Getting a new apps name out there

Hey everyone, my name's Andrew and I just finished making my very first app. It took roughly a year to finish and I only wanted to put my fist through my computer 73 times! The game is called Kazu Ninja Adventure and it is currently available for download free on Android in Play Store! In my opinion, its a well designed game with over 35 fun levels for hours of entertainment, download it an enjoy.

Now this post is not only to get my apps name out there but to also talk about my experience, hopefully others will join in with their experiences too! So something that I think goes through every developers head before they make an app, as they are making an app and when they complete their app is "Is anyone going to download my hard work"? Everyday I though about this while struggling to learn the art of creating a phone app. Is all this struggling and time going to pay off? Its 2018 now and the App Marketplace is absolutely flooded with apps and more are added everyday. Will all the hard work be for nothing?

So to begin this process, Ill talk about how much of me was invested in this project. As I mentioned earlier, it took almost a year to get this sucker out. That being said, indie developers like myself work when we have the time to, so I would say it took about 400 hrs (working on it like 1-2hrs a day). Now because this was my first app and I had no idea how long it would take or if I would finish it, I went with Android. Android cause the developer licence is a one time payment of $25. Next we talk about how much it cost to create the app. For me, I purchased a couple things from Unity Assets and it totaled about $100. Grand total is about $125, its possible to make that money back right?

Now my app only has ads in it and they dont appear that often. One ad is a reward ad, so completely optional and you get coins for clicking it. The second one just pops up before you select a level. As of now, this is it. If I get downloads and people seem to like the game, maybe I would add some IAPs to keep the game going. As far as promotion goes, I made an instagram the other day and only have a couple posts so far. Follow me on Instagram "webbapps" #marketingmyself #livefastdieyoung #420blazeit. I also made a facebook page that ill have to start constructing soon, which is awesome cause I barely use facebook in my personal life *do it for the app I say to myself*.

I know a common practice is to make a website and I have definitely thought about it and have actually made a couple websites before. My problem with this is again, its going to be time consuming and although cheap, still has a price to buy the domain name and a monthly/yearly hosting fee. Then its the same problem I had before, how are you going to get people to view the website AND download the app. But all this is to hear some opinions! What did you guys do? How did you try marketing yourselves? Im going to be updating this every so often and updating where Im at and how things have changed!

Kazu Ninja Adventure
Current Number of Installs: 6 (shout out to the +1 from Australia
Current Unity Ad Revenue: $0.02

 

Hello Andrew Congrats on release. Job well done!

This is largely dependent upon your own expectations. It sounds like you expect to at least make back the money you spent, out of pocket, on developing the game. IMO - I don't think you will, but you can re-frame the expectations and realize how much you learned through the past year. That knowledge is pretty darn valuable I would say, and chalk that up as the payoff for the release of your first game.
The market is flooded and has been since 2013-4, so this is nothing new. People are still making games and making return from there games, but generally they are high quality products, or innovative with the design/mechanics.
Looking at your game - I don't see the quality or innovation, so don't expect any monetary return.

It is possible - but highly unlikely with a 2D platformer, with recognizable graphics used in other games, on a platform that expects free content. Ads or IAP are expected and do not return much investment for a game that does not stand out. But the release of your first game is awesome! A great experience and knowledge building exercise that should carry over to your next game.

Good job on promotion, but in my opinion you are about 10 months behind the ball. You should have been promoting your game for the past 10 months for at least 2-3 hour per week. Advertising now isn't going to result in much - mostly because the game is what it is, a 2D platformer with purchased visuals.
But again - learning experience - start early in the development cycle of your next game, promoting it as soon as the core mechanics are complete and it is presentable. You might build a small following who is interested in your next game, seeing the progression of the game as you create it, and also interested in picking it up when it is complete.

Consider this for your next game - and when you release your next game - update this game to include a button "check out other games from andrew webber. Free advertising of your second game in your first game - and visa-versa.
Also - 1 year is quite a long time for a first time game. Consider limiting the development time of the next game to 3-4 months - find some compelling mechanics that you can create in that timeframe and get the game created. Spend a little extra time each week and promote the game while you are developing it.
This isn't the only way to get people interested, but it works with games that are interesting and different. Marketing after release is good coupled with marketing during development. But unless the game is spectacular and has some compelling game mechanics that make people interested in the game straight away, don't expect high returns.
Might also consider a couple gameplay videos for your next game. It may help the ninja game as well, but unlikely unless the game has elements that are not found in other 2D platformers.

Anyway - that is my advice - I'm not an expert, just sharing my point of view.

 

Well, the thing is that the money you usually get is from ads. Because of this some companies pay a little price for each game to their workers, which makes them make a lot of small games to gain something. I was hired last year for one of this companies and only get 200 € for almost 10 games (wich took me 2 months of development). I stopped making games for them beacuse they still have a debt with me and I considerated this way of making games ridiculous.