Monetization and promotion of the game from independent developers
I finish revealing the internal kitchen of creating a game from the standpoint of independent developers. This article focuses on the monetization and promotion of the game. And also I will reveal our figures for the first two weeks after launch and development costs.
Previous articles:
I'll start with monetization. But, preliminary, a small overview of the main business models applicable to games.
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Everything is simple here. You can stick advertising into the game, showing a banner in the preloader or other places of the application. An interesting option is CPA or special offer, or offer advertising. Its essence is that the player needs to follow the link, register, confirm email, confirm the phone, fill out a form or any other actions in exchange for game currency. The game, in this case, receives an income for the required completed action.
This model provides basic gaming features for free, and additional openwork features are available for a paid subscription. A good overview of this model is here .
The most widespread model in mmo-games. Allows you to earn the game by selling both virtual whistles and fakes, and by selling the game product you really need (weapons, clothing, etc.).
Here, too, is simple: access to the game is provided for money.
You can't say anything special either: you can play for some time for free, then pay.
This model provides the player with limited functionality, for example, 10 levels out of 100. The rest is for the purchase of the game.
Now I will tell you what business models we decided to use in our game. Let me remind you that we have a game for social networks in the genre of network mass fighting.
Our main planned earnings. The fact is that in our game the army of the player is a deck of cards, where each fighter corresponds. The fighters are different in strength and capabilities. And the point of the game is to build a strong army or deck for combat. Now we are selling additional fighters and brands that enhance the capabilities of existing ones. But we do it not in hardcore, that is, not only for real money. In the game we have two currencies: the usual one, which can be earned by completing quests, winning battles; and donat currency, which can be obtained only by entering real money. This way of monetization is very flexible, because it allows you to force payments, periodically introducing new fighters into the game.
Within this model, we have introduced VIP statuses. Having such status, a player can get double experience for battles and for now everything. And experience affects the strength of his army. In the future we plan to increase the capabilities of the VIP, but not affecting the battle itself. In this way we want to more or less stabilize payments and bring them on a regular basis.
There is an idea to make an offline version of the game, where the battle is fought against the computer, and try to make money on it, like on a regular flash toy through distribution networks (for example, so ). Perhaps we will earn something and invite you to the full version of the game. We consider this method rather as self-sustaining advancement, rather than as the main income.
While this model is only in the plans, but the information below.
From January 1, 2012 VKontakte allows the following types of advertising:
According to the administration of VKontakte, offer advertising is available through a centralized API. How much can you earn on it - it is not clear.
Advertising in the preloaders is allowed to show only through the agency Creara Media, but you must enter into an agreement with VKontakte. At advertising shows in preloaders, you can earn 30 rubles for 1000 impressions of 8-second banners 600x600 during the application download.
Advertising within the application can be placed while through any agency. You can earn 10 rubles for 1000 impressions of media banners.
It's scary to introduce advertising, we are afraid of losing the loyalty of the players, but it's interesting to try. While in the plans.
How much can you earn on the game? The network has very little information about the earnings of social games, so I will only announce the information of varying degrees of reliability that I have.
We, the two founders, wrote the game code on our own, so we spent only on design and music. As a result, we worked with three artists and two musicians. In total, we paid 65,000 rubles for the game interface (6 screens), 42 animated characters and 4 locations. The music took 13,000 rubles.
We are independent developers, so we don’t have a large advertising budget. But still, we are thinking of investing 50,000 rubles in targeted Vkontakte advertising, if only to remove more or less reliable data about the interest in the game and the income it brings. With such information we will be able to talk in detail with investors, publishers, lenders, if we turn to them. Additionally, at first, we are thinking of investing everything that the game will bring in advertising. By tricky calculation, it can last a long time due to the deposited first money and without additional recharge from the outside. But for advertising you need a powerful campaign, which should bring the game to the top, and then it should already be developed due to dowry acceleration.
Therefore, we try to light the game wherever possible. We place the review of the application on specialized gaming sites and forums. A good influx gave accommodation on the pages of our musicians. We dream of an article in the blog "I am promoting", here, on the habr (gentlemanly hint detected). We plan to go to the flashgamm 2012, where we will go game-lynch. We will show the game on the IT-Eurasia forum, were shown at the startup sauna in St. Petersburg. To offline methods of promotion (for example, distribution of flyers) is no more than looking at.
So, after the launch two weeks have passed, and we have the following figure, graphs and diagrams:
The game was installed by almost 2000 people.
The graph changes the number of installed game from appdata.ru
The audience growth can be estimated at about 70 people per day.
Daily schedule of new and outgoing participants from application statistics in Vkonakt.
Increase in the number of installations of the application from appdata.ru
On average, about 200 unique players sit in the game every day.
Daily schedule of attendance of the game from the stats of Vkontakte.
The average number of players who are online at one time can be estimated at 10 people.
Hourly schedule of visiting applications from statistics VKontakte.
The average portrait of a player is a young man under 18 years old (although I suppose that most likely even 12-14 years old), where, in principle, we were aiming.
Chart-cut of players by age and sex from VKontakte statistics.
Daily chart of the audience of the game by age.
All players, mostly, were from Russia, there were no surprises here. But the fact that every second from St. Petersburg, I was very surprised. Although we ourselves are based in St. Petersburg, in theory, 2k installations should have already smoothed out the extremes in the distribution by cities, and the main segment, or at least equally with Peter, should have been in Moscow.
Chart-cut players by city.
Earn 151 votes.
Daily statistics of payments from VKontakte.
Probably, now I will not summarize this article, but the whole experience of creating our particular game. Firstly, it is very worthwhile to make games on your own, despite the absence or presence of experience, for the presence or absence of money, for the presence or absence of prospects to make money. Such an experience is invaluable not only because you get specific skills in your profession, whether it be programming, design or management, but also because you get a broad vision of the whole process of developing a game from different angles, not only relating to your craft. You may even reconsider your attitude towards the “stupid”, as you might have considered before, requirements from colleagues or superiors.
Secondly, the game must be brought to the end, before the release. Otherwise, all efforts will go down the drain. It is better to release a stripped-down, simplest game with pixel graphics than to store a half-finished project. Even if you get a piece of shit, it will be your piece of shit, not void. The finished game, at a minimum, can be put in the portfolio, and this is a huge plus that speaks of you.
And thirdly, I want to wish good luck to all beginners, independent igrodely with different ambitions, wish strength and perseverance to do something of their own, without abandoning halfway. Especially in the middle of the road. And do not listen to those who do not see anything good in your undertaking, but to appreciate those who believe in you.
Previous articles:
- The way of independent developers on the example of a game that they do not promote in an article with a complex and abstract name about the way of independent ...
- Technical preparation of one game created by independent developers.
MONETIZATION
I'll start with monetization. But, preliminary, a small overview of the main business models applicable to games.
')
Overview of business models
Advertising
Everything is simple here. You can stick advertising into the game, showing a banner in the preloader or other places of the application. An interesting option is CPA or special offer, or offer advertising. Its essence is that the player needs to follow the link, register, confirm email, confirm the phone, fill out a form or any other actions in exchange for game currency. The game, in this case, receives an income for the required completed action.
Freemium
This model provides basic gaming features for free, and additional openwork features are available for a paid subscription. A good overview of this model is here .
Selling content
The most widespread model in mmo-games. Allows you to earn the game by selling both virtual whistles and fakes, and by selling the game product you really need (weapons, clothing, etc.).
Paid subscription
Here, too, is simple: access to the game is provided for money.
Trial
You can't say anything special either: you can play for some time for free, then pay.
Demo
This model provides the player with limited functionality, for example, 10 levels out of 100. The rest is for the purchase of the game.
Our business model
Now I will tell you what business models we decided to use in our game. Let me remind you that we have a game for social networks in the genre of network mass fighting.
Selling content
Our main planned earnings. The fact is that in our game the army of the player is a deck of cards, where each fighter corresponds. The fighters are different in strength and capabilities. And the point of the game is to build a strong army or deck for combat. Now we are selling additional fighters and brands that enhance the capabilities of existing ones. But we do it not in hardcore, that is, not only for real money. In the game we have two currencies: the usual one, which can be earned by completing quests, winning battles; and donat currency, which can be obtained only by entering real money. This way of monetization is very flexible, because it allows you to force payments, periodically introducing new fighters into the game.
Freemium
Within this model, we have introduced VIP statuses. Having such status, a player can get double experience for battles and for now everything. And experience affects the strength of his army. In the future we plan to increase the capabilities of the VIP, but not affecting the battle itself. In this way we want to more or less stabilize payments and bring them on a regular basis.
Demo
There is an idea to make an offline version of the game, where the battle is fought against the computer, and try to make money on it, like on a regular flash toy through distribution networks (for example, so ). Perhaps we will earn something and invite you to the full version of the game. We consider this method rather as self-sustaining advancement, rather than as the main income.
Advertising
While this model is only in the plans, but the information below.
From January 1, 2012 VKontakte allows the following types of advertising:
- Offer or CPA
- advertising in preloaders,
- advertising inside the application.
According to the administration of VKontakte, offer advertising is available through a centralized API. How much can you earn on it - it is not clear.
Advertising in the preloaders is allowed to show only through the agency Creara Media, but you must enter into an agreement with VKontakte. At advertising shows in preloaders, you can earn 30 rubles for 1000 impressions of 8-second banners 600x600 during the application download.
Advertising within the application can be placed while through any agency. You can earn 10 rubles for 1000 impressions of media banners.
It's scary to introduce advertising, we are afraid of losing the loyalty of the players, but it's interesting to try. While in the plans.
Rumors about the income of games
How much can you earn on the game? The network has very little information about the earnings of social games, so I will only announce the information of varying degrees of reliability that I have.
- Happy farmer . Rumor has it that once a long time ago, at the peak of popularity, a farmer earned $ 15,000 a day.
- Games of 20 matches . According to dg-yug.ru ( proof ) for 2009, games from the top twenty earn from 500 thousand to 10 million rubles a month. I have ifnformatsiya 2012 for the developers of one of the games in the top 20 that they earn $ 10,000 per month.
- Slot machine There is also first-hand information that the slot machine game with 200,000 installations earned 100,000 rubles a month. But this information is a year old.
- There is also a non-animating, but reliable example, when the game earns only 3,000 rubles per month at a multiple of the high cost of its creation.
COST OF DEVELOPMENT
We, the two founders, wrote the game code on our own, so we spent only on design and music. As a result, we worked with three artists and two musicians. In total, we paid 65,000 rubles for the game interface (6 screens), 42 animated characters and 4 locations. The music took 13,000 rubles.
PROMOTION
We are independent developers, so we don’t have a large advertising budget. But still, we are thinking of investing 50,000 rubles in targeted Vkontakte advertising, if only to remove more or less reliable data about the interest in the game and the income it brings. With such information we will be able to talk in detail with investors, publishers, lenders, if we turn to them. Additionally, at first, we are thinking of investing everything that the game will bring in advertising. By tricky calculation, it can last a long time due to the deposited first money and without additional recharge from the outside. But for advertising you need a powerful campaign, which should bring the game to the top, and then it should already be developed due to dowry acceleration.
Therefore, we try to light the game wherever possible. We place the review of the application on specialized gaming sites and forums. A good influx gave accommodation on the pages of our musicians. We dream of an article in the blog "I am promoting", here, on the habr (gentlemanly hint detected). We plan to go to the flashgamm 2012, where we will go game-lynch. We will show the game on the IT-Eurasia forum, were shown at the startup sauna in St. Petersburg. To offline methods of promotion (for example, distribution of flyers) is no more than looking at.
FIRST RESULTS
So, after the launch two weeks have passed, and we have the following figure, graphs and diagrams:
The game was installed by almost 2000 people.
The graph changes the number of installed game from appdata.ru
The audience growth can be estimated at about 70 people per day.
Daily schedule of new and outgoing participants from application statistics in Vkonakt.
Increase in the number of installations of the application from appdata.ru
On average, about 200 unique players sit in the game every day.
Daily schedule of attendance of the game from the stats of Vkontakte.
The average number of players who are online at one time can be estimated at 10 people.
Hourly schedule of visiting applications from statistics VKontakte.
The average portrait of a player is a young man under 18 years old (although I suppose that most likely even 12-14 years old), where, in principle, we were aiming.
Chart-cut of players by age and sex from VKontakte statistics.
Daily chart of the audience of the game by age.
All players, mostly, were from Russia, there were no surprises here. But the fact that every second from St. Petersburg, I was very surprised. Although we ourselves are based in St. Petersburg, in theory, 2k installations should have already smoothed out the extremes in the distribution by cities, and the main segment, or at least equally with Peter, should have been in Moscow.
Chart-cut players by city.
Earn 151 votes.
Daily statistics of payments from VKontakte.
CONCLUSION
Probably, now I will not summarize this article, but the whole experience of creating our particular game. Firstly, it is very worthwhile to make games on your own, despite the absence or presence of experience, for the presence or absence of money, for the presence or absence of prospects to make money. Such an experience is invaluable not only because you get specific skills in your profession, whether it be programming, design or management, but also because you get a broad vision of the whole process of developing a game from different angles, not only relating to your craft. You may even reconsider your attitude towards the “stupid”, as you might have considered before, requirements from colleagues or superiors.
Secondly, the game must be brought to the end, before the release. Otherwise, all efforts will go down the drain. It is better to release a stripped-down, simplest game with pixel graphics than to store a half-finished project. Even if you get a piece of shit, it will be your piece of shit, not void. The finished game, at a minimum, can be put in the portfolio, and this is a huge plus that speaks of you.
And thirdly, I want to wish good luck to all beginners, independent igrodely with different ambitions, wish strength and perseverance to do something of their own, without abandoning halfway. Especially in the middle of the road. And do not listen to those who do not see anything good in your undertaking, but to appreciate those who believe in you.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/143396/
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