Is Anyone Making Any Money From Their Games?

Discussion in 'Buildbox General Discussion' started by simonsaunders, Jul 7, 2016.

  1. simonsaunders

    simonsaunders Boxer

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    maybe im looking for inspiration, but ive put off building my game ideas rightly or wrongly because no matter how good your game is. making money is down to marketing your game... unless you get lucky, which happens but its not a strategy that can be relied on for cash flow.

    so anyone made any good cash, i expect from ads using free model?

    looking fwd to peoples thoughts and any inspiring stories.
     
  2. VectologyGames

    VectologyGames Serious Boxer

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    The money is there, buuuuuut you need to produce publisher ready games.

    Here is a good checklist:
    • Top notch graphics
    • UI on fleek
    • Unique (ish) gameplay mechanics
    • Understand the compulsion loop
    I hope this helps!
     
  3. vietzero

    vietzero Boxer

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    Is it necessary to rely on publishers to make, say, a couple grand a month?
     
  4. JustWatchApps

    JustWatchApps Avid Boxer

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    The people that make (real) money don't talk about it.

    Except @TreySmith of course.

    There are a lot of 'this is how I made 5k with my game' examples, but they involve enough work that the person made less than minimum wage for the hours of game dev. and marketing lol.

    It would be cool to hear from someone with a game in the 'top 100' about what that meant to the pocket book (high 4 figures, mid 5 figures, etc.)

    It doesn't take a genius to figure out that one-offs like Color Switch made dream coin.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2016
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  5. VectologyGames

    VectologyGames Serious Boxer

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    Short answer: Yes
    Here are a few snippets from the article What is the Difference Between Developers and Publishers?

    Screenshot 2016-07-07 10.47.15.png

    As the developer, you will need a distribution channel in order to make money in the app business. If you have a large audience, you could distribute you own games - but that is a huge if.
     
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  6. Christoph

    Christoph Miniboss Boxer

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    As said by others. It all depends on how many downloads you get and how your retention is going to be. The first point (downloads) is all about marketing. My first game only got 60 downloads on each platform and my income is about 10USD which can't be paid out because it is lower than the minimum pay out. So no, I didn't make any money at all. I think you can talk about an income when you get more than 10,000 downloads. But this is insanely difficult without a publisher. And sometimes it even is difficult with one of them. You definitely need a A+ game to be able to have a chance. Very very difficult times.
     
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  7. aoune_l

    aoune_l Boxer

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    Flappy bird wasnt that awesome graphically basic gameplay was made by single person , so guys just keep doing games and dont focus on money
     
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  8. Machine Rises

    Machine Rises Serious Boxer

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    Nowadays just about anyone can make a game. There are also a bazillion games out there. So how do you stand out? You have to constantly work on your game design techniques. This will separate you from most developers. This is also what will produce a game that publishers will be interested in as well as produce a game that can do very well on the appstores. People enjoy well designed games. I put out 40 games that were not designed so well but I kept on working on my game design skills and slowly improved. If you want to see where my skill was in the beginning check out "Baby Three Horn's Great Escape." My first game is still up there haha. For me game design skills take precedent over any other skill in this business. It is still something I strive to improve and understand. These are the three most important books along my own journey:

    The Art of Game Design
    Thinkertoys
    Creative Thinkering
     
  9. JustWatchApps

    JustWatchApps Avid Boxer

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    There are a ton of resources available - and this forum is filled with awesome folks like @Machine Rises, @Simon Crack, @Kevin W just to name a few folks with successful apps that share tips and suggestions on what it takes to build a successful game. But people generally just don't discuss their business. I never see anyone even giving ROM (rough order of magnitude) values.

    I'm not talking about people that think they know what people are making - or people with games that don't make the top 100 - I'm talking about the people who have had multiple top 100 (or higher) games that can say with some certainty - 'Our experience is that a top 100 game SHOULD do AROUND $X - $XX.

    You just don't find those kind of answers anywhere reputible. I don't blame people by any means, I'm just saying it would be cool to know what to expect from a 'WIN.' I already know what a game that gets 5000 downloads makes you! (spoiler alert... $chicken scratch) lol

    @TreySmith had thrown out some typical $$$ for top 100 vs top 10 games in the master collection publishing course - and actually it was a little depressing. ;) The low-end estimate, if memory serves, was low five figure (think 10k) for a top 100 game, and low six figure (think 100k) for a top 10 game.

    Sorry this post turned into a passive-aggressive request for professional therapy! lol
     
  10. bentforktech

    bentforktech Avid Boxer

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    I have not made much money yet from my games. But I am improving as a developer each day. My sons are improving also. They are making games. We have 5 games in various stages between the 3 of us. My sons are 9 and 11. None of us are artists so we rely heavily on outside assets.

    I watch this board, reddit, and some FB groups to learn about game making and mainly the marketing aspect. That is the forgotten part of making games these days. Money is there I am sure. I keep my day job and work on games most nights.

    I am a post audio engineer by day. So I read the boards during lay backs and processing time etc...

    I am learning all the time from @Machine Rises @heathclose @Simon Crack @TreySmith @JustWatchApps and many others on the board.

    I would suggest reading many times what they have to say. They are making it. They have a lot to teach. I am a game developer for sanity. Money would be nice. But that is secondary when it comes right down to it. I am loving making games. I am a horrible coder. BB has made my dream come true.

    Just my thoughts on the matter.
     
  11. aoune_l

    aoune_l Boxer

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    Casual players dont want complicated games they just want addictive games with simple design like 2 cars ...i could see this people playing it everyday in metro, i think physiologically a casual gamer dont want install a game in his device that look like heavy in resources because he priorities more space for his pictures , also complex game you cant play it in just few minute ride in public transport ...
     
  12. ajcoryat

    ajcoryat Avid Boxer

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    I used to make decent money a few years ago self-publishing. But my portfolio of 70+ apps is now pretty old and income has dried up to pretty much "Gas money" for my Truck. So, I am creating a new portfolio. BB is a learning curve, I'll say that. But when I have reached a point that I think I have a Publisher-ready product, I will take that path. In the mean time, I'll continue to self publish and hone my BB skills. Keep pushing them out.
     
  13. Qdeveloper

    Qdeveloper Avid Boxer

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    Some folks who kept mentioning Color Switch as a great example for using BuildBox, If I'm not mistaken it's no longer the developer using BuildBox for the game, I believe this something need to be investigated by BuildBox team for future updates, why @Machine Rises forced to change buildbox for Color Switch ? Because the publisher request or some kind of limitations he just faced within buildbox ? Or whatever the reason.

    Just an opinion, I love buildbox, I'm making a game using it I'm not trying to bash Color Switch success nor trying to offend buildbox engine or it's team, I'm just worried it may be a bad marketing example in the long term future, When someone who may play the newest color switch and expect all what he/she saw just made from buildbox, Yes some users are skeptical to make research before getting buildbox, Just not to make new customers feeling they have been cheated.
     
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  14. ajcoryat

    ajcoryat Avid Boxer

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    @Qdeveloper I just unzipped the Color Switch .ipa
    Amazing the things you can find... Version 3.5 is no longer a BB game, sorry to say. But that's ok with me. It started out as one.
    The first dead giveaway are the music files. They now contain .wav which don't work with BB at all...as we know.
    The second was UnityAds.bundle. Say no more.
    That said, there are probably a number of very valid reasons for this.
    1. The Publisher has been controlling the continued and successful development (and marketing of course). David will still own the I.P., but the day to day development is in the hands of "hired guns" who are more than likely Unity experts. More power to David, with free time to enjoy the wonderful benefits that 100 Million downloads brings to him.
    2. Due to the sheer volume of downloads, Color Switch probably requires a level of developmental management that BB might not designed for. And I would guess, additional features that maybe not yet available to this platform. Features that would enhance monetization and future cross-promotion opportunities (100M is a lot of lifetime value to be extracted). I have not done an in-depth analysis of the game features, so this is my "best guess".
    With all of this in mind, just remember the most important part... Without BB, David would not have developed this game idea so easily and quickly. And that is the clincher that the BB team will rightfully hang onto. It was the engine that inspired the creativity behind Color Switch. You can't take away that very strong selling point from BuildBox and David's initial work. Kudos to everyone involved :)
     
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  15. Christoph

    Christoph Miniboss Boxer

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    Color Switch was made in Unity since the third update in early January. Still, @brakewind723 promised to make a tutorial with all different game modes on Udemy. Now, Buildbox can do it all (but couldn't back then). The only thing which wouldn't work out is the huge amount of levels. A Buildbox game would struggle to load all this content and would make your phone explode. On the other hand, Color Switch even runs smooth on my iPhone 4s. It loads even faster than most Buildbox games which "only" have one endless mode. And I'm not sure, but I suspect that there is an entire team working on the updates which wouldn't be possible in Buildbox either.
     
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  16. trudnai

    trudnai Miniboss Boxer

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    Well, yes, in Unity (and on most other game engines) you have the freedom of doing anything you want. I love Unity3d and I like SpriteBuilder too, done stuff in both. However those do not let you to create a game in just one week which was the case with ColorSwitch. Plus those engines does not let non software developers doing stuff.

    Anyway, @TreySmith mentioned couple of months back that they are working on reducing load time by 10 fold if I am not mistaken. I have done some research on how to improve load time and come to the confusion that I only can achieve something like 20%. But it is not worth discuss that here as BB is going to solve this problem I beleave soon.
     
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  17. Machine Rises

    Machine Rises Serious Boxer

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    This is exactly it. With out Build Box there would be NO Color Switch. Build Box gave me the chance to make a game that turned my life around. Anyone has the ability to do the same thing I did if you work hard, do your research, and most importantly listen to the world around you and to your own artistic sensibilities which you should always strive to sharpen. In the beginning it was me and Build Box.
     
  18. carlosabreu1981

    carlosabreu1981 Boxer

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    There are a lot of features that color switch currently have that you cannot be made on buildbox,
    many leaderboards, achievements, wav music, scroll menus, about about more than 200 levels,
    just to mention a few.
     
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  19. JustWatchApps

    JustWatchApps Avid Boxer

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    On the other hand, Buildbox has all the features it needs, in the hands of capable developers, to deliver numerous top ranked games.
    https://www.buildbox.com/all-stars/

    Its OK tho' - when I hit a bad shot I blame my clubs too.. :p
     
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  20. Qdeveloper

    Qdeveloper Avid Boxer

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    Everyone have a valid opinion, But seem some folks misunderstood my original point, I can see each one of us have seeing this matter from a different angles.

    Let me clarify it again, I like color switch and it's inspiring success example for too many developers without any doubt, But I'm trying to speak from a bb customer & marketing view that i hope it will not be ignored from BuildBox team, Let's us not deny the real situation, We have a great buildbox game "Color Switch" which have promoted as a great example for buildbox capabilities, And i saw that even in BB2 trailer which is great, But in the recent updates Color Switch already have changed buildbox engine in fever of Unity3d?!

    For me, This would be a really concerning matter as a buildbox customer, Because we have a product that priced 2675$ which has best creation just shifted in fever for it's competitor engine "Unity3d", We also have marketing risk here, If unity3d want to stab buildbox in the back, Unity folks can start claiming how a great buildbox game just shifted to use Unity3d for stronger and better support than buildbox, Which is free or even cheaper option for many developers, For me this may not be a big deal for most current buildbox users, But trust me it will be a matter in future for any potential buildbox customers!

    It would be a wise movement for BuildBox team to address the limitations that forced "Color Switch" to switch to "Unity3d" instead of "BuildBox"

    This just my opinion about this issue, And i apologize to anyone who might have been offended.
     

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