iScore Baseball is actually our flagship product, and has been VERY well received by the users. As you noted, it is a very deep application, and the higher price is more than justified. We even have users saying they can't believe it is ONLY $4.99 - they think it is worth much more.
Real applications like that are a much different user base (thank God!) than the users that are buying games and getting mad they spent 99 cents (or in some cases they downloaded a free game and say how awful it is) and leave a bad review after a developer has spent countless hours developing something. People spend more than 99 cents on a small soda at McDonalds that is gone in 30 seconds... how is a game not worth 99 cents if someone gets 10 minutes or more of enjoyment from it?
Sure, there is pure crap out there... but I think some reviewers of 99 cent games are overly critical. The iPhone game economy is quite strange that way.
Anyway, I posted the numbers for Bug Squash because I feel it is what most developers are going to be capable of creating. There are a lot of better games out there, and a lot that are not as nice, so I think these sales number are going to be a lot more typical for people than the 1% (or less) of games that really make a lot of money.
I'd still be curious to see some specific numbers from other "average" games... not many people willing to step up I guess.
While we're on it, a couple more questions about iScore if you don't mind.
First - I know a little about the rank to sales in the Sports category (*cough* check out the #6 app in the category *cough*) so I have to ask - how close are you to recouping your initial investment in iScore? It looks like a fabulous app, but if I had to guess, I'd say a whirlwhind honeymoon in the top ten of its category isn't quite going to cut it.
In order for an app of iScore's caliber to be considered a commercial success, you're going to need sustained sales at least to some degree - right? I'm trying determine whether or not a well developed app (meaning an app requiring significantly more engineering/design/marketing effort than a 99 cent quickie) selling at four or five times the minimum price can be profitable without being a *hit*.
Also, what kind of marketing did you do around the iScore product - anything special? If so, what was effective?
Thanks,
F.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ftm
Thanks Fritzer -
iScore Baseball is actually our flagship product, and has been VERY well received by the users. As you noted, it is a very deep application, and the higher price is more than justified. We even have users saying they can't believe it is ONLY $4.99 - they think it is worth much more.
Real applications like that are a much different user base (thank God!) than the users that are buying games and getting mad they spent 99 cents (or in some cases they downloaded a free game and say how awful it is) and leave a bad review after a developer has spent countless hours developing something. People spend more than 99 cents on a small soda at McDonalds that is gone in 30 seconds... how is a game not worth 99 cents if someone gets 10 minutes or more of enjoyment from it?
Sure, there is pure crap out there... but I think some reviewers of 99 cent games are overly critical. The iPhone game economy is quite strange that way.
Anyway, I posted the numbers for Bug Squash because I feel it is what most developers are going to be capable of creating. There are a lot of better games out there, and a lot that are not as nice, so I think these sales number are going to be a lot more typical for people than the 1% (or less) of games that really make a lot of money.
I'd still be curious to see some specific numbers from other "average" games... not many people willing to step up I guess.
Intended this thread to be about the Bug Squash game since I figure that is more in line with what most developers are creating, but since you asked...
We have spent no money on advertising / marketing at all, but have put A LOT of hours into the product. It is actually VERY complex to get all the rules of scoring correct, and still present it in an easy to understand way to the point that even people who have never scored a game can probably handle it with our product, and get full-blown Scorecard output and statistics for their own games. We now have many coaches from around the country helping us improve the product in ways that will make it useful at all levels from youth sports all the way up to the pros.
We are hoping that by creating a great product, word of mouth will sell enough to make iScore Baseball successful. The developers have kids that play youth leagues, and spend a lot of time around youth sports, so word of mouth has spread pretty quickly as other parents / coaches have seen the product.
We are hoping for a sustained stay in the top of the sports list, at least for a while, but we realize the target audience for this type of application is much smaller than a game application, or even for a general "baseball viewer" type application. It is definitely a niche market.
It helps to do something you are passionate about, and not worry about whether the money is there or not. If we were worried about the money for this application, we never would have started it.
I'm trying determine whether or not a well developed app (meaning an app requiring significantly more engineering/design/marketing effort than a 99 cent quickie) selling at four or five times the minimum price can be profitable without being a *hit*.
Actually, this is really what I intended the focus of the thread to be... not so much the selling at four or five times the min price, but can any simple application be profitable without being a *hit*.
I don't know how Bug Squash #'s rate... that's why I'm hoping for others to chime in.
Clearly it is not the top 1%, but is it top 25%, top 50%, bottom half of the average?
I have no idea... but people certainly are not retiring on our current Bug Squash #'s. In fact, you really can't even make a living.
If we cut all application sales into a pie chart, what percentage of that pie makes over say $10,000 over the entire run of the application? over $25,000? over $50,000? over $100,000?
Obviously the numbers get smaller and smaller as you go up.
Anyone care to share their #'s? It is not fun to hear ONLY about the huge successes as it is false hope. I am interested in REAL numbers.
Bug Squash reached #3 on US Kids Game list today... sales are only slightly higher than when it reached #4 in the reports, but I think the #2 and #1 games are WAY ahead of it in sales as Scoops is actually in the TV commercials for iPod touch (if you look at the apps on the phones in the "there's an App for that" spots), and the other game is made by the same person.
Thanks for sharing your story and code here!
FYI. I picked up the 4th code and gave a try. It's funny! And considering
the target users, it's easy to learn. Great!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ftm
Our update version 1.2 of Bug Squash just got approved today. This version adds custom backgrounds to levels, and allows you to use your own photos as the background for the game (have bugs attacking you, friends, family, etc).
Here are a few promo codes to get this latest release free. Please let the thread know if you take one:
I grabbed the third one, will see how my 6yo niece likes it... (the fifth code had been previously used)
And to the question as to whether or not updates are "worth it", I'm not sure anymore. My app is by app store standards horrifically expensive because it was quite frankly, a great deal of work to get right. I'm up against at least 6 competitors who are priced from $1.99 up to $19.99 (me too) and have now slipped below the radar (top 100 in category) in spite of two "major" feature releases.
Because I got to wondering if months worth of work was going to translate into sales, I popped in an analytics package and boy, is it revealing. The down and dirty is that I seem to have completely misjudged my market's desire more "more and better" "free upgrade", or at least what my research said was more and better. Grumble.
My old customers just flat are not using the new features at all. By "not at all", we're looking at fewer people using the new features than new purchasers. New customers may be drawn to the new features but new/old can't be separated so who knows.
Now this is going to sound like a plug for analytics services and in a way it is, but had I known my customer better I'd have spent the last 4.5 months doing something other than adding features to something that was already plenty good-enough!
Because I released in early August, nobody knew what to expect from this market but at this stage it's crystal clear to me that people still view cell phones/iPods as ultimately disposable so they don't put much more than "basic" stuff on them. They don't invest... "99 cents--so what if I don't use it" fits perfectly with the mindset that they'll be replacing their phone when the contract expires. Hopefully that view will change when people realize that their purchases are "durable" and will outlive their contract, but maybe not. And as nice as "free upgrade" rings, I'm not sure it drives new sales particularly well (my competition doesn't upgrade very often, they're smarter than me evidently!).
A most salient quote was from a friend who purchased the infamous iFart: "showing it to the twins one time (boys, about 7) made it the best 99 cents I ever spent".
Anyway, do your homework on feature adds.
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Bug Squash reached #2 Kids Game in U.S. today... so apparently it still has some life left. Maybe the update allowing you to put in your own pictures made a difference. It also cracked the top 100 of All games today. Peeked into top 100 for a couple hours last weekend, but made to #88 tonight for All games.
Don't know how to explain it. There has been no promotion from Apple, and no additional promotion from us.
Just thought I'd post an update for anyone interested.
Our latest game was released today - Patternz. Much like the game Lights Out, but has a unique scoring system and includes hints to solve the puzzles when you get stuck.
Here are a few promo codes. Please PM me if you take one so I can remove it from the list:
I know this thread is a bit old, but figured I'd add to it since people were asking about sales figures for games that aren't hits. I've been meaning to do a blog post about it, but I'll give the basic info here.
I have three apps for sale in the store - all for 99 cents each.
The first one I released was done purely as an experiment to see what the sales numbers would be for an app with very limited functionality that sold for 99 cents. I already had plenty of free apps in the store, so I just wanted something to test the waters with an app for sale. I literally spent a weekend on it. It's called "The Gavel" and is a simple noise making app. There are over a dozen items to choose from ( the primary one being a gavel) and you basically shake the phone, the item moves, and when it hits the edge of the screen it makes a sound. I freely admit - it's got limited functionality.
So, how does it sell? It's been in the store since late January and has netted about $300. Its best day was when it sold 23 copies. It generally averages about 3 copies per day right now. I'm quite happy with that amount of money given it was done mainly as an experiment. I covered my costs for the $50 I spent on stock photos, which was my main hope.
So, that was my first experiment. My second for sale app is one called Time Bomb. It's a simple dexterity race against the clock game. You need to disassemble a time bomb and then cut the right wires before the timer expires. You can email high scores to your friends and using the custom URL feature of the iPhone can have the app automatically launched and your high score is inserted into their copy of the app.
It took me about a week to write the Time Bomb app. It's been in the store since early February. Best sales day was 105 copies shortly after it was released. It was listed in the top 100 paid puzzle apps and top 100 paid simulation apps for a short time. Releasing updates gives a noticeable boost in sales (if I change the date at the proper time and Apple is properly listing the apps) - numbers jump from 10 copies a day to over 60 for a day or two, but then the sales quickly drop back to normal again. To date, it's netted about $1500 and is averaging about 5 copies a day sold now with it not appearing on any top 100 lists and zero advertising and no released updates for the past two months or so.
My third for sale app is Artificial Life. It's hard to categorize this app, but I listed it under the game category (both educational and simulation). As the name implies, it's an Artificial Life simulation. You basically watch microorganisms with randomly assigned behaviors live out their lives and reproduce and those with useful behaviors should emerge over time. It's got a very limited audience that might enjoy it, but it's an app I really enjoy working on.
The app has made it to the top 25 paid educational games list in the US and the top 10 on the same list in the UK. The app was released in mid-March and to date has netted about $1000. Sales numbers are all over the place with this one. Best day was 120 copies shortly after I released my third update. Worst day was 3 copies after several weeks with no updates. With this app, updates are currently making a big difference in my sales. If I go too long without any updates, the sales number drop to a trickle (5 or less per day). If I release an update, the numbers jump numbers jump to 50 or more per day and the running average stays around 20 copies per day for the next 2 weeks.
So, those are my current sales numbers. As I mentioned in a different thread, it's no where near enough money to live on - and I'm not expecting to live on this income. I consider developing these 99 cent apps a hobby. I'm currently making my living doing freelance iPhone development for other people. That's something that is definitely profitable at the moment.
Thanks for adding your app information here... that is actually what I was hoping to see when I originally started the thread... a sharing of information for the rest of us that aren't making hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I'll share a little information about my game, Cubeshifter.
I spent evenings and weekends for about a month writing the game and designing the graphics. This includes learning Objective-C. I had no money invested in the project, aside from the Apple Developer Program fee, and my web hosting fee for the website and high scores leaderboard (I already had a web hosting service, so I don't consider this an expense for Cubeshifter).
Cubeshifter was posted to the US App Store only on 3/25/09. I chose to only sell in the US App Store because I was nervous about taxes -- especially if I didn't even make enough to pay an accountant. To date I have given away ~75 copies of Cubeshifter via promo codes, and sold ~120 copies. Most of my sales have come during the initial release and recent update. My highest placement was ~#65 in Board Games. At $0.70 per copy, however, I'm not exactly going to be rich anytime soon I do believe that free copies given away affect placement in the "top" rankings.
I consider myself a "hobby programmer" -- I really enjoy writing code. Just to see other people playing and enjoying Cubeshifter makes it all worthwhile. Earning a few bucks on the side makes it even better .
I have submitted a "Lite" version of Cubeshifter to Apple as of today. I'll follow up to this post with the results from releasing a free version.
Just an update for anyone that has followed this thread - Bug Squash reached the #1 Paid Kids Game spot in the United States today... at least for a period of time. It is a very exciting moment for us as we never expected it to get that high when we created it.
It is also at #85 of All Games at the time of this posting.
Well.. was a short run at #1. Within hours of making it to #1, Scoops reduced their price to 0.99 and they shot back up the charts. Hard to compete with an app that is actually in the iPhone / iTouch commercials and has Apple's backing as well --- being featured, etc. Bug Squash has never been featured, and has never been in any advertising, so it's all just word of mouth I guess.
Well.. was a short run at #1. Within hours of making it to #1, Scoops reduced their price to 0.99 and they shot back up the charts. Hard to compete with an app that is actually in the iPhone / iTouch commercials and has Apple's backing as well --- being featured, etc. Bug Squash has never been featured, and has never been in any advertising, so it's all just word of mouth I guess.
That's an awesome accomplishment! Congratulations, even if it was only for a short time! Most of us developers can only hope for similar success.
I'm wondering how much effort and money went into the promotion of your app. Did you do any promotion or was it a case of "uploading and waiting"?
I programmed iGroupEmail and got some nice reviews but i cannot seem to grasp how i could promote it more... i already noticed 20+ websites in USA and some 15 more around europe..
Did you run a campaign or did it happen to deliver you champagne
We spent $0 on promotion. We uploaded the app to the app store, and a week later uploaded a LITE version of the app. Things just built up. I think the keys was that it started appearing in the top 100 list of Kids Games, then top 100 of Action Games, and eventually top 100 of All Games, though it never make Top Apps (though we are pretty sure it got close the weekend it made it to #1 kids game in the US.
It HAS been top 100 of All Apps in some countries... in fact, even this week it has been the #1 Kids game in 3 different countries, and has been in the top 100 of all apps in several countries as well (just not the US).
I guess it was just a lot of luck involved. We were never promoted / featured by Apple, and we never ran any of our own promotions.
We have since tried promoting our newest game (Patternz), but that has not produced much success which is kind of sad because we think the production value of Patternz is very nice, and as I mentioned in another thread, the Average user play time on Patternz has been > 19 minutes per session whereas Bug Squash is in the 6-7 minute range. You would think people would see a higher value in a 99 cent game that you get 19 minutes of play from on an average session.
Guess it's all a learning process to see what works and what doesn't.
Cubeshifter had slowed down to 2-3 paid copies sold per day. The lite version was released for free on 6/6/09 and had ~200 copies downloaded that day. Over the next few days, ~1500 copies of the free version were downloaded and ~50 copies of the full version were sold as a result. The free version peaked at #43 in free board games, #86 in free puzzle games, and the paid version peaked at #89 in paid board games. Compare this to the paid version getting into the top 50 or so after simply posting a bug-fix update. As of right now, the lite version is #62 in free board games, and the paid version is not in the charts.
Yesterday I noticed a sharp increase in the number of full versions submitting high scores to the website, so I had a feeling it had been posted to a certain popular iPhone App cracking site. Sure enough -- it was on the front page. I would say that at this point I have more cracked versions submitting high scores than I do paid version.
Yesterday I noticed a sharp increase in the number of full versions submitting high scores to the website, so I had a feeling it had been posted to a certain popular iPhone App cracking site. Sure enough -- it was on the front page. I would say that at this point I have more cracked versions submitting high scores than I do paid version.
That's a shame. Thanks for sharing numbers.
Did anybody learn at WWDC if Apple introduces a tougher anti-pirating scheme with 3.0?
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