Hi all,
during a lunch I had a discussion with a dev I met a few days ago about monetization strategies. His own friend (she was there with us) works in a real estate company.
Short story
Here is a summary (I am a bit caricaturing so you get the idea) :
The dev
I make games because I love it, I would do it even if I was not paid, and I love it so much that I feel even guilty to ask for money. This is my passion and one day it will work.
The girl
Our company is about making money. We buy at a low price, and sell at a higher price. We don't take risks and only invest on projects when all lights are green and we have already secured our ROI.
Me
I try to mix the two visions. While I totally agree about the need to make something that you love in life, my vision is definitely different than the dev's one (my family before anything else. No money? Then I work on something different, less risky. Money IS the reason why we bother with the market). I love the
process of building something of value, it could be games, music, painting, a marketing strategy for a good product, etc... so I don't exclusively love
making games.About the girl, there is something to be learned with the way those companies are able to focus on their end goal and not lose track, invest in proven markets and strategies. However, there is a lack of craziness in all of that.
I like to think that we need to push the envelope, create new things and experiences.
Building with the end goal in mind and working backwards
One thing is sure : we need to
build our portfolio with the end goal in mind.
Why do we do this? What would the end goal look like? Why would it make our lives better?
I have talked with a few devs that were doing it "because I like that" and while I understand the feeling they had no idea of their end goal. More money? More time with their family?
If you love "doing games", why do you confront it to the market?
Do you build a company, an audience, several streams of income?
If making games is a step to a change in our lives, it has to be a good one and planning, building a strategy (not just letting the market decide for us) and working with the end goal in mind is, I think, essential.
One way to make money : selling your portfolio (a $200K deal)
Here is an article that shows that there are other ways to generate revenues outside of B2C.
Source
Apptopia helped facilitate Bluecloud Solutions to sell their entire portfolio to newly formed international app fund, AppBin. Apptopia worked with the Bluecloud Solutions to transition all ownership and intellectual property rights, source code, art assets, users, and more to AppBin.
“The Bluecloud acquisition provides us with a strong portfolio foundation. At AppBin we have more than doubled the amount of capital at our disposal, and plan to continue to acquire and expand our portfolio,” said Yehuda Seinfeld, Traditions Capital Management. “We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with additional top developers, as we tap into the significant global demand for mobile ads.”
ps : here is not the place to discuss the quality of the portfolio, but more about the opportunities that lie around us.
How an Indie dev builds a 50 app portfolio and gets 20 million app dl
I share this one for those who want to read more. I'm not telling that this strategy is the best, or if it would fit for every one of us. But it's important to look at what successful people are doing.
Source
What is your advice for people interested in making mobile apps?
Do It! Stop waiting and don’t give up after one or two apps. You absolutely can make money selling apps, and a lot of it. The key though is to study the app market. If you simply make an app and put it on the app store you probably won’t be successful. But if you spend the time to really investigate what apps are successful and why, then you can be successful too. Keep in mind your first app probably is not going to be a smash hit right out of the gate. But take it as a learning experience. Figure out what things you did right, what things you did wrong and build on it for your next app. If you stay with it you can create your own little app empire
Comments
#MakeABetterGame! "Never give up, Never NEVER give up!" - Winston Churchill
However, I am afraid that the chance to success is getting harder now compare to 2-3 years ago. A lot of apps and games are published everyday. How about your guys ideas?
By the way, should we open a thread where dev can share their marketing/ successful experience to each other? We surely know that even high quality app without publishing strategy can't be successful.
Ultimate Games on Appstore
Ultimate Games on Google Play
My advice as always - make a better game to which I'll now add, learn to market it effectively! Good idea - maybe the forum "Zheng'ers" might want to open up one.
#MakeABetterGame! "Never give up, Never NEVER give up!" - Winston Churchill
)
Likes: techdojo, Platypus
Ultimate Games on Appstore
Ultimate Games on Google Play
#MakeABetterGame! "Never give up, Never NEVER give up!" - Winston Churchill