it. Which is good because like you, I wouldn't know where to start.

    I just get the feeling that most of the developers on the mobile market are there for the money first and the love of gamedev second (if at all). Not pointing any fingers here.

    What I'm trying to get at though, is that I believe the mobile market is so saturated with so many games (original and clones) that it isn't any kind of environment I'd be comfortable about making predictions about or extrapolating data from.
  • dislekciadislekcia
    The flipside of all of this is how nice it feels to have people go "Oh hell yes!" when you tell them your game is coming to mobile. I don't think the simple act of releasing a game is going to be remarkable much longer - early access and pre-orders are already blurring the line, but open marketplaces are what's really killing it.

    Make games that don't need a release bump. Make games where 1 sale becomes 5 just because that person won't shut up about how damn good your game is. Everything else is beyond your control.
    Thanked by 1EvanGreenwood
  • dislekciadislekcia
    ffz said:
    Based on my previous game DuckPond which did around 70 sales on the first day (iOS paid), I had 10 on FOB.. there is probably around 12 months between launches and there are a number of factors, market is more saturated.. last time I focussed on a smaller more niche segment where this is more mainstream. F2P is pretty much the norm, but I thought I would go F2P on Android and paid on iOS initially.

    So now I'm going to do a version with ads on iOS and launch that, see what the uptake is there. I'm also going to do some keyword analysis and work on the discoverability side of things. I'm also going to look at porting it to Windows Mobile and heaven forbid maybe even BB.

    And yes, I've gone through this whole explanation but I haven't stopped to discuss gameplay/fun/etc.

    It's tough out there, unless you launch flappy bird crush clan saga. In which case you will probably do quite nicely ;)
    So you were expecting a similar pickup to your previous game, or were you expecting a better one? What was that predicated on and what did you change in your game and/or your approach in order to make those things more likely?

    Also, what response would you want to make it feel worthwhile? Not talking pie in the sky here, realistic numbers.
  • ffzffz
    I suppose I was expecting at least the same type of response, being fairly new to game making I put a lot more effort into this one and I was generally happy with it when releasing. It's early days still so let's see if the stats improve.

    In terms of what I would be happy with, I would have liked 1000 installs in the first month on apple. I have no expectations on Android as I have limited experience there.

    Here are the stats from the press release:

    Click Counts:
    MD Phillips Productions [352 clicks]
    Fatty on a Bike - An Epic Journey 1.0 [472 clicks]
    Purchase and Download (iOS) [370 clicks]
    Purchase and Download (Android) [64 clicks]
    YouTube Video (Promo) [291 clicks]
    Media Assets [291 clicks]
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