@Sparkyidr: Yeah, a bit depressing and I have read similiar elsewhere. However, I think after you get pretty good working with GS and its nuances, you can churn out apps much more quickly than most of those guys. Will one be a big hit? Unlikely. However, you can get a lot of baited-line fishing poles hanging out in the water just waiting for nibbles.
I hate to think that unless you have ONE BIG HIT, the best way to gain sales like $100+ a day is by coming out with a ton of little $0.99 games and apps. It seems that if if you produce twenty games and each gets five sales a day, you can gross $100 per day.
Here is my thought... Try to build a game that is worthy of $4.99-$6.99 Then sell it for $1.99. Then maybe you will get closer to $100/day.
Most of these little weekend games people are building are only going to do 1-2 a day...if that. If you are serious...learn the software...invest the time...and make a great game.
The key...design a game that won't bore someone after less than 3 minutes of play. I'm trying to be constructive here...and I understand many people are new to this...but geez...
Build a game that YOU want to play!!! Some of these games are...well...pointless to be brutally honest.
I challenge us all to build GREAT AND EXCITING games...not JUST FUNCTIONAL games. This whole idea that spamming a bunch of app crap into iTunes will improve the numbers is BS. Make GREAT games and your numbers will improve.
(THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE SPECIFIC...JUST IN GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE GAMES I HAVE BEEN SEEING PRODUCED OVER THE PAST MONTH)
Just to clarify, I wasn't alluding to "spamming" the App Store with junk games/apps. I'm just saying that I've spent quite some time on Archangel (almost two months full-time while learning TorqueScript), only to be a disappointment when it came to the daily sales figures. Back in the day of the IBM PC AT, I developed two shareware games - one I poured my heart into for a month and a half, and the other that just dawned on me and I put it together in a week. Based on my luck, you can guess which actually made money. Perhaps if I cut my development time down or not be so picky when it comes to refinement, I wouldn't be so bitter about it. So, perhaps I should be saying "quantity AND quality" instead.
I wasn't responding directly to you BTT...just in general.
The problem with doing multiple "cheap" apps is that if and when you (meaning anyone) do develop a substantial app...you will have a huge collection of "baggage".
If you have developed a great app (in your mind) and it falls flat at market release...try to figure out why and improve on it.
Remember that only 1 in 10 movies in Hollywood make money. Just be thankful you didn't spend 2 years and millions of dollars making an app like they do in Hollywood making movies...only to have it bomb.
Clinker apps are part of the development equation. My recommendation is to build 10 amazing apps...then if 9 fall flat on their face...at least 1 will be the golden egg. Then once you have a golden egg...EXPLOIT IT.
For me...one method I use to generate a concept for an app is...I scour the app store looking for games that are successful. Once I find one, I then try to determine if I could build that game. I buy the game... and play the hell out of it.
Then I try to determine if that is something I can still duplicate. Then I decide if it is something I want to invest the time in to duplicate.
If I still want to continue...then I try to come up with a way to change it...improve on it...make it uniquely mine.
Try this system and more than likely you will have a golden egg by year's end.
Comments
It just boils down to quantity or quality.
Try to build a game that is worthy of $4.99-$6.99
Then sell it for $1.99. Then maybe you will get closer to $100/day.
Most of these little weekend games people are building are only going to do 1-2 a day...if that.
If you are serious...learn the software...invest the time...and make a great game.
The key...design a game that won't bore someone after less than 3 minutes of play. I'm trying to be constructive here...and I understand many people are new to this...but geez...
Build a game that YOU want to play!!! Some of these games are...well...pointless to be brutally honest.
I challenge us all to build GREAT AND EXCITING games...not JUST FUNCTIONAL games. This whole idea that spamming a bunch of app crap into iTunes will improve the numbers is BS. Make GREAT games and your numbers will improve.
(THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE SPECIFIC...JUST IN GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE GAMES I HAVE BEEN SEEING PRODUCED OVER THE PAST MONTH)
That is my rant for today. Thanks for listening.
The problem with doing multiple "cheap" apps is that if and when you (meaning anyone) do develop a substantial app...you will have a huge collection of "baggage".
If you have developed a great app (in your mind) and it falls flat at market release...try to figure out why and improve on it.
Remember that only 1 in 10 movies in Hollywood make money. Just be thankful you didn't spend 2 years and millions of dollars making an app like they do in Hollywood making movies...only to have it bomb.
Clinker apps are part of the development equation. My recommendation is to build 10 amazing apps...then if 9 fall flat on their face...at least 1 will be the golden egg. Then once you have a golden egg...EXPLOIT IT.
Then I try to determine if that is something I can still duplicate. Then I decide if it is something I want to invest the time in to duplicate.
If I still want to continue...then I try to come up with a way to change it...improve on it...make it uniquely mine.
Try this system and more than likely you will have a golden egg by year's end.