Comments on: Developing original IP for the Iphone – the market today. I liked the articles and agreed on many of your points. Anyhow, I think along the same line as Matt when it comes to the importance of having a "game so good that people will want to play it and share it". Lurking in blogs, forums and Twitter more than I should, I have the same kind of reaction Matt mentioned when I see a game that I think really "has it". There are dozens of games that I appreciated on the iOS platform; but it ended there. Then, there are a bunch of titles that when you see them, when you even just watch the trailer for the first time, you know they will do well, even if they come from a new developer with 10 followers on Twitter (or with no Twitter presence at all, like it happened with Tiny Wings). Mind you, sometimes these games will not reach the top 10, but they will invariably stay in the top 100 for an amount of time that makes them profitable enough for the developer - which is a big win in my opinion. Now, it would be great if one were able to define what are the ingredients that make you feel that a game "has it". It is difficult to say - but in the end, for me I think it is a mix of a good idea and excellent execution; sometimes even an average idea will do if fully developed and executed. As you mentioned, presentation is also fundamental, but hitting the right spot seems tough. Matt's Trainyard, for example, might look simple until you play it: you then realize that the game has all the little visual and audio rewards placed at the perfect, perfect, time, and next to the fantastic gameplay this is one thing that makes it so enjoyable and memorable that an impressive amount of users are willing to share it with their friends after they play it. While I like ideas and I think they are valuable, execution is the key. Yes, there are shortcuts, it seems. Make a decent game with zombies in it, and it seems it will do better than the same game with, let's say, spaceships. I am sure that if ZapAttack was the same game, but with zombies riding dinosaurs and shooting birds, you would be selling more. That's frustrating, but that's how it goes. About your efforts, I think you already completed the most difficult step: you started DOING. You made a full game and released it in the store. This is a huge step ahead in comparison to all others, me included, that were not able to do anything good yet. You have passed the first barrier, which seems impassable for a lot of wannabe developers. After reading this post, I am confident that your next releases will have success. Just consider the first version of ZapAttack a sort of starting point. Waiting for your next game! I liked the articles and agreed on many of your points. Anyhow, I think along the same line as Matt when it comes to the importance of having a “game so good that people will want to play it and share it”. Lurking in blogs, forums and Twitter more than I should, I have the same kind of reaction Matt mentioned when I see a game that I think really “has it”.

There are dozens of games that I appreciated on the iOS platform; but it ended there. Then, there are a bunch of titles that when you see them, when you even just watch the trailer for the first time, you know they will do well, even if they come from a new developer with 10 followers on Twitter (or with no Twitter presence at all, like it happened with Tiny Wings). Mind you, sometimes these games will not reach the top 10, but they will invariably stay in the top 100 for an amount of time that makes them profitable enough for the developer – which is a big win in my opinion.

Now, it would be great if one were able to define what are the ingredients that make you feel that a game “has it”. It is difficult to say – but in the end, for me I think it is a mix of a good idea and excellent execution; sometimes even an average idea will do if fully developed and executed. As you mentioned, presentation is also fundamental, but hitting the right spot seems tough. Matt’s Trainyard, for example, might look simple until you play it: you then realize that the game has all the little visual and audio rewards placed at the perfect, perfect, time, and next to the fantastic gameplay this is one thing that makes it so enjoyable and memorable that an impressive amount of users are willing to share it with their friends after they play it.

While I like ideas and I think they are valuable, execution is the key.

Yes, there are shortcuts, it seems. Make a decent game with zombies in it, and it seems it will do better than the same game with, let’s say, spaceships. I am sure that if ZapAttack was the same game, but with zombies riding dinosaurs and shooting birds, you would be selling more. That’s frustrating, but that’s how it goes.

About your efforts, I think you already completed the most difficult step: you started DOING. You made a full game and released it in the store. This is a huge step ahead in comparison to all others, me included, that were not able to do anything good yet. You have passed the first barrier, which seems impassable for a lot of wannabe developers. After reading this post, I am confident that your next releases will have success. Just consider the first version of ZapAttack a sort of starting point. Waiting for your next game!

]]>
By: T=Machine » Top steps tips viral mobile iphone success profit/2011/03/11/developing-original-ip-for-the-iphone-the-market-today/#comment-1977 T=Machine » Top steps tips viral mobile iphone success profit Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:54:51 +0000 This is always a tough issue. The first commenter actually linked to my personal story with Trainyard. I had a great game, but it took 4 months before the right circumstances came together (free version + apple feature, etc) before it really took off. I kind of hate the idea of "luck", because I think luck has very little to do with it. Unlike a lottery, there are no actual random numbers involved. You have to make a game so good that people will want to play it AND want to share it. The first time I played Tiny Wings, it wasn't even in the top 100, but I said "this game is going to be number 1". I'm not saying I could make a game that good, but I could tell the moment I played it that it would do very, very well on the App Store. All that being said, the store is very over-saturated, so only the best of the best games will rise to the top. What "best" means in this case is tricky, because it's not simply games that have good gameplay or good graphics, but games that have the full package, including usability, playability, and mass-market styles/themes. This is always a tough issue. The first commenter actually linked to my personal story with Trainyard. I had a great game, but it took 4 months before the right circumstances came together (free version + apple feature, etc) before it really took off.

I kind of hate the idea of “luck”, because I think luck has very little to do with it. Unlike a lottery, there are no actual random numbers involved. You have to make a game so good that people will want to play it AND want to share it. The first time I played Tiny Wings, it wasn’t even in the top 100, but I said “this game is going to be number 1″. I’m not saying I could make a game that good, but I could tell the moment I played it that it would do very, very well on the App Store.

All that being said, the store is very over-saturated, so only the best of the best games will rise to the top. What “best” means in this case is tricky, because it’s not simply games that have good gameplay or good graphics, but games that have the full package, including usability, playability, and mass-market styles/themes.

]]>
By: Mike Acton/2011/03/11/developing-original-ip-for-the-iphone-the-market-today/#comment-1541 Mike Acton Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:03:58 +0000 [...] Developing Original IP for the iPhone Market Today, the author tries to outline a strategy for succeeding in selling stuff in one of the app stores I [...] [...] Developing Original IP for the iPhone Market Today, the author tries to outline a strategy for succeeding in selling stuff in one of the app stores I [...]

]]>
By: Festival/2011/03/11/developing-original-ip-for-the-iphone-the-market-today/#comment-1532 Festival Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:04:39 +0000 I tend to agree with you on most of those points. I like to treat it as a hobby that comes with a lottery ticket. I don't think I'll bother with Open Feint though, though I can see being cross-platform with android would be a big draw card if you've got the usual free ad-support android version out as well. Open Feint is too bloated for my likes. If you go the free + IAP route and can get on FreeAppADay type sites, I've heard it can be quite lucrative. I tend to agree with you on most of those points. I like to treat it as a hobby that comes with a lottery ticket.

I don’t think I’ll bother with Open Feint though, though I can see being cross-platform with android would be a big draw card if you’ve got the usual free ad-support android version out as well. Open Feint is too bloated for my likes.

If you go the free + IAP route and can get on FreeAppADay type sites, I’ve heard it can be quite lucrative.

]]>
By: Phil/2011/03/11/developing-original-ip-for-the-iphone-the-market-today/#comment-1518 Phil Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:44:02 +0000 I'm sorry, but if you can't spell iPhone, I can't take your opinions on the iPhone games market seriously. I’m sorry, but if you can’t spell iPhone, I can’t take your opinions on the iPhone games market seriously.

]]>
By: Will/2011/03/11/developing-original-ip-for-the-iphone-the-market-today/#comment-1516 Will Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:54:36 +0000 Here’s one success story along those lines. Of course that is rare, and he mentioned that releasing a free version was the thing that really made it take off.

Aside from that comment, you make good points on how to get games recognized. Definitely think ad free version + paid no ad full version is the way to go.

]]>