Got This From A Publisher

Discussion in 'Buildbox General Discussion' started by eyal, Dec 19, 2016.

  1. eyal

    eyal Serious Boxer

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    "Currently we are looking for games with more depth, games that people would play for a long period of time. Times has changed and with the current ECPM it's really hard to profit from simple games at this moment."

    Interesting being that this is what BB is all about - what do you guys think ?
    @Andy , @TreySmith
     
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  2. AaroArts

    AaroArts Miniboss Boxer

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    I think you're lucky they even bothered to reply to you and include some advice/feedback.
    Not many do, nor have time to.

    All said and done, take what they've said on board and try again :)
    Good luck.
     
  3. jerry

    jerry Avid Boxer

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    It might mean that they want more levels and that the gameplay needs to be more "addicting".
     
  4. blad300

    blad300 Serious Boxer

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    People have no joy to play mini games anymore long time...i speak about that problem 1 month ago, this was the reason i add push notification in games, to alert the user he can play again.
    We need more features to keep the user in our game.
    We need more features in games and to add them you need some code skills.
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2016
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  5. eyal

    eyal Serious Boxer

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    Couldn't agree more. It's not about more levels. It's about the ability to make a game that is more then just tap tap tap
    BB is an amazing software but at the moment all the games look the same - not art wise but game style.
    Putting a game out there with a skin for example for juju on the bit - this is not a game. This is a quick try to make money.

    It's not about them getting back to me @Sam_Aaro , it's about what I have to offer and at the moment the games I can offer are quick one tap.
     
  6. blad300

    blad300 Serious Boxer

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    because too many gaming requests, developers start to create games with others `game maker software` with more features...
    I look through games in app store 30 minutes , and i saw 3 games made with BB, Kika,Showman.. and that one with Fish
     
  7. abdussadik

    abdussadik Boxer

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    time to start Unity
     
  8. trudnai

    trudnai Miniboss Boxer

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    I think this is only an opinion of one single Publisher. You should do your diligence and analyze the market for yourself. If you find that there is no place for tap tap software you might should just move to something else.

    Last year Color Switch was huge, but that does not mean it would be the same this year. And of course a subscription based MMO would make you crazy money, but then the investment and running costs would be just a lot more too. I know game makers on the market with over $1 million budget just for one game. And no, they are far smaller than Nintendo, EA or Rovio...
     
  9. Christoph

    Christoph Miniboss Boxer

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    I have this information as well from two publishers. They are moving away from casual games because gamers are moving away from them as well. It is very difficult to maintain user retention with casual games. To succeed with a game in the long term, you need an ARPU of at least $0.1 which most casual games are not able to achieve. Even the big ones like Ketchapp seem to suffer from this. The appstore is crowded with simple casual games. So that's bad news for sure. I think a very good example is Nanovation. Most of their games do not have any downloads at all. The one that did succeed big time is the one that sets itself apart from the rest with its beautiful design and gameplay: Slip Away. So I agree, this for sure is something to keep in mind when developing your games.
     
  10. Nihat

    Nihat Serious Boxer

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    The game types that were popular in past years are not popular now...
    I think it is time to see Multiplayer and 3D in BB..
     
  11. blad300

    blad300 Serious Boxer

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    In 2k18 ... now play with BB 2 :))
     
  12. horsthuber05

    horsthuber05 Boxer

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    I agree with @Nihat. I think we need to use engines like Unity 5 since you can do everything you want with it until BB Next is out.
     
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  13. Nihat

    Nihat Serious Boxer

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    Yeah, but we shouldn't forget that BB isn't same as Unity. In Unity, you have to know how to code but BB is completely drag and drop game creation software. That is why we can just ask for a particular feature and if it is acceptable then they will create it.
    Lots of forum members asked for Multiplayer and it will come with BB 3 I guess...
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2018
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  14. Gregory Storm

    Gregory Storm Avid Boxer

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    WOW! That publisher's message to you is almost identical to some of the rejections we've sent out. When I read this, I wondered if we had sent that to you. :)

    It can be extremely costly to launch games properly. Yes, some publishers like Ketchapp won't or don't need to spend a dime on your game because they have a portfolio of 700 million users that they can easily cross-promote to, but we set aside a 5 figure launch budget (and a lot more once the game shows traction) for the games we publish and there are a few others like us that actually spend money launching your game. The games we publish must maximize their earning potential and sadly most submissions we get from Buildbox developers don't care about monetization or retention.

    Simple casual games that don't monetize well or retain users over a long period of time are hard to make work financially for publishers when you factor in the percentages paid to the game developers. So if your game doesn't have the potential of great retention or high ARPU, ARPDAU, or LTV, then it's going to be a pass. We are still open to publishing BB games, but the economics have changed.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2016
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  15. horsthuber05

    horsthuber05 Boxer

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    Hopefully they will!

    True but in my opinion, they're way too slow in expanding the engine and when they say BB2 is coming at the end of 2015/early 2016 it's coming in the middle of 2016 :/.
    I think I'll just go back to unity or gamesalate or sth. else until BB Next is out.
     
  16. Kevin W

    Kevin W Avid Boxer

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    TBH, Make a great game and you'll find a publisher to publish your game. FYI - The VR stuff is just a bi-product of the holiday season and they'll drop fast after the season has subsided. Sure they'll gradually creep in over time, but it's way too early right now.

    As for tap tap tap. In essence, most of the top games are still tap tap tap, Mario is no different. It comes down to enjoyment and addictiveness at the end of the day. A crap game with 300 levels is just a "bigger crap" game as most players won't go past level 1.

    Tap, Tap Tap games work best on mobile and I don't see that changing anytime soon, our job is to come up with new ways to deliver this to the market.

    As for publishers, medium ones at least, not being able to justify marketing spend without higher ARPU, this is true for most cases. That said, it does come down to the game itself, nail the core loop, attract enough users and you have a good chance of doing well. Prolonged marketing pushes it what it takes now, and short term success is pretty much guaranteed without it.

    Most of the top games you see have huge social and UA pushes ongoing, and the ones that stick are playing the investment and long game, publishers who do bursts are short lived, Nanovation are a classic example of this, choosing to social push slip away exclusively pretty much as the ARPDAU must be close for them. Push drives up, stop, and it falls, it's incredibly hard to get a game to stick without super deep pockets.

    Think less about the software, and more about what you can actually do with it. Software doesn't make great games, you do.
     
  17. brakewind723

    brakewind723 Serious Boxer

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    I see the minimal art style dying more than casual "tap tap" games themselves. Invest the time or money in some good art and also make sure you have some addictive gameplay to top it off and you should be good most of the time. Also know who you are pitching to! Most of the time publishers generally go with a style and gameplay they are comfortable with that worked in the past or is currently working. If all else fails follow the next trend and be the first to make a re-skin of a popular game and slap the meme on there :rolleyes:.
     
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  18. Kevin W

    Kevin W Avid Boxer

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    Not sure I agree that the "minimal" style is dying at all, quite the opposite. It's more that you just need to nail and own that style, coupled with great gameplay, and of course, the OP said the publisher is looking for more than simple games, I think this was more of a polite way of saying they weren't interested. Harsh I know, but that would be my guess.
     
  19. Christoph

    Christoph Miniboss Boxer

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    Well, I'm just discussing in a collaboration for one of my next games, if endless modes are dead. Talking simple and minimal, I feel that people have lost their interest in endless games. Does anyone agree with that? Also, do people really play challenges or would an adventure mode be better regarding retention? It seems that with casual games the main problem is the low ARPU and this has directly to do that people get bored very fast which then results in looking for something new. So endless probably isn't the best way to retain those people in your game... even though minimal and simple is pretty equal to endless nowadays.
     
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  20. Nihat

    Nihat Serious Boxer

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    @Christoph, I don't think that endless games are dead, it really depends on your game and marketing strategies
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2018

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