Myths about the App Store
How projects go to the App Store window, why iPhone development is not cheap and fast, why updates are needed, and Emerick Toa, creative director and co-founder of The Game Bakers independent studio, which developed the role-playing game SQUIDS, spoke about many other things.
Myth one: there are so many iPhones and iPads everywhere, that a decent game will surely make you rich
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It is easy to make a mistake when you make serious calculations while sitting at a cup of coffee with your friend: “So, in the App Store there are 200 million users. You need to be interested in your application for 1 bucks just 0.1% of them, and you will have 200 thousand greens in your pocket. ”
In fact, everything is different.
- many iOS users do not have a credit card. Think, for example, about children and teenagers. They download only free apps.
- 88% of downloaded games are free. And when people say that Angry Birds has 200 million downloads, remember that this also includes the Lite and Free versions.
- Apple takes 30%. In real life, 200 thousand dollars of income turn out to be 140 thousand. The trick is that the user base can be gigantic, but many people never spend money in the App Store.
So think soberly: the volume of the market and the profit that a developer can get are two different things.
Myth Two: iPhone game development is fast and cheap
Compared with the development of Assassin`s Creed or Red Dead Redemption - that's right. The development of an iPhone game should not cost $ 50 million and take 4 years (however, console games may not also have to). But even if you are developing a clone of Doodle Jump - this is another problem. Going to make a cheap game? Then you should have a very small team (say, 2 people).
In this case, it will take you at least 6 months to do something more or less decent. In this case, the game budget for iOS will consist of the following:
- 2 salaries x 6 months of development;
- freelance sound design;
- a trip to GDC or other events to meet with journalists;
- equipment for application development (new computer or new hard drive or iPad or all together);
- purchase of licensed software (since software developers also have to live on something);
- you may also need a website or a Dropbox account (unless, of course, you are going to test the game yourself).
In total you will need no less than 40 thousand dollars, if you seriously intend to combine the development of the game with earning a living (in fact, even more: in order to be competitive in the market today, you will need 100 thousand dollars) (as we wrote yesterday, the cost of development varies by country, - App2Top edited).
The third myth: constant updates increase sales over time (the myth also known as the “Tale of Angry Birds”)
This story is most often heard and continues to be told at various parties. When you give a hint that you have stepped onto the path of an indie developer for iOS, the interlocutor immediately puts his hand on your shoulder and says: “Buddy, everything is different here, not like in a big industry. Even if the game fails at launch, it will take off if you keep updating it. So you will collect more money in six months of sales than in the first week after launch. Look at the Angry Birds. ”
Of course, updates are important, especially now, when the rules have changed again in the App Store, and updates began to appear in the list of new applications. But even in this case, updates work best for those who have already downloaded the game, and their number depends on the success of the launch.
Myth number four: a good post on a popular blog or a viral video is enough to ensure the game’s visibility on the App Store
The key to success, if you have a good project in your hands, is visibility on the App Store. The fact that you can attract a large audience with one cute post or a cool cheap video is another fairy tale. You cannot influence the community if you yourself have not been part of it for a long time. As for viral videos, they are subject to "jackpot syndrome" more than the applications themselves. In the sense that it is impossible to predict whether he will collect 12 million views or 300 (although 300 is more likely).
Just get it: visibility is a long and difficult battle that lasts from the first day of development to one year after release.
Myth Five: Apple promotes random products.
Some independent developers believe that Apple support is a matter of luck. This is not true. Of course, the guys from Apple are honest guys who promote the projects they like themselves, which they consider quality, but like any publisher, they have their own product line, their own management risks. Therefore:
- they put on the showcase those games that are aimed at the main audience of the App Store;
- they put on the showcase those games that sell more devices and will use the latest features of the platform (you can use all the features of iOS 6 two weeks after its release - a plus sign to you).
- they put on the windows of the game from reliable developers / publishers (if you have a successful experience with millions of downloads on iOS - another plus sign to you).
- they put on the showcase the games from those people whom they know personally (despite the fact that 2012 is the year of the Apple and Apple is an American company, personal connections decide a lot).
The trick is that if you are an indie developer without a publisher and have made your first game that does not use the features of iOS 5 - then Apple is unlikely to promote your product. The good news is this: The App Store does not promote games randomly. And this is VERY GOOD NEWS. This means that getting a feature is still possible. Sooner or later.
According to the materials of the portal App2Top.ru
Myth one: there are so many iPhones and iPads everywhere, that a decent game will surely make you rich
')
It is easy to make a mistake when you make serious calculations while sitting at a cup of coffee with your friend: “So, in the App Store there are 200 million users. You need to be interested in your application for 1 bucks just 0.1% of them, and you will have 200 thousand greens in your pocket. ”
In fact, everything is different.
- many iOS users do not have a credit card. Think, for example, about children and teenagers. They download only free apps.
- 88% of downloaded games are free. And when people say that Angry Birds has 200 million downloads, remember that this also includes the Lite and Free versions.
- Apple takes 30%. In real life, 200 thousand dollars of income turn out to be 140 thousand. The trick is that the user base can be gigantic, but many people never spend money in the App Store.
So think soberly: the volume of the market and the profit that a developer can get are two different things.
Myth Two: iPhone game development is fast and cheap
Compared with the development of Assassin`s Creed or Red Dead Redemption - that's right. The development of an iPhone game should not cost $ 50 million and take 4 years (however, console games may not also have to). But even if you are developing a clone of Doodle Jump - this is another problem. Going to make a cheap game? Then you should have a very small team (say, 2 people).
In this case, it will take you at least 6 months to do something more or less decent. In this case, the game budget for iOS will consist of the following:
- 2 salaries x 6 months of development;
- freelance sound design;
- a trip to GDC or other events to meet with journalists;
- equipment for application development (new computer or new hard drive or iPad or all together);
- purchase of licensed software (since software developers also have to live on something);
- you may also need a website or a Dropbox account (unless, of course, you are going to test the game yourself).
In total you will need no less than 40 thousand dollars, if you seriously intend to combine the development of the game with earning a living (in fact, even more: in order to be competitive in the market today, you will need 100 thousand dollars) (as we wrote yesterday, the cost of development varies by country, - App2Top edited).
The third myth: constant updates increase sales over time (the myth also known as the “Tale of Angry Birds”)
This story is most often heard and continues to be told at various parties. When you give a hint that you have stepped onto the path of an indie developer for iOS, the interlocutor immediately puts his hand on your shoulder and says: “Buddy, everything is different here, not like in a big industry. Even if the game fails at launch, it will take off if you keep updating it. So you will collect more money in six months of sales than in the first week after launch. Look at the Angry Birds. ”
Of course, updates are important, especially now, when the rules have changed again in the App Store, and updates began to appear in the list of new applications. But even in this case, updates work best for those who have already downloaded the game, and their number depends on the success of the launch.
Myth number four: a good post on a popular blog or a viral video is enough to ensure the game’s visibility on the App Store
The key to success, if you have a good project in your hands, is visibility on the App Store. The fact that you can attract a large audience with one cute post or a cool cheap video is another fairy tale. You cannot influence the community if you yourself have not been part of it for a long time. As for viral videos, they are subject to "jackpot syndrome" more than the applications themselves. In the sense that it is impossible to predict whether he will collect 12 million views or 300 (although 300 is more likely).
Just get it: visibility is a long and difficult battle that lasts from the first day of development to one year after release.
Myth Five: Apple promotes random products.
Some independent developers believe that Apple support is a matter of luck. This is not true. Of course, the guys from Apple are honest guys who promote the projects they like themselves, which they consider quality, but like any publisher, they have their own product line, their own management risks. Therefore:
- they put on the showcase those games that are aimed at the main audience of the App Store;
- they put on the showcase those games that sell more devices and will use the latest features of the platform (you can use all the features of iOS 6 two weeks after its release - a plus sign to you).
- they put on the windows of the game from reliable developers / publishers (if you have a successful experience with millions of downloads on iOS - another plus sign to you).
- they put on the showcase the games from those people whom they know personally (despite the fact that 2012 is the year of the Apple and Apple is an American company, personal connections decide a lot).
The trick is that if you are an indie developer without a publisher and have made your first game that does not use the features of iOS 5 - then Apple is unlikely to promote your product. The good news is this: The App Store does not promote games randomly. And this is VERY GOOD NEWS. This means that getting a feature is still possible. Sooner or later.
According to the materials of the portal App2Top.ru
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/136664/
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