Comments on: The Numbers Post (aka Brutal Honesty) http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/ The trials and joys of indie games development Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:32:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The Game Bakers – Money and the App Store: a few figures that might help an indie developer http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-139161 The Game Bakers – Money and the App Store: a few figures that might help an indie developer Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:30:35 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-139161 [...] Dapple – Link to Dapple post mortem [...] [...] Dapple – Link to Dapple post mortem [...]

]]> By: Past successes, failures and going viral! http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-137268 Past successes, failures and going viral! Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:04:07 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-137268 [...] lost on their own failures) but the author has very kindly documented his findings in a very useful blog. Owen Goss goes on to mention that has spent $32,000 on a game that took him over 6 months to [...] [...] lost on their own failures) but the author has very kindly documented his findings in a very useful blog. Owen Goss goes on to mention that has spent $32,000 on a game that took him over 6 months to [...]

]]> By: Develop It » iPhone Sales Data http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-95020 Develop It » iPhone Sales Data Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:07:06 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-95020 [...] http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/ [...] [...] http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/ [...]

]]> By: arquitectos en cordoba http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-81673 arquitectos en cordoba Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:15:41 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-81673 You lead us to believe that you paid yourself very little, when in fact I suspect that a 6 month salary for a “junior front end programmer” is more than 75% of your supposed cost of 32k. You lead us to believe that you paid yourself very little, when in fact I suspect that a 6 month salary for a “junior front end programmer” is more than 75% of your supposed cost of 32k.

]]> By: Paul http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-74797 Paul Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:09:02 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-74797 Thx for this great article, I really enjoyed it, considering that my first app is going to be online these days. @paisajista you're right, but next time try to be more... "kind" :) Thx for this great article, I really enjoyed it, considering that my first app is going to be online these days.

@paisajista you’re right, but next time try to be more… “kind” :)

]]> By: paisajista http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-69845 paisajista Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:50:55 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-69845 I think Dapple’s lack of success is no mystery. Let’s think for a second: 1. It looks exactly like bejeweled, and will be instantly dismissed by many people as a result. 2. You debuted at $5 in mid Feb., when the game you would be instantly compared to (Bejeweled) was $3. This was insanity. 3. Kotaku press is meaningless, because its readership is primarily composed of jaded console gamers who think the iPhone will never be taken seriously as a gaming platform (read the comments of any iphone related article for a glimpse of this). 4. 6 months of full-time development on a match-3 game is absurd, even for an individual. Dapple might have found a niche last year, but the app store has evolved and grown highly competitive in a very short period of time. I don’t mean to discourage you, but the tone of this article seems to be one of bewilderment. Making a match-3 game on a device cluttered with them, and then pricing it above all other competition, with no lite version to prove that your take on the genre is the best out there… how could it have NOT failed? I think Dapple’s lack of success is no mystery. Let’s think for a second:

1. It looks exactly like bejeweled, and will be instantly dismissed by many people as a result.
2. You debuted at $5 in mid Feb., when the game you would be instantly compared to (Bejeweled) was $3. This was insanity.
3. Kotaku press is meaningless, because its readership is primarily composed of jaded console gamers who think the iPhone will never be taken seriously as a gaming platform (read the comments of any iphone related article for a glimpse of this).
4. 6 months of full-time development on a match-3 game is absurd, even for an individual. Dapple might have found a niche last year, but the app store has evolved and grown highly competitive in a very short period of time.

I don’t mean to discourage you, but the tone of this article seems to be one of bewilderment. Making a match-3 game on a device cluttered with them, and then pricing it above all other competition, with no lite version to prove that your take on the genre is the best out there… how could it have NOT failed?

]]> By: Ryan http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-64004 Ryan Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:10:57 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-64004 Also, your title is a little misleading. You didn't "spend" 32k in development. You included paying yourself in that figure and I have to expect you valued 6 months of your time even at a low rate to be at least 24k. So you spent more like 8k on contractors and business expenses? You lead us to believe that you paid yourself very little, when in fact I suspect that a 6 month salary for a "junior front end programmer" is more than 75% of your supposed cost of 32k. Also, your title is a little misleading. You didn’t “spend” 32k in development. You included paying yourself in that figure and I have to expect you valued 6 months of your time even at a low rate to be at least 24k. So you spent more like 8k on contractors and business expenses?

You lead us to believe that you paid yourself very little, when in fact I suspect that a 6 month salary for a “junior front end programmer” is more than 75% of your supposed cost of 32k.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-64003 Ryan Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:56:56 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-64003 Just a couple thoughts... $4.99 is a very high price for a puzzle game. No free Lite version to test the game. I think those two points are the sole reason for weak sales. Selling many thousands of copies at say $1.99 or even $0.99 is going to pay off much better than selling a few hundred at $4.99. I know as a customer, I probably won't ever pay $4.99 for a simple game on the app store. At least not unless it has thousands of reviews raving about how it's the best game ever. Even a decent review on a popular site isn't going to send me running to buy the game at $4.99 (explaining your ~0.3% conversion from kotaku). IMO if you dropped the price, and released a Lite version, you'll likely recover your 32k and even turn a profit. Read Matt Rix's story about Trainyard. He went from a slow starter to a huge hit just by releasing a lite version and then dropping price shortly after. Just a couple thoughts… $4.99 is a very high price for a puzzle game. No free Lite version to test the game. I think those two points are the sole reason for weak sales.

Selling many thousands of copies at say $1.99 or even $0.99 is going to pay off much better than selling a few hundred at $4.99.

I know as a customer, I probably won’t ever pay $4.99 for a simple game on the app store. At least not unless it has thousands of reviews raving about how it’s the best game ever. Even a decent review on a popular site isn’t going to send me running to buy the game at $4.99 (explaining your ~0.3% conversion from kotaku).

IMO if you dropped the price, and released a Lite version, you’ll likely recover your 32k and even turn a profit.

Read Matt Rix’s story about Trainyard. He went from a slow starter to a huge hit just by releasing a lite version and then dropping price shortly after.

]]> By: Your Time is Valuable « Streaming Colour Studios http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-60145 Your Time is Valuable « Streaming Colour Studios Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:05:36 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-60145 [...] about the relatively slow start that my first game, Dapple, got off to in a post called “The Numbers Post (aka Brutal Honesty)“. The post was meant to show another side to all the Instant Millionaire stories that were [...] [...] about the relatively slow start that my first game, Dapple, got off to in a post called “The Numbers Post (aka Brutal Honesty)“. The post was meant to show another side to all the Instant Millionaire stories that were [...]

]]> By: Darko Martic http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-numbers-post-aka-brutal-honesty/comment-page-4/#comment-59305 Darko Martic Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:18:18 +0000 http://www.streamingcolour.com/blog/?p=456#comment-59305 I just started working on my first iApp, and this article was really helpfull on not to expect too much from those "other" articles with title "16 year old earned first million with iPhone game"... thank you, regards I just started working on my first iApp, and this article was really helpfull on not to expect too much from those “other” articles with title “16 year old earned first million with iPhone game”…

thank you,
regards

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