Money as reward

First of all, I would like to apologize for my english.


Hello Uniters.

First of all, im new in game programming even though that my account is 2 years old. I have just started to take game development serious.

The game im working on is currently on Alpha state. I have couple of friends who have been testing the game, and I really enjoying the feedback they are giving.

Im planing to release the game on Android platform though Google Play, and iOS though App Store.

I like the idea that getting a reward in some kind of money, im not talking about 8-digits money.
But I dont know wehter I will put this game up for free, with ads on, or with a price of 99 cent.

What do you recommend?

 

Personally i would make a free game with ads on and maybe make ad free version but people have different opinions

 

If you are not interested in making money from it and getting some bucks would just be a nice cherry on top, you might consider putting a simple "Donate" button in your app, leading to a $5 in-app purchase (or less if you prefer).

 

To be honest, I like the idea of make a living of game development.

What du you suggest if I want to make money, without being greedy and command 1042 $ for each app

 

No experience with that. Sorry.

 

In all my various attempts at getting money from work I've done by providing an easy way to donate, I've never made a penny. People are cheap.

 

True lol.

If you are serious about making money as an indie game developer you have one of two options. The first is to make a quality product that others will enjoy playing. Its a little more complicated than that but that't the general requirement for making a profit on any game. Once you have your product you will need to advertise and if others enjoy playing it they will pay. I have a few friends and family that own successful businesses and they all say word of mouth is your best friend. I personally plan on giving away free copies and starting my current project off at a very low price to get it out there. As well as paid advertising. I once read that when trying to sell any product advertising and marketing should be your first or second greatest expense.

Your second option would be to make a shiny game trailer that looks really nice but barely represents your game at all just to make a quick buck. I don't suggest doing this for obvious reasons.

 

There is no easy answer. It depends on your game.

Banner ads might be the right solution if you have long play sessions. Interstitial ads might be the best option if you have lots of natural breaks. A paid app could be the correct choice if screen real estate is precious and things need to keep moving along.

 

Assuming you don't overtly mislead people so they'll be upset when they actually play it, don't underestimate how much difference a good ad can make. Even if it doesn't have a whole lot to do with the actual game.
People bought Battleblock Theater just because of how awesome the ads were
Old Spice is another good example.

 

You wont command a single dollar if your game isnt any good... Grimwolf nailed it. People are cheap.

Free + Ads

This is not a guaranteed, money making career. You will either get lucky (having a good game will help - but is no guarantee of success), or you'll get no-where.

 

You could also offer the option of removing advertisements by paying.

 

yes of course. thats a must have IMO.

 

I agree with the principle of making something high quality but honestly your success, or lack thereof, will almost certainly be based on other factors such as creativity some unique twist, connections you make and above all else (although closely related to the connections bit) marketing. I've seen many junk products do great and high quality products fail miserably. The difference was always down to the marketing including making connections (reviewers, distribution channels and so forth).

 

+1 for ads. My current simple app that I've used to get my feet wet as a solo indie and only has about 15 daily users actually makes a trickle of money via ads (admob, amazon, Microsoft ads on the various platforms). Obviously, not much money with low users but more than I expected. On IOS and android interstitials sometimes as high as a quarter a click (depends on a lot of variables). My game won't be that great until version 2.0 in a few months but the test has at least shown me that ads are a good way to monetize.

 

You've started on a long road. The pro tip is to give your game away for free. Your first few games will suck - definitely not worth crossing the penny-gap. And IAP's require even more experience to properly design. So, stick in a few ads (for learning), give it away for free, and make a game worthy of 100 downloads (that aren't friends). Do it in 12 weeks. Go!

Good luck,
Gigi