Striking It Rich: Is There An App For That? [Archive]

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Stroffolino

10-07-2009, 07:01 AM

lynardo

10-07-2009, 09:21 AM

"Seeking fortune and fame, entrepreneurs rushed to create programs for Apple's App Store. That's not always what they found."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216788

Not a lot of surprises, but this is the first mainstream article I've seen that's injected a dose of reality into its AppStore coverage.

The article cites a number of folk that admit invested large sums of money up front into making an iphone app, only to end up in debt. This includes apps that were featured and reasonable popular. The expense and risks for someone that wants to hire a team of artists & programmers are huge.

Good article. Ever since Adobe announced Flash CS5 with iPhone support, the flash developers around me have all picked up a Mac mini and an iPhone. I also hear them use words like "iShoot" and "retire" bounce around the conversation in hushed excited tones.

EssentialParadox

10-07-2009, 02:55 PM

I know newsweek is generally supposed to be impartial but the article seems to purposely lean toward painting the App store today as if the lake's dried up.

Their first example is an entrepreneur who borrowed tens of thousands of dollars to create a mileage counter app and only made 99% of his money back.

From my observations, the App store is still a great marketplace and the audience is growing by the day. All that's changed is now there's actual competition in the store, and a cheap app won't get noticed like it did have when there were only 400 Apps available, and those devs who do create great apps can't just toss the App out there and see if it swims, they need to market it. Finally, there's no chance of becoming a millionaire selling your software or games at 99¢ each. I believe there's still a lot of evidence that a business can be successful on the App store, you just can't rely on luck anymore.

These are just my views – I am interested to see what others think about this too. :)

Stroffolino

10-07-2009, 03:47 PM

It's a sobering article, and a good counterpoint to the many articles that have been written focused on success stories.

I wouldn't say that the lake's "dried up" but rather that the money being made is being increasingly concentrated. Just based on the total number of apps in the app store and the number of apps that are essentially invisible thanks to not being on the top lists, for every game that makes a tidy profit, I'm quite sure there are at least 20 that barely or never make back their development costs.

The top lists create a visibility feedback loop that promotes the apps that are already doing well. The featured app concept further serve to single out apps and give them a massive push, beyond what any reasonably budgeted marketing effort outside the app store could do.

The same effects occur with music, tv, etc. And it'll only grow stronger as companies like Gameloft further strengthen their brands. Users have little incentive to bother searching for niche apps when there are so many good apps that are browseable with just a few clicks.

I have yet to see any evidence that marketing outside the App Store is an effective strategy for indie developers.

I think luck is and remains a huge factor. There are many things completely or largely outside the developer's control: timing of releases from competitors, Apple's decisions over what they feel like featuring, and getting featured here at TA.

If anything, luck today is a much a bigger factor than it was at launch. At launch, there were relatively few apps, so apps could be considered and judged on their own merits. Today, new apps have only a small burst of visibility at release - if they don't catch fire then, they'll rapidly drift into obscurity.

I know newsweek is generally supposed to be impartial but the article seems to purposely lean toward painting the App store today as if the lake's dried up.

Their first example is an entrepreneur who borrowed tens of thousands of dollars to create a mileage counter app and only made 99% of his money back.

From my observations, the App store is still a great marketplace and the audience is growing by the day. All that's changed is now there's actual competition in the store, and a cheap app won't get noticed like it did have when there were only 400 Apps available, and those devs who do create great apps can't just toss the App out there and see if it swims, they need to market it. Finally, there's no chance of becoming a millionaire selling your software or games at 99¢ each. I believe there's still a lot of evidence that a business can be successful on the App store, you just can't rely on luck anymore.

These are just my views – I am interested to see what others think about this too. :)

arn

10-07-2009, 04:12 PM

I found the article very negatively slanted. Now, I'm not saying that there's still millions to be made.

but you can read these outcomes very differently

Demeter hasn't put out anything after Trism, but did quite well early.
Ethan Nicholas is definitely at success story ($800,000)
Nathan Hunley is +/-. He is making a living off of it, though not making a ton

arn

xenoclone

10-07-2009, 05:29 PM

Interesting. But why is the measure of success being a millionaire? If I could replace my salary with app income, I'd be thrilled.

With that said, who says living off your app money is the measure of success? I really wonder where these high app costs are coming from. I'm assuming they're taking into account some sort of estimated hourly pay per programmer.

I personally don't track my hours as money spent. They're my "off" hours from my day job anyway. I could be playing Xbox or watching TV but instead I code. As far as costs versus income goes, my income far outpaces the costs and I'm making money, even with what humble sales I have. Folks who have helped me have been compensated fairly for their hours of work via royalties. I wouldn't say that's a lack of success... just reality.

I don't think the article is any sort of shocker. The first software for any new hardware is going to have inflated sales...

swishinj

10-07-2009, 06:04 PM

Pocket God!

bravetarget

10-07-2009, 06:17 PM

Independent iPhone Dev here.

I work with an ex-Electronic Arts Character Artist (extremely talented), and a non-profit Game Modder. These two guys are both my brothers, so I don't have to pay them a salary. It was ~$600 for a mac mini and $99 for dev licensing, two of us already owned iphones.

Judging by the quality of our apps (which are still being polished) and our planned marketing techniques, I will be thoroughly surprised if we don't make double or triple our investment in the first month after they launch. During these projects we have been working full-time jobs, with part-part-time iphone development.

Granted, our situation is unique, but I think this will be the common success story in the future of the App Store.

Also, a note: I've watched many indie devs talk about their experience, a good number of them have sold well over 500 in one day, and thats a game with mediocre art, mechanics, etc.

arta

10-07-2009, 06:22 PM

Full article:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216788

Striking It Rich: Is There An App For That?
Seeking fortune and fame, entrepreneurs rushed to create programs for Apple's App Store. That's not always what they found.

Steve Demeter seems like the perfect poster boy for Apple. Two years ago, the 30-year-old computer programmer became one of the first people to sell his product—a puzzle game called Trism—through Apple's App Store, a virtual marketplace where third-party software developers connect with customers wanting downloads for their iPhones. He pulled in $250,000 in just two months and quit his job writing code for ATMs. Demeter's success caught the eye of Apple's public-relations team, which profiled him in an inspirational video at Apple.com and gave him a shout out at its June 2009 World Wide Developers' Conference (WWDC). Media hailed the San Francisco resident an "App Store Millionaire" who would never have to work again—a happy financial reality that Demeter confirms. "Nine-to-five is no longer a concept for me," he tells NEWSWEEK.

Only that's not because of Apple.

Demeter's new-found wealth—he won't specify the exact amount in case people bombard him for loans—comes from investing his earnings in Apple's archrival Palm. "I bought Palm's stock for $1.76 and sold it for $12," he says. "It's kind of ironic."

Ironic, but not altogether unusual. The App Store, which launched in the summer of 2008, is thought to be a portal to big bucks for code geeks looking to make a mark. They sell their wares online, setting their own price and keeping 70 percent of the proceeds. But how many programmers really strike it rich? Apple doesn't release individual sales figures for its App Store, and it declined NEWSWEEK's request for comment. But 18 months after it launched and online prospecting began, the App Store isn't developing many new millionaires. Not only have most sellers failed to turn a profit—a fact that is perhaps not surprising given the difficulty of making money in any retail environment these days—even developers with high-ranking games and applications have made far less than commonly thought. Many come nowhere near recouping their investment at all.

In almost a dozen interviews conducted by NEWSWEEK, Apple consultants and programmers jettison the idea that the App Store is a world of easy opportunity, or a fast track to quitting the rat race. Instead they describe an anxiety-wracked marketplace full of bewildering rules, long odds, and little sense of control over one's success or failure. "It's kind of a crapshoot," says Demeter, who spent the last two weekends partying in Las Vegas and New York. "I think we've reached a point where people are thinking I shouldn't quit my day job for this."

More than 125,000 programmers have flocked to write for the App Store, lured by its generous revenue-sharing deal, as well as Apple's feel-good promotional videos buttressed with motivational slogans ("Make This Your Year," "Come Code with the Pros"), blow-out conferences (Norah Jones performed at one this year), big-deal design awards that are covered throughout the tech world, and a download counter that calls to mind McDonald's boast of "100 BILLION served." Last month, Apple claimed to surpass the 2 billion mark. The App Store, as Greg Joswiak, Apple vice president of iPod and iPhone product marketing, said in a keynote address last spring, "levels the playing field and it makes it so the small guys can succeed as well."

But while the chance for success may indeed exist, the odds of triumphing are still pretty long, as David Barnard found out the hard way. Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, the 30-year-old Texan thought the App Store was an opportunity too big to miss. So in 2008 he borrowed $24,000 from his parents, set up a company, and built Trip Cubby, which logs driving miles and expenses for harried business people. The application garnered top-shelf reviews, a spot on Apple's "What's Hot" list, and earned Barnard more than $45,000 in revenue in less than three months. Then came the expenses: $29,000 for programmers, $15,000 living costs, $14,000 to Apple, $7,000 for marketing, $5,000 for legal and administrative services, $4,000 for logo and Web-site art, and $1,800 in loan repayment. By the time he was done, Barnard says, he was several thousand dollars in the red. "My wife and I ended up selling our car to get by," he says. Today, Barnard's follow-up app, Gas Cubby, which tracks fuel economy, is one of the most popular utility programs in the store, helping him earn more than $200,000 to date. "But we spent a hell of a lot of money to get there," he says. *(Editor's Note: $200,000 reflects Barnard's gross revenue, not including expenses that totaled "way more than 50 percent" of that figure and reduced his average hourly wage to around $10, he says.)

Despite the high costs, Barnard was one of the lucky ones. Most apps take at least six months of full-time work and cost between $20,000 and $150,000 to develop, according to Forrester Research, which covers the tech industry. Apple rejects almost 60 percent of submissions at least once, often—according to programmers—with little more than infuriatingly vague or inconsistent explanations. Of the 85,000 that have been accepted, only a few hundred sellers have much chance of supporting full-time work. "It's a lot like the music business," says Barnard, who left a job in record engineering to develop applications full time. "Some indie bands make money, but most don't. Most are not the Michael Jacksons and Madonnas of the world."

But even App Store equivalents of the King of Pop and the Material Girl are struggling. In 2009, Ethan Nicholas left a job with Sun Microsystems after making $800,000 in just five months with his simple artillery game called iShoot. Today, the App Store icon from North Carolina is himself staring down the barrel of a gun, struggling to produce another hit game after iShoot was buried by competitors and copycats. "It's terrifying," says Nicholas, who says he is "not a millionaire" and describes iShoot's success as "pure luck." Despite spending eight months and more than six figures developing a second shooting game to be released this month, he says that he is still "very worried about being a one-hit wonder."

Nathan Hunley is another programmer whose App Store success has not led to commensurate financial or emotional security. His Dizzy Bee game was one of the first 500 products in the App Store in July 2008, and like Demeter, he stars in an Apple promotional video. The opening scene, shot through a honey-glazed lens on the streets of Tokyo and scored with inspirational music, shows Hunley with a look of spalike tranquility on his face. But while developing for the iPhone has given him the flexibility to travel the world while working, it hasn't wiped away his worries. Despite a couple of top 50 hits, Nathan and his cofounder "still go from game to game" and question whether they can afford to continue selling. "We made enough to live, but not nearly as much as if we kept our jobs at a regular game company," he says by e-mail, adding: "We're far from calling ourselves 'app store millionaires.' "

So, it seems, are most other App Store developers. The iPhone's popularity means that mom-and-pop programmers must now compete with some of the world's biggest brands and game developers, many of whom have recently decided that the mobile market is too important to leave to the little guys. Half of the top 10 paid (as in not "free") apps of 2008 were produced by small developers, according to Forrester. Today, only one app in the top 10—RedLaser—was built by an independent developer. Jeff Powers and Vikas Reddy, the 20-something makers of RedLaser, a bar-code reader that makes instant online price comparisons, say that they are "still in the hole" despite more than $100,000 in revenue. "We've upgraded from Ramen Noodles to Cup O'Noodles, and pretty soon we'll be on to Campbell's," Powers likes to joke.

Anything more exciting than canned soup may be a long way off for most full-time developers. Over the past 18 months the average price of apps has crashed: now three out of four cost 99 cents or less, according to the tracking firm 148apps.biz, in part because the Big Brands offer their applications for free as marketing tools rather than as revenue streams. "Speaking as a small developer who's been releasing Mac software for over a decade, the App Store is broken," Gedeon Maheux, cofounder of the software company Iconfactory, wrote on his blog last month under the headline LOSING RELIGION.

Of course, Apple's loss is potentially its competitors' gain. Palm, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM, the makers of BlackBerry, have each launched software stores in recent months, and are welcoming disgruntled App Store programmers who want to swing their pick on a new mountain. Let the next gold rush begin.

arta

10-07-2009, 06:26 PM

Interesting. But why is the measure of success being a millionaire? If I could replace my salary with app income, I'd be thrilled.

With that said, who says living off your app money is the measure of success? I really wonder where these high app costs are coming from. I'm assuming they're taking into account some sort of estimated hourly pay per programmer. I'm pretty sure that's not what the article said. What it says is that most devs, even those who have quality apps in the top 100, are NOT going to make their investment back. Pointing to one hit wonders on last year who got lucky is not a true reflection of a currently black hole business model. It's slanted more so than your average business model is against indies in the entertainment business.

It's not a matter of a few devs crying that their apps only made tens of thousands of dollars instead of millions, it's that if you are an indie dev that makes games for this platform, even if you have a one hit wonder game, you are most likely going to fail to get good profits, with a good chance of going in a deep hole.

Big Albie

10-07-2009, 06:38 PM

I think some of the devs mentioned in the article aren't being realistic either. This is a business, and you can't expect to have a hit each time you release a new game. That's true of any business.

The last thing the iShoot dev should be worrying about is whether his next game is a hit. What he should be concerned about is creating a sustainable business if this is the route he's going. The same goes for the other dev who used his entire life savings to follow the iTunes dream. No offense, but he sounds just as bad as the dot-coms during the 90s. If you don't have a plan, and think creating a game by itself will sell and make you a bazillionaire, then you're in for a reality check.

I cringe everytime I hear the media out here use iTunes and gold rush in the same sentence. They don't have a clue, and they only help create this misperception of how "easy" it's supposed to be. Too many aspiring devs put all their eggs in one basket, and you can't blame Apple for that.

arn

10-07-2009, 06:52 PM

for what it's worth, the App Cubby guy seems to think it's been a success for him

http://appcubby.com/blog/files/app_cubby_success.html

App Cubby has not made me rich, but it has provided an opportunity for me to live my life richly.

My wife and I were blessed with our first child earlier this year and working from home has enabled me to spend tons of time with my wife and son. I got to see (and grab a video clip on my iPhone) his first attempt at crawling and I'll probably be in the room when he takes his first steps. You can't put a price on that kind of involvement in your child's life.

ImNoSuperMan

10-07-2009, 07:04 PM

AppStore Devs are not all doomed but those who saw Fart apps making thousands of dollars last year and thought they could do better than that will be disappointed as it`s a lot more mature market now and below quality products wont cut it anymore. With so much competition now, the devs have to come up with new concepts, implement them efficiently and market them well enough to have any chance of success. Just like the way it is in every other market, except for the fact that coding for the iPhone and getting your apps up for sale is a hell lot more easier and cheaper compared to rest of them.

xenoclone

10-07-2009, 07:05 PM

I'm pretty sure that's not what the article said. What it says is that most devs, even those who have quality apps in the top 100, are NOT going to make their investment back. Pointing to one hit wonders on last year who got lucky is not a true reflection of a currently black hole business model. It's slanted more so than your average business model is against indies in the entertainment business.

It's not a matter of a few devs crying that their apps only made tens of thousands of dollars instead of millions, it's that if you are an indie dev that makes games for this platform, even if you have a one hit wonder game, you are most likely going to fail to get good profits, with a good chance of going in a deep hole.

Fair enough. I was responding to the quoted devs who lamented that they weren't millionaires. My point was that becoming a millionaire within months in most any business is an unreasonable expectation or measuring stick for success.

I also don't take the article as saying that you're mostly likely going to be in the hole if you develop. It's point was simply that iPhone apps are no longer an easy path to riches as it has been assumed.

With that said, if you're going deep into the hole making games, you're doing something wrong. As someone else mentioned, if you have a sensible business plan you can make money.

Firestar

10-07-2009, 07:17 PM

nodoctors

10-07-2009, 07:36 PM

the people that quit their day job/don't have one and then convince themselves that making a single app(out of the millions already available) is going to be the answer are doing it to themselves. they might as well play the lottery. the indie developers that work a normal job and then code into the wee hours of the morning with passion are going to be the real success stories. they got to create something they wanted, and got it out to the people. if it sells at all, they get extra income on the side, and the comforting thought that people out there are enjoying something they made. if it doesn't do so hot, then they still have their job and the same reliable income they've already had, plus the fact that they created a program is now under their belt. it's a ridiculously wild market in the app store, so i'd suggest playing it safe.

Jeremy Alessi

10-07-2009, 07:48 PM

I don't think it's a great idea to invest your life savings in the App Store but it can still be very profitable. As a long time developer I chased the dream of creating games full time while running another business. With the App store I was able to leave other work and other businesses behind, which is something that PC game development never allowed. I'm not getting rich in dollars but I second the idea that I live a rich life. Doing what you like doing with your time is really what life's about. Even if I were a millionaire I would still be doing primarily the same thing. Not that I don't want to succeed that way, I absolutely do but when I do I still expect to keep on plugging away at game development. The games will just have higher budgets ;)

Johannvonstranovic

10-07-2009, 09:11 PM

+1 for living a richer life. An old high school buddy and me recently put out our first app Invisible Links. We spent months and months learning and coding and designing in our free time. It has to be something you love. It has been a great experience. We still keep our day jobs of course, which I think is the important thing for indie devs to take away from all this.

One week after release it made it to the new and noteworthy section of the app store games. That was yesterday that we found that out, and so we don't have a good idea of what that will do for sales numbers just yet. I'm sure things will pick up a bit. I don't however, really expect to get a decent paycheck for both of us if you take into account what it would be for an hourly rate (here's hoping it does:) but you have to be realistic as well).

That's not the point though, the point is that two guys were able to learn and create a polished game in nine or so months. The payoff is seeing that some people like what you've created whether it be just your friends and family or a larger following. There was something about seeing it sitting featured next to games like FIFA10 by EA sports. Our icon sitting next to a huge name like that? priceless.

edit: Just a word of caution to devs that get featured. We wanted to try and ride the visibility a little bit from this and so decided to push out a Halloween level update today. All day our screen shots have been in and out of working on the app store and our ratings have disappeared in some instances as if the update were already live (it is not). Not sure if this is common, I just thought I'd put out the warning cause we have been very frustrated.

micah

10-07-2009, 09:24 PM

From the article:

Most apps take at least six months of full-time work and cost between $20,000 and $150,000 to develop, according to Forrester Research, which covers the tech industry.

I don't know about everyone else, but this sounds insanely wrong to me! I'm sure there are a couple people making apps out there with this sort of budget and expenses, but it's a big minority.

My first game, Skeleton Key, took slightly more than a month to make. My expenses included: $750 on a MacBook off eBay, $220 on an iPod Touch 2g, $99 on an iPhone developer account. I put a whole lot of work into it, and my girlfriend helped too because she's a talented graphics artist. I did all the programming, all the sound, some of the graphics, and we used royalty-free creative commons attribute licensed music (really good quality stuff too) that was free, and so none of it cost any money.

I'm not counting paying myself a salary in this, but my total expenses so far have been $1,069. And I'm using the same laptop, iPod Touch, and developer account for my next two games that I'm working on simultaneously now.

We haven't gotten our first bit of money in from Apple yet, but when we do I'm expecting to get over $2,000. Which would pay for all the startup costs, and while it isn't exactly a living wage for San Francisco, it's not the worst, and this is all from one game.

But it definitely seems like a viable business for me. I'm not expecting to become a millionaire, but I think I can make a real living off of it.

gnadenlos

10-07-2009, 11:24 PM

The application garnered top-shelf reviews, a spot on Apple's "What's Hot" list, and earned Barnard more than $45,000 in revenue in less than three months. Then came the expenses: $29,000 for programmers, $15,000 living costs, $14,000 to Apple, $7,000 for marketing, $5,000 for legal and administrative services, $4,000 for logo and Web-site art, and $1,800 in loan repayment.
$15000 living costs? In 3 months? Or did he expect to live 1 year from the income of a single app? Does this include his girlfriend?

$5000 for legal and administrative services? For a single app or for starting a new business with a bunch of payed developers, artists, etc.? I guess this includes contracts, etc. he will be able to use for all future projects.

$29000 + $4000 for programmers/artists? How about having some own talent instead of paying for everything? I would like to know how many hours he actually spend on the app and not for building a software company.

By the time he was done, Barnard says, he was several thousand dollars in the red.

I guess most people would be happy to start a new business with only a few thousand dollars in the red.

Barnard's follow-up app, Gas Cubby, which tracks fuel economy, is one of the most popular utility programs in the store, helping him earn more than $200,000 to date. "But we spent a hell of a lot of money to get there," he says. *(Editor's Note: $200,000 reflects Barnard's gross revenue, not including expenses that totaled "way more than 50 percent" of that figure and reduced his average hourly wage to around $10, he says.)
Is $10 per hour a bad hourly wage if you just started a new business based on selling software products other people created for you. How would be the numbers if he was a good coder that could save the money for programmers?

Little White Bear Studios

10-08-2009, 12:11 AM

edit: Just a word of caution to devs that get featured. We wanted to try and ride the visibility a little bit from this and so decided to push out a Halloween level update today. All day our screen shots have been in and out of working on the app store and our ratings have disappeared in some instances as if the update were already live (it is not). Not sure if this is common, I just thought I'd put out the warning cause we have been very frustrated.

The ratings disappearing isn't just you. It's all across the store right now. They're in the middle of making a change, hopefully for the better. As for your screenshots, you shouldn't load update screenshots until your update is live, as it applies to the current version as well.

Johannvonstranovic

10-08-2009, 12:16 AM

The ratings disappearing isn't just you. It's all across the store right now. They're in the middle of making a change, hopefully for the better. As for your screenshots, you shouldn't load update screenshots until your update is live, as it applies to the current version as well.

Good point on the updated screenshots. I did notice the ratings were haywire for many people after my posting. Our screenshots have always had weird issues though from the day the app went live. On the device sometimes they work, on iTunes via a computer they have been down mostly, except the principal image. It's frustrating as our game relies on the artwork and I dare say most customers base their purchases on screen shots alone. I may be wrong, but it's frustrating all the same.

EssentialParadox

10-08-2009, 03:09 AM

I guess most people would be happy to start a new business with only a few thousand dollars in the red.
Hehe, yep. :)

Stroffolino

10-08-2009, 08:32 AM

The ratings disappearing isn't just you. It's all across the store right now.

The outage may not last long enough to make any conclusions, but it will be interesting to see what effect the temporary lack of user ratings has on download trends. For apps already on the top lists, I think this will further skew buys towards high ranking apps away from higher-rated apps that happen to be further down the first page.

On the flip side, there are a number of games with beautiful screenshots that are, by all accounts, downright horrible (no sound, crashes, misleading description etc.). I expect these sorts of apps will get a temporary boost in buys, followed by a new wave of negative feedback.

Stroffolino

10-08-2009, 08:47 AM

It's only natural that Ethan be worried about whether his next game is a hit.

For the smaller developer, there are two high level strategies:
- focus narrowly on making a single, incredible app
- make lots of simpler apps and see what sticks

Ethan's already had great success with the former strategy, and so it's only natural for him to try to do that again. Whatever he does will no doubt get lots of visibility and media attention simply based on his fame from iShoot. I'd be surprised if Apple didn't feature his 2nd game immediately out of the gate.

The fact that he's worried shows that he knows what a big risk he's taking. I don't think it's fair to lump him in with folk gambling away their life savings.

Phil

I think some of the devs mentioned in the article aren't being realistic either. This is a business, and you can't expect to have a hit each time you release a new game. That's true of any business.

The last thing the iShoot dev should be worrying about is whether his next game is a hit. What he should be concerned about is creating a sustainable business if this is the route he's going. The same goes for the other dev who used his entire life savings to follow the iTunes dream. No offense, but he sounds just as bad as the dot-coms during the 90s. If you don't have a plan, and think creating a game by itself will sell and make you a bazillionaire, then you're in for a reality check.

I cringe everytime I hear the media out here use iTunes and gold rush in the same sentence. They don't have a clue, and they only help create this misperception of how "easy" it's supposed to be. Too many aspiring devs put all their eggs in one basket, and you can't blame Apple for that.

Pheebau

10-08-2009, 09:08 AM

EssentialParadox

10-08-2009, 04:32 PM

Uptown Arts

10-08-2009, 10:10 PM

Most apps take at least six months of full-time work and cost between $20,000 and $150,000 to develop, according to Forrester Research, which covers the tech industry.

By those numbers, I've put in five years and over a million dollars. I don't think so.

rohitvats

10-25-2009, 07:58 AM

By those numbers, I've put in five years and over a million dollars. I don't think so.

+1, Not sure how many indie developers that research takes into account.
It took me 4 months working part time to build my first game (starting from scratch, learning objective-c), and I did all the programming, graphics and sound myself, so, my costs:
£700 on a macbook (I needed to buy a laptop anyway) + £59 for the developer program.

I never set high hopes thinking that it'll make me a millionaire, and I won't leave my day job even if it did. So I think it's all up to the developers to be sensible enough, keeping costs low, and making apps to the best of their ability. Some will do well, some won't, but there is definitely a chance out there to make it big, without taking too much risk.