iShoot Developer Quits Day Job

[arn]

http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/01/iphone-developer-quits-day-job-after-ishoot-hits-number-one.html

"I'm still in shock," Nicholas said, "I've given my two week notice at Sun Microsystems. I'm gonna do this full time now."

[PoV]

/jealousy

[Talon Raines]

I really like his story. I've seen 'Lite' apps do very little for games too, so it makes me wonder what kinds of things a developer should be putting into a Lite version to give it the best chance to convert to an actual sale.

As for quitting his day job, if he is making 21k+ per day as the article suggests, then I guess thats not such a bad thing to do. He'll make enough money before its popularity wears off to at least justify taking a couple years off, and hopefully he can get a team together and make some really great games.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Wow, that's a fairly odd thing to do after only a few days of good sales, on a single app. I'm guessing he doesn't have a family to support.

[nattylux]

Wow, that's a fairly odd thing to do after only a few days of good sales, on a single app. I'm guessing he doesn't have a family to support.

The article said he sold 16,000 copies in one day. He's now at #1, so he can expect to be there for at least one week.

16,000 * $2.99 *.7 *7 = $224,000

And that's just in one week. If he makes $0 for the next 2 years, it's plenty to support most families. Many have made the jump to full time on much less funding than that.

[lithiastudios]

I'd be curious to hear about of the experiences of people who haven't "made it big".. definitely seems like if you're fortunate to be on the top 25 list, you can make some serious money..

But what if you never reach the top 25 or top 50 list? Are you looking at just a couple of sales a month due to being doomed to obscurity? Or are sales good, just not "quit your job" good. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

The article said he sold 16,000 copies in one day. He's now at #1, so he can expect to be there for at least one week.

16,000 * $2.99 *.7 *7 = $224,000

And that's just in one week. If he makes $0 for the next 2 years, it's plenty to support most families. Many have made the jump to full time on much less funding than that.

Take out the new additional taxes he's not used to paying, and it's really not that much for a family to live off of, especially when he won't be getting free healthcare/401k matching, etc. anymore.

But the money isn't the issue I was having with it. It's the rash decision to quit your job after only a few days of success at something else. Especially when it involves a single product, which 1,000 other people will now be making clones of, some of them better clones. Sure, now he's got time to make another app, but like the article said, his app was not a hit at first. Dangerous business, this App Store!

But hey, if he's got no ties, more power to him! I hope he gets a long ride out of it. :)

[rootbeersoup]

*goes out to buy a mac and the SDK*

[Little White Bear Studios]

I'd be curious to hear about of the experiences of people who haven't "made it big".. definitely seems like if you're fortunate to be on the top 25 list, you can make some serious money..

But what if you never reach the top 25 or top 50 list? Are you looking at just a couple of sales a month due to being doomed to obscurity? Or are sales good, just not "quit your job" good. :)

Depends on what your current job is. I'd say if you were one of the top 150 games, and you sold exactly the same amount every day, you could probably quit most jobs. If you're always in the top 100 games list, I'd say you could definitely do it. Whether it's safe to do, that's up to each person's comfort level.

[rootbeersoup]

Now once someone makes an app that lets you fart bullets... Then we will see the first iMillionaire

[brewstermax]

Depends on what your current job is. I'd say if you were one of the top 150 games, and you sold exactly the same amount every day, you could probably quit most jobs. If you're always in the top 100 games list, I'd say you could definitely do it. Whether it's safe to do, that's up to each person's comfort level.

Have you quit your's? I mean, do you draw enough money from the sales of a currently single app to satisfy the needs and wants of your rather large family?

[1337brian]

This is interesting, I have been reading that the Dev's of iSteam 2 - 20 something year olds made $100k in one month?!?!?! Trism made 250k?! After hearing all these crazy stories I just borrowed my buddies Mac and I am starting down this path with high hopes. We have about 4 people on board me my brother and 2 close friends... I am hoping that if we do it right that we could make some extra pocket cash also... I already have some good ideas in mind, and I have already started on some of the art and stuff for a game. All I can say is depending on how hard the programming is, we are looking at our first game in about 4-5 months hopefully... Wish us luck! :)

[EDIT] - BTW I won't be quitting MY day job anytime soon... My bro and friends don't have jobs so their fine

[brewstermax]

This is interesting, I have been reading that the Dev's of iSteam 2 - 20 something year olds made $100k in one month?!?!?! Trism made 250k?! After hearing all these crazy stories I just borrowed my buddies Mac and I am starting down this path with high hopes. We have about 4 people on board me my brother and 2 close friends... I am hoping that if we do it right that we could make some extra pocket cash also... I already have some good ideas in mind, and I have already started on some of the art and stuff for a game. All I can say is depending on how hard the programming is, we are looking at our first game in about 4-5 months hopefully... Wish us luck! :)

[EDIT] - BTW I won't be quitting MY day job anytime soon... My bro and friends don't have jobs so their fine

Good luck. I hope to keep updated on the progress. I'll beta test, and help in anyway possible.

[1337brian]

Good luck. I hope to keep updated on the progress. I'll beta test, and help in anyway possible.

Sweet brewster, thanks for the kind words, and you know you will be one of the first beta testers I ask... ;)

[Rocketman919]

seems risky.... what if his next game sucks?

[arn]

seems risky.... what if his next game sucks?

But how much time will he have to put into his next game if he doesn't quit his day job?

I think quitting is the "right" thing to do. Having to juggle development and your day job is difficult and almost everything on the side goes in slow motion. Even if he's generated enough income to for the next 6 months, he has 6 months of full time to put into improving his current app and investing into new apps. If he doesn't do it, he loses some of this opportunity.

arn

[Finchypoo]

The whole market is completely crazy right now. I work as an artist on iPhone games right now and I know some good programmers and I know a few of us could team up and try to be one of these overnight success stories. I have no doubt we could make a good game but its completely up in their air if it will be gobbled up so voraciously by the iPhone gamers.

I haven't played iShoot yet but I'm sure id like it, its essentially Gorillas from the days of Qbasic. Its a known game with hundreds of iterations on almost every system in the world and yet one guy made a version for iPhone and it caught on. There is so much luck behind it that the chances of specifically recreating it aren't too good. Then again, he did it once, I'm sure he can do it again. When your a one man game team you make what you'd like to play, and perhaps EVERYONE else also wants to play what you want to play and its a success. Maybe you make a game that you love and nobody else gets it. Its a tough gamble.

I make good money right now, I know there is the potential to make way more, but there also the potential to make nothing.

It's a very enticing yet very scary market for iPhone apps. It generally confuses the hell out of me.

[mehware]

just played iShot Lite for like a half hour. And as a developer I think its pretty solid. I know people buy it for 3 bucks, but I don't pay more than 2 on apps now :P

[Kamazar]

Wow. I would feel awesome after a success like that.

On a totally unrelated note, what's the easiest way to program iPhone games?

[brewstermax]

Sweet brewster, thanks for the kind words, and you know you will be one of the first beta testers I ask... ;)

Ok :D. I hope that more skilled people take on this challenge, soon. I want to see real diversity in the App Store, and I want to see devotion to the games. Anybody with the smarts and time can be a developer, but it takes devotion and skill to be a good one. I hope to see whatever idea you have turn into a great app.

[brewstermax]

Wow. I would feel awesome after a success like that.

On a totally unrelated note, what's the easiest way to program iPhone games?

I know that this makes people want to develop, but it isn't that easy. The SDK is certianly above my head, and I can't recommend you to try it. I would start with some books, and look at the SDK (Intel Mac only).

[Kamazar]

I know that this makes people want to develop, but it isn't that easy. The SDK is certianly above my head, and I can't recommend you to try it. I would start with some books, and look at the SDK (Intel Mac only).

Meh, thought so. So much is rarely easy :rolleyes: These stories are awesome motivation, though.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Have you quit your's? I mean, do you draw enough money from the sales of a currently single app to satisfy the needs and wants of your rather large family?

Nope, sure haven't quit. TanZen has been around since the end of July, and even off the top 100 games list, today it would still be entirely possible to replace my job as a software developer. But, as I support four other people besides myself, living off just one app is not what I consider secure. Sales go up and down, all the time.

[brewstermax]

Nope, sure haven't quit. TanZen has been around since the end of July, and even off the top 100 games list, today it would still be entirely possible to replace my job as a software developer. But, as I support four other people besides myself, living off just one app is not what I consider secure. Sales go up and down, all the time.

If whatever you have planned is any good, and then the next thing, I could consider it then, but even the greatest app at $.99 (except iFart) won't bring in all that much money.

[Little White Bear Studios]

If he doesn't do it, he loses some of this opportunity.


You're absolutely correct. But I think everyone can agree that the App Store is a gamble, where most people lose. So it really depends on how confident you are in being able to maintain your current lifestyle on variable app sales.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Its a known game with hundreds of iterations on almost every system in the world and yet one guy made a version for iPhone and it caught on.

The thing is, his isn't the first version of this game on the iPhone. I played a variant of it about three months ago.

I make good money right now, I know there is the potential to make way more, but there also the potential to make nothing.


I agree. I've been as high as #12 in the store, as well as not even on the top 100 games list, and all points in between. Living off one app is dangerous. Now 4-5 apps, that's a different story. :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

but even the greatest app at $.99 (except iFart) won't bring in all that much money.

What do you consider a reasonable amount of money to make per day, for an indie game?

[AppStoreGamer]

Interesting....this is the ONLY developer I've heard who recommends lite versions....most developers say that if you're lucky, you'll get a 1-5% carry-over rate....apparently this is one of the first occurrences where a lite version made the app work.:eek:

[nattylux]

I agree. I've been as high as #12 in the store, as well as not even on the top 100 games list, and all points in between. Living off one app is dangerous. Now 4-5 apps, that's a different story. :)

God no. Trying to live off one app is practically financial suicide. But the whole point of him quitting his day job is so that he can develop more apps. It's all about diversifying your portfolio, aka not putting all your eggs in one basket. And this is a great time for him to do it. Look at all the attention he is getting now. Next time he puts something out, people are bound to take notice. And as we all know, the key to success in the App Store is visibility. He has the potential to get a LOT of visibility for his future projects.

Interesting....this is the ONLY developer I've heard who recommends lite versions....most developers say that if you're lucky, you'll get a 1-5% carry-over rate....apparently this is one of the first occurrences where a lite version made the app work.:eek:

Yes, that's what I want to know. What's his secret? Anybody have any theories? Did he just craft his Lite version perfectly, giving users just enough to get them addicted, but still craving that satisfying feeling of blowing Lincoln's face off of Mount Rushmore?

[Little White Bear Studios]

Interesting....this is the ONLY developer I've heard who recommends lite versions....most developers say that if you're lucky, you'll get a 1-5% carry-over rate....apparently this is one of the first occurrences where a lite version made the app work.:eek:

I've been tooting the Lite version horn in dev forums for months. I get the 1-2% carry-over, no doubt. But when you're talking about anywhere from 5,000 - 10,000 Lite copies downloaded per day, that's better than any other sort of advertising. Of course, Lite versions only work if people like your app.

[brewstermax]

What do you consider a reasonable amount of money to make per day, for an indie game?

I would consider approximately between $150 and $300 to be enough, per day to live off of a game. More is alway better, but I wouldn't risk in unless I had $200+ consistent for weeks, per day. That is barely enough, but it's enough to scrape by. $500 is far safer, IMO, but at $300, and it was consistent, and I had at least one more game on the way, I may try.

That's just me, but for a family of your's size, I'd say to say $500 minimum, a day. That may be ambitious, but I couldn't depend on the App Store to satisfy my needs forever. I need to save, and developing doesn't have the benefits of a real job. i.e. health insurance, 401(k), etc.

BTW, I won another former TPP player over to Tanzen today.

[brewstermax]

God no. Trying to live off one app is practically financial suicide. But the whole point of him quitting his day job is so that he can develop more apps. It's all about diversifying your portfolio, aka not putting all your eggs in one basket. And this is a great time for him to do it. Look at all the attention he is getting now. Next time he puts something out, people are bound to take notice. And as we all know, the key to success in the App Store is visibility. He has the potential to get a LOT of visibility for his future projects.



Yes, that's what I want to know. What's his secret? Anybody have any theories? Did he just craft his Lite version perfectly, giving users just enough to get them addicted, but still craving that satisfying feeling of blowing Lincoln's face off of Mount Rushmore?

No, I don't have the full version, and the lite version does leave me wanting more. It is very short, but leaves a good taste.

[AppStoreGamer]

I've been tooting the Lite version horn in dev forums for months. I get the 1-2% carry-over, no doubt. But when you're talking about anywhere from 5,000 - 10,000 Lite copies downloaded per day, that's better than any other sort of advertising. Of course, Lite versions only work if people like your app.

Yes...good point. This is A LOT better than any advertising out there (and a lot cheaper). The true gamble is (like you said before) is if your game/lite version will be recognized or even liked. After all, people get mad when you set restrictions but thats the whole point to a lite version, right? You don't wanna give them everything...just enough to keep them wanting more. Did iShoot do this? In my opinion, it didn't give me much incentive to want to go out and spend $3 on it. I love the lite version and am still scratching my head as to how iShoot sky-rocketed that fast. It truly is a gamble...but at least iFart Mobile's off the #1 spot....FINALLY

[brewstermax]

Yes...good point. This is A LOT better than any advertising out there (and a lot cheaper). The true gamble is (like you said before) is if your game/lite version will be recognized or even liked. After all, people get mad when you set restrictions but thats the whole point to a lite version, right? You don't wanna give them everything...just enough to keep them wanting more. Did iShoot do this? In my opinion, it didn't give me much incentive to want to go out and spend $3 on it. I love the lite version and am still scratching my head as to how iShoot sky-rocketed that fast. It truly is a gamble...but at least iFart Mobile's off the #1 spot....FINALLY

Ok, in the lite version, you cannot move, and you only have 6 weapons. It is limited, but is good enough that I will probably get the full version tomorrow.

[Little White Bear Studios]

God no. Trying to live off one app is practically financial suicide. But the whole point of him quitting his day job is so that he can develop more apps. It's all about diversifying your portfolio, aka not putting all your eggs in one basket. And this is a great time for him to do it. Look at all the attention he is getting now. Next time he puts something out, people are bound to take notice. And as we all know, the key to success in the App Store is visibility. He has the potential to get a LOT of visibility for his future projects.

Agreed. I'm just surprised at the impulse decision. But I'm going to assume he's single, as my wife would kill me if I quit my job because of a couple days worth of success with a single product. Now, after a month of continued success, and a million in the bank, that's when I'd probably take the situation more seriously.

Yes, that's what I want to know. What's his secret? Anybody have any theories? Did he just craft his Lite version perfectly, giving users just enough to get them addicted, but still craving that satisfying feeling of blowing Lincoln's face off of Mount Rushmore?

My Lite version does extremely well, in nearly every country. My advice is to make it good enough to be its own game, for at least 30-60 minutes. If you can, don't cripple it. Just provide less content. If you're not a content app, limit one of the features of the app that makes it run longer. And most of all, give them an easy way to buy the full version.

[TimHaines]

Interesting....this is the ONLY developer I've heard who recommends lite versions....most developers say that if you're lucky, you'll get a 1-5% carry-over rate....apparently this is one of the first occurrences where a lite version made the app work.:eek:

BlackBeards Revenge had good success (but not this good!) off it's lite version too.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I would consider approximately between $150 and $300 to be enough, per day to live off of a game. More is alway better, but I wouldn't risk in unless I had $200+ consistent for weeks, per day. That is barely enough, but it's enough to scrape by. $500 is far safer, IMO, but at $300, and it was consistent, and I had at least one more game on the way, I may try.

It's entirely possible to make $300 on a $0.99 app, every day, even off the top 100 games list. Non-U.S. sales help.


That's just me, but for a family of your's size, I'd say to say $500 minimum, a day. That may be ambitious, but I couldn't depend on the App Store to satisfy my needs forever. I need to save, and developing doesn't have the benefits of a real job. i.e. health insurance, 401(k), etc.

Yeah, I'd say minimum $500 per day, consistently for months, would be getting closer to reasonable.

BTW, I won another former TPP player over to Tanzen today.

Thanks! Every little bit helps!

[Knight]

I've been tooting the Lite version horn in dev forums for months. I get the 1-2% carry-over, no doubt. But when you're talking about anywhere from 5,000 - 10,000 Lite copies downloaded per day, that's better than any other sort of advertising. Of course, Lite versions only work if people like your app.

Your feedback regarding the Lite helped us be confident in releasing a Lite version. Interesting thing is that we submitted the Lite last week to Apple before iShoot even got to the top, so thank you for that :).

Although for us the Lite is a gamble still. Our sales were just ok before the update, and got much better after, but the rest of the week will tell us if we made the right decision or not.

On topic though, I wouldn't even dream of quitting my job with the current sales rate for 7 Cities. But with more time, we can definetely do a better game. Sigh.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Yes...good point. This is A LOT better than any advertising out there (and a lot cheaper). The true gamble is (like you said before) is if your game/lite version will be recognized or even liked. After all, people get mad when you set restrictions but thats the whole point to a lite version, right? You don't wanna give them everything...just enough to keep them wanting more. Did iShoot do this? In my opinion, it didn't give me much incentive to want to go out and spend $3 on it. I love the lite version and am still scratching my head as to how iShoot sky-rocketed that fast. It truly is a gamble...but at least iFart Mobile's off the #1 spot....FINALLY

I'm amazed at the number of people who write me, or leave reviews, not understanding what a Lite version is. They want more puzzles, or get upset because the game only took them an hour to complete. Emailers honestly had no idea that it was a free taste for a real game.

[Warhorse Games]

The lite version definitely helped with Blackbeard's Assault. I wasn't even going to do one but Little White Bear Studios mentioned how it helped their sales so I went for it. So thanks, Little White Bear!

You have to be careful with your lite version and really give people a reason to get the full... obviously iShoot got it right :eek:

[Little White Bear Studios]

Although for us the Lite is a gamble still. Our sales were just ok before the update, and got much better after, but the rest of the week will tell us if we made the right decision or not.

I hope it helps! If it doesn't you can always pull it, and re-evaluate.

On topic though, I wouldn't even dream of quitting my job with the current sales rate for 7 Cities. But with more time, we can definetely do a better game. Sigh.

You're making a heck of a lot more than me right now, but I think you're right in holding out for more success!

[nattylux]

Agreed. I'm just surprised at the impulse decision. But I'm going to assume he's single, as my wife would kill me if I quit my job because of a couple days worth of success with a single product. Now, after a month of continued success, and a million in the bank, that's when I'd probably take the situation more seriously.

My Lite version does extremely well, in nearly every country. My advice is to make it good enough to be its own game, for at least 30-60 minutes. If you can, don't cripple it. Just provide less content. If you're not a content app, limit one of the features of the app that makes it run longer. And most of all, give them an easy way to buy the full version.

Yes, your model has worked really well for you. I'm a big fan of TanZen, by the way. I think we'll be make the jump to Lite with Imangi Word Squares soon. Since it's based on individual pre-generated puzzles, and we may model it a bit after your Lite version. We'll see how that goes.

And as to your first comment, all families are different, with different financial circumstances. All wives are different, and different people have different risk tolerance levels. I encouraged my husband to go into game development full time while I was the primary earner. It was his dream, the potential was great, and we are lucky enough to be able to afford it. I hope to join him full time soon. We weighed the risks and the benefits, we know the worst case scenario, and we are going into this with our eyes wide open. Plenty of people have told us we're crazy, but, hey, what else is new, right?

[Little White Bear Studios]

Your feedback regarding the Lite helped us be confident in releasing a Lite version. Interesting thing is that we submitted the Lite last week to Apple before iShoot even got to the top, so thank you for that :).

The lite version definitely helped with Blackbeard's Assault. I wasn't even going to do one but Little White Bear Studios mentioned how it helped their sales so I went for it. So thanks, Little White Bear!

You're both very welcome! :)

[Warhorse Games]

Back to the subject, if I had iShoot sales it would be tempting to quit, but I'm a more cautious type and would probably wait a month. Of course I have a wife and daughter (with another baby on the way!) so I can't take such risks.

It's a great story and Ethan better get ready, sounds like he's the next app dev celebrity!

[akuma7703]

More power to him...though I would have kept the day-job, esp with the global recession.

[Knight]

I hope it helps! If it doesn't you can always pull it, and re-evaluate.



You're making a heck of a lot more than me right now, but I think you're right in holding out for more success!

Divided by 5 people though ;)

Honestly, I don't need iShoot kind of success. I would be happy to be make games full time and still support my family if I can be guaranteed longetivity of current sales. I worked on Xbox and Xbox 360 games for some years before this, and I can tell you that this iPhone stuff is so much more better. It truly is a work of love, atleast for me.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Yes, your model has worked really well for you. I'm a big fan of TanZen, by the way. I think we'll be make the jump to Lite with Imangi Word Squares soon. Since it's based on individual pre-generated puzzles, and we may model it a bit after your Lite version. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it! It sounds like you have a good Lite candidate with Word Squares. Get 'em hooked, and make the full version upgrade an attractive and painless process, and the downloads will come.

And as to your first comment, all families are different, with different financial circumstances. All wives are different, and different people have different risk tolerance levels. I encouraged my husband to go into game development full time while I was the primary earner.

You're right, all families are different. It sounds like you both were in the right situation to have a fair go at it. If I were in that situation, I would certainly consider the same thing. Currently, I'm the only source of income, and I have a kid that'll be in college in a few years, so security is my chief financial concern right now. I have no doubt I'll make a lot of money on the App Store, over time, and spread across many games. But TanZen's five month success is not enough for me to throw away a steady job.

[Little White Bear Studios]

another baby on the way!

Congrats! :)

[Little White Bear Studios]

Divided by 5 people though ;)

Ah yes, there is that! :rolleyes:

if I can be guaranteed longetivity of current sales.

I think the answer is volume of apps, not the success of any single app. Having a major success is great, but very rare. But 10 medium hits is much more appealing, to me anyway.

[EthanNicholas]

Hi guys, this is Ethan Nicholas. I must admit that it's somewhat odd to see a five-page thread regarding my decision to quit my job... :)

I'm a little baffled by some of the reactions here. Honestly... if you made $200,000 in a week, you wouldn't quit your job? I don't mean to lounge around the Caribbean, I mean to continue working on your app and try to get another successful one out there.

I can now afford to go a solid year without another penny in income. That would require iShoot to go from $35,000 a day to $0 tomorrow. And even if that were A) possible and B) actually happened, I'd still be fine for a solid year. If I can't either keep iShoot doing well or get another app out there making some money in the next year (iShoot took six weeks, start to finish), then you're damned right I'm going to have to give up and find a real job to pay the bills. But I'll have plenty of warning and plenty of time to find a real job. Realistically, assuming iShoot holds the top spot for at least a couple more days and doesn't immediately plummet out of the top 100, I'll probably make enough money off of iShoot to last me for a couple of years with no other income.

And iShoot was a hack job thrown together in a few weeks by a novice iPhone developer in his spare time, with no artistic or design assistance. Maybe lightning will only strike once, maybe I'll never have another hit. But with more experience, more time to work on an app, and the confidence and money to secure art, music, and such, I'm absolutely confident that I can make enough money to keep my family fed.

And really, are the odds of my app store income vanishing overnight really higher than the odds of my job disappearing without warning? No source of income is certain.

[Knight]

$200K in 1 week? Wow. Good job.

All that matters to me is that you knocked out iFart. God I hated that thing being #1. Good stuff. I hope you make a more in-depth game next time instead of just doing another fast job. But then again as long as people like your games thats all that matters.

[Acceleroto]

I'm a little baffled by some of the reactions here. Honestly... if you made $200,000 in a week, you wouldn't quit your job? Congrats Ethan! It's great to see fellow indies do so well. Arn made a good point a few pages ago - having a day job definitely gets in the way of getting the next game out the door. Those kinds of sales definitely help the decision process!

Looking forward to your future titles,

[Acceleroto]

I forgot to mention...don't forget the tax man (or tax men depending on where you live). I saved roughly half of my earnings & that was pretty close for 2008.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Honestly... if you made $200,000 in a week, you wouldn't quit your job?

Nope, sure wouldn't. Now, if I made that every week for a solid month, then you're speaking my language. :)

I can now afford to go a solid year without another penny in income.

Just don't forget all the extra expenses of going it alone. The taxes are a killer. I wish you the best of luck though, and I'm happy a real app has displaced the fart app!

[Little White Bear Studios]

I forgot to mention...don't forget the tax man (or tax men depending on where you live). I saved roughly half of my earnings & that was pretty close for 2008.

I set half of mine aside as well. The estimated taxes were the most painful checks I've ever sent.

Anyone know if Apple is sending out 1099 forms for 2008?

[rootbeersoup]

I guess it's ok to quit your job like that if you're not totally dependent on the health benefits and such

[nattylux]

Hey Ethan, welcome to the forums. I have to agree with you on all points. Especially the last one, on the perceived stability of a day job. Plenty of people going through layoffs right now know just how unpredictable a "real job" can be.

As to the whole successful indie dev phenomenon, a pet peeve: how about we stop calling it "quitting your job," and instead call it "starting a business." It's ALWAYS risky. But hey, plenty of venture cap funds are willing to shell out millions of dollars for a business idea that doesn't even have a revenue model (Twitter, I'm looking at you).

If you compare iShoot to how people usually start a business (borrowing, bootstrapping, getting venture cap), it's already incredibly successful.

[Acceleroto]

...how about we stop calling it "quitting your job," and instead call it "starting a business."LOVE that! :D

[games42]

I really want to make games but have zero experience other than knowing photoshop and some BASIC BASIC javascript...can someone tell me what's the best way to learn from starting an app fo finish? Books? Can you recommend any? Do you even think I SHOULD or is my head just in the clouds after hearing all the success stories?
thanks to all in advance!

[Oliver]

I haven't played iShoot yet but I'm sure id like it, its essentially Gorillas from the days of Qbasic.

Haha, I showed iShoot to my gf and she didn't like it because gorillas and bananas were missing. So we downloaded DOSBox, qbasis and the .bas file and played it a few times on her Mac. With sound :D.

A few month ago I played Cannon Challenge, which was nice, but the enemy did not fire back. Then iShoot came out and at some price drop I bought it. It was an ok game, but the menus, especially the weapen selection screen, were ugly and buggy as hell. They are still ugly as hell :). They have to fix this. And their update frequence is too low - I had no hope that these bugs would be fixed and thought that the game had been abandoned, but then the lite version came and now THIS.

I hope that he learns something about visibility in the AppStore and what he has to do to promote his app.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I really want to make games but have zero experience other than knowing photoshop and some BASIC BASIC javascript...can someone tell me what's the best way to learn from starting an app fo finish? Books? Can you recommend any? Do you even think I SHOULD or is my head just in the clouds after hearing all the success stories?
thanks to all in advance!

With no experience, it's going to be tough. You need to learn basic C first, in my opinion. I don't know of any specific books, but perhaps someone here will know of some. To keep your interest up, I suggest watching tutorial videos that interest you. If you're still interested after learning a few things, then you may have what it takes to make an app. It will take work though.

[games42]

With no experience, it's going to be tough. You need to learn basic C first, in my opinion. I don't know of any specific books, but perhaps someone here will know of some. To keep your interest up, I suggest watching tutorial videos that interest you. If you're still interested after learning a few things, then you may have what it takes to make an app. It will take work though.

What about if I use Unity? Is that recommended and won't that cut out alot of what I need to learn?

[Little White Bear Studios]

What about if I use Unity? Is that recommended and won't that cut out alot of what I need to learn?

From what I've heard, Unity and Torque are scripting engines that will do alot of work for you. But I really don't have any specific knowledge about them. Maybe someone else in the thread, or in the forums knows more. But yes, you can make games with them. You may be able to download demo copies to play with.

[mrkgoo]

Little White Bear Studios: I haven't tried your lite version (I prefer to just get the real deal), so I don't know how it works, but at the end of it, does it have a splash screen advertising the full version? This may alleviate those emails concerning 'too short a game'. Something on the lines of: "Do you want more? Download the full version which has 414 puzzles! *link*". You know, like how console games do it.

Speaking of which, I think the success of iShoot Lite is the balance of what is included. It's probably just enough to whet appetites, but the game itself has that X-factor that makes people want more. I find console game demos do more to turn me off purchasing.

Ethan: Congrats on your success - Wow, I'm really happy for you! (I was wishing you well in another thread somewhere). Seems like a dream. I was going to say that knowing the developer can work on this full time, makes me want to buy it more (the only reason I haven't is that I have to limit myself, seeing as I have bought 7 Cities and haven't even played it yet). I will some day, as I love scorched Earth. Now I can tell you directly! Knowing that other improvements such as online or whatever is drool-worthy. Knowing that you post on this board and can keep up the hype will undoubtedly score well with people here. Consumers (especially Apple consumers) love to see the developers have a face. Participating in the community here will keep the app live on the boards for a while, which will hopefully maintain the momentum in the store for weeks ahead.

I think that's the thing, for whatever reason it is a hit, once you have that slight push, momentum from the consumers will drive it on. And the genius is, you still have room to drop the price to boost sales! (Don't do it too soon though, because that kicks up a stink, and makes people resent purchase, or suspect it will drop further). I think frequent sales of apps makes some people simply wait for another sale. Well, whatever it is you;re doing, it must be right.

Congrats!

[Little White Bear Studios]

Little White Bear Studios: I haven't tried your lite version (I prefer to just get the real deal), so I don't know how it works, but at the end of it, does it have a splash screen advertising the full version? This may alleviate those emails concerning 'too short a game'. Something on the lines of: "Do you want more? Download the full version which has 414 puzzles! *link*". You know, like how console games do it.

Yep, when they complete the sample puzzles, it pops up a message telling them about the full version, with a "buy" button that leads directly to the game on the App Store. There's also a "buy" button on the Info screen. So yeah, even with all that, I get emails. :rolleyes:

[RPGGuy]

I quit my job before my first app even went on sale! It was risky but has paid off.

Some stats, from November to today:

875,000 downloads for iFishing Lite
500,000 downloads for Blue Skies Lite
43000 sales of iFishing
26000 sales of Blue Skies (has been out since September so this is not total sales)

I now have 5 apps in the store and pull in about $1500-2000/day. For December and January so far I'm getting 90k. I was only getting 60k/year at my old job.

I think it's easy to get excited when your app sells quickly. The real test will be to see if it can continue bringing in decent sales for the rest of the year.

The lite versions have definitely helped. It's much cheaper than paying for google ads per click. If your app is 99c then the cost per click for an ad could be more than that. I get a few emails about basic iphone things too, like how to delete apps.

[The Game Reaper]

If he stays at no. 1 for 5 weeks he'll have made over a million dollars!
I wonder how much he gets from the other appstores...

[1337brian]

I quit my job before my first app even went on sale! It was risky but has paid off.

Some stats, from November to today:

875,000 downloads for iFishing Lite
500,000 downloads for Blue Skies Lite
43000 sales of iFishing
26000 sales of Blue Skies (has been out since September so this is not total sales)

I now have 5 apps in the store and pull in about $1500-2000/day. For December and January so far I'm getting 90k. I was only getting 60k/year at my old job.

I think it's easy to get excited when your app sells quickly. The real test will be to see if it can continue bringing in decent sales for the rest of the year.

The lite versions have definitely helped. It's much cheaper than paying for google ads per click. If your app is 99c then the cost per click for an ad could be more than that. I get a few emails about basic iphone things too, like how to delete apps.

Wow congrats, I'm impressed, it's stories like this that are making me get back into programming and hopefully making some as well. Seriously you deserve it and I hope it continues to go good for you...

[Little White Bear Studios]

I quit my job before my first app even went on sale! It was risky but has paid off.

Very impressive numbers! I'm glad it's worked out for you, and I hope you have continued success!

[Vende]

It's amazing what the apps store is doing for entrepenuers, almost like a dotcom 2.0. My nephew is pretty good with computers and he is now trying to figure out if he has the know-how to create an application. The kid's in high school so he obviously doesn't have much money to put into the project but hey, if a high schooler can make Scifly, then there is certainly precedent for young success.

[Little White Bear Studios]

The kid's in high school so he obviously doesn't have much money to put into the project but hey, if a high schooler can make Scifly, then there is certainly precedent for young success.

As long as you have an Intel Mac, money really doesn't have to be much of an issue. Minus a cheap Mac, the cost of my game was about $150.

[PoV]

Yowza! Nice stats.

[Manta Research]

I've gotta agree with LWB. In this particular case, it's a simple decision because he made $200k in 1 week (WOW!), and being at number 1 for this long, it's likely he will bring in around $500k by the end of the year. Given his circumstances, it's a no brainer.

However, if you're already making a comfortable $150-200k+, have been with the job for many years, have a wife+kids, mortgage/cars, and are the sole provider, then the decision is not that simple. If I made $100k in 1 month based on 1 app, I might be tempted to quit, but I wouldn't. It's all about sustainability. On the App Store, with a single title, you can make $50k in one month and $5k the next month (and it usually only goes downhill from there). You can't do any kind of serious financial planning when it's such a roller coaster.

Having multiple apps out helps diversify the risk, but the point is that coming up with a "iShoot" or a "Koi Pond" depends a lot on luck and timing and many other factors, and it's very difficult to replicate this. Look at the chopper guy (David Frampton) for example and his followup "duck duck duck" after he quit to work on this full time. Even in the cases where you have an established studio and have made a boatload of money like Brian Greenstone/Pangea, there's no guarantee that your next release will be a huge success (eg. antimatter)

If I were making $30-40k a month CONSISTENTLY with multiple titles, I would be much more inclined to quit my job, then if I made $200k in one week with a single title. Again, a lot of factors play into this. If I were 25 and single and making $70k at a job that I'd only been at for 1-2 years then the decision would be completely different.

[Little White Bear Studios]

However, if you're already making a comfortable $150-200k+, have been with the job for many years, have a wife+kids, mortgage/cars, and are the sole provider, then the decision is not that simple. If I made $100k in 1 month based on 1 app, I might be tempted to quit, but I wouldn't. It's all about sustainability. On the App Store, with a single title, you can make $50k in one month and $5k the next month (and it usually only goes downhill from there). You can't do any kind of serious financial planning when it's such a roller coaster.

Thank you. That's exactly what I was trying to say. :)

[istopmotion]

I really like the article on the main page of TA. Thanks for writing that up Blake :)

[bootant]

http://www.iphonesavior.com/2009/01/iphone-developer-quits-day-job-after-ishoot-hits-number-one.html
i quit my day job several months ago :)

[arkanigon]

Hi guys, this is Ethan Nicholas. I must admit that it's somewhat odd to see a five-page thread regarding my decision to quit my job... :)

I'm a little baffled by some of the reactions here. Honestly... if you made $200,000 in a week, you wouldn't quit your job? I don't mean to lounge around the Caribbean, I mean to continue working on your app and try to get another successful one out there.

I can now afford to go a solid year without another penny in income. That would require iShoot to go from $35,000 a day to $0 tomorrow. And even if that were A) possible and B) actually happened, I'd still be fine for a solid year. If I can't either keep iShoot doing well or get another app out there making some money in the next year (iShoot took six weeks, start to finish), then you're damned right I'm going to have to give up and find a real job to pay the bills. But I'll have plenty of warning and plenty of time to find a real job. Realistically, assuming iShoot holds the top spot for at least a couple more days and doesn't immediately plummet out of the top 100, I'll probably make enough money off of iShoot to last me for a couple of years with no other income.

And iShoot was a hack job thrown together in a few weeks by a novice iPhone developer in his spare time, with no artistic or design assistance. Maybe lightning will only strike once, maybe I'll never have another hit. But with more experience, more time to work on an app, and the confidence and money to secure art, music, and such, I'm absolutely confident that I can make enough money to keep my family fed.

And really, are the odds of my app store income vanishing overnight really higher than the odds of my job disappearing without warning? No source of income is certain.

Congrats Ethan! Your decision makes perfect sense to me. I'm really surprised by the reactions here too.

[Birdsoft]

Nice job Ethan... I left my day job years ago, I cant believe that most are saying that they need more than that. Its ridiculious unless they really have a sweet setup work wise...!

Im struggling along right now,the Windows Mobile market fell out a bit because of some little shiny phone and its AppStore, but have a lot of IP from those other mobile platforms and am hoping I can get a solid catalog to even get half the success that some here are experiencing....

(Actually, if any of you need a contract developer on a project... hook me up... :) )

Its still one of the best thing I have ever done...

[jonaswills]

Heh 3 out of 4 members of Team Phobic left their jobs to start our company... big risk but it is what we have wanted to do for as long as we can all remember. It is much more rewarding creating your own job then working for some company. I'm the only member who has a "real" job, I do consulting and it pays the bills... plus the extra I invest in our company till we are more self sustaining.

People could very well sustain themselves by having a few GOOD apps out there... we are doing okay with just two but it certainly is tough. It is a little frustrating though to see apps made in a few days or weeks make way way way more then something a whole team makes in two months, but we are also building a brand name and don't ever have to rely on luck for our apps to sell, not to say we wouldn't mind getting lucky :-D

Best of luck to you Ethan! (edit: not trying to say your app made #1 just through luck, I haven't tried it yet, I really mean good luck with your new job :-D)

[Little White Bear Studios]

I cant believe that most are saying that they need more than that. Its ridiculious unless they really have a sweet setup work wise...!

Some of us do, yes. Been working there ten years. 200k is not very much after all the taxes, medical, retirement, etc. that I'd have to pay. It's inconsistent income, which is not a chance I can take, with a wife and three kids. But yes, I'm sure everyone has a price that will make them comfortable. More power to him, but personally, I'd have to see sustained sales before making such a decision.

[Little White Bear Studios]

but we are also building a brand name and don't ever have to rely on luck for our apps to sell

Good plan! Same here.

[underthesun]

Interesting.. all these success stories about making lite versions have made me want to try it out..

Also, congrats, Ethan, for making it into #1. And I admire your willingness to start a business (in other words, quit your day job), because it's actually pretty hard to find anyone with that mindset where I come from. Everyone's into working for banks these days.. (and I graduated off a software degree.. strange huh)

[hman]

You'll be getting my 3 bucks shortly, the lite version was fun!

Best of luck, if you did this in 6 weeks I'm sure you'll have more great ideas to come! :)

[STP_Steve]

And iShoot was a hack job thrown together in a few weeks by a novice iPhone developer in his spare time, with no artistic or design assistance. Maybe lightning will only strike once, maybe I'll never have another hit. But with more experience, more time to work on an app, and the confidence and money to secure art, music, and such, I'm absolutely confident that I can make enough money to keep my family fed.


Ethan:

First of all, I'm happy that you're doing well enough with iShoot to have quit your day job. It's an inspirational story, and I wish you the best.

Secondly, I appreciate your candor regarding iShoot's provenance. Again, I do not begrudge you your success, but I think that it's pretty much Exhibit A when it comes to how utterly broken the App Store is at the moment.

iShoot's pretty freakin' good for a "novice hack job," as you call it, but it was immediately obvious to me that it wasn't a professional product. I am as mystified by your success you seem to be.

My best guess is that it's a structural issue. I think that you have a killer name for your app (iShoot is about as good as it gets), and that you released the free version at exactly the right time--right after Christmas, when lots of inexperienced iDevice users started delving into the App Store.

In other words, I think you got lucky.

Nothing wrong with that. I also think that you're a talented developer, and I am looking forward to seeing what you do with iShoot and any new games you may design, now that you have some financial wiggle room.

[VirtualPool]

I'm amazed at the number of people who write me, or leave reviews, not understanding what a Lite version is. They want more puzzles, or get upset because the game only took them an hour to complete. Emailers honestly had no idea that it was a free taste for a real game.

... or post one star reviews because 'I can't get past the first level'. Well duh!

[PoV]

I'm seeing a-lot more Lite versions pop up. I wonder what happened? ;)

[Birdsoft]

Some of us do, yes. Been working there ten years. 200k is not very much after all the taxes, medical, retirement, etc. that I'd have to pay. It's inconsistent income, which is not a chance I can take, with a wife and three kids. But yes, I'm sure everyone has a price that will make them comfortable. More power to him, but personally, I'd have to see sustained sales before making such a decision.

Actually.. Yeah it is.. I obviously would be making more in a real job but no where near that, and ALMOST EVERYONE around doesnt make 200K in a year. Strike that, even 100K(including medical/retirement) even the developers. So your safety number is significantly higher than pretty much everybody here... But Damn, good for you!!

But now he's made 200K this year(probably significantly more since I dont believe with the structure that he can fall out of the top 100 quickly)... If in 1year he hasnt estabalished something out of it.. Well, he can join the job
market again.

Its not inconsistent income at all. In February its like 200K in his bank account.

But yeah, in your specific situation it would make it harder.. But even if I had your job and the iShoot bump, I'd already be planning my heading out the door.....

Hopefully we both have a chance to see a decision like that...

[Little White Bear Studios]

So your safety number is significantly higher than pretty much everybody here... But Damn, good for you!!


Oh, I wasn't saying I make 200k a year. Just that with what I do make at my job, there are a lot of free/tax perks that I would have to pay, post tax, out of the proposed App Store 200k, that it makes that number a lot smaller than it seems. So take that 200k, and take about 40% away for state/fed taxes. Then take out family medical coverage. Then take out retirement money, and don't forget to double it, since you aren't being matched. Take out life/disability insurance fees. So generally, that could work out to well below 100K in the end. Of course, that could still be more than enough for a year for someone. But after that, you're going to have to maintain that number, which is where the lack of consistency comes into play.

I am not saying anyone should or shouldn't quit their job after App Store success. I'm just saying that someone should really think about all the issues before jumping ship. I wish everyone who has/hasn't quit their jobs the best success possible.

[bootant]

Oh, I wasn't saying I make 200k a year. Just that with what I do make at my job, there are a lot of free/tax perks that I would have to pay, post tax, out of the proposed App Store 200k, that it makes that number a lot smaller than it seems. So take that 200k, and take about 40% away for state/fed taxes. Then take out family medical coverage. Then take out retirement money, and don't forget to double it, since you aren't being matched. Take out life/disability insurance fees. So generally, that could work out to well below 100K in the end. Of course, that could still be more than enough for a year for someone. But after that, you're going to have to maintain that number, which is where the lack of consistency comes into play.

I am not saying anyone should or shouldn't quit their job after App Store success. I'm just saying that someone should really think about all the issues before jumping ship. I wish everyone who has/hasn't quit their jobs the best success possible.
http://tickernews.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/stay-hungry.jpg

[WeHeartGames]

I'm working on an iPhone game now, and fully plan on releasing a Lite version. My question to developers is, how do you know how many of your sales are "Lite" conversions? Is there a way to track that?

[brewstermax]

I'm working on an iPhone game now, and fully plan on releasing a Lite version. My question to developers is, how do you know how many of your sales are "Lite" conversions? Is there a way to track that?

I couldn't think of a truly reliable way to. I mean, you could count lite downloads, then the number of full version, but that isn't completely reliable. I bought both Tanzen and iShoot, without buying the lite versions. I guess you could take off a few hundred downloads, and that would give you a fair number. If it tracks accounts or IP's, then that concerns me about the security of my personal info.

[Little White Bear Studios]

I'm working on an iPhone game now, and fully plan on releasing a Lite version. My question to developers is, how do you know how many of your sales are "Lite" conversions? Is there a way to track that?

There's no accurate way to tell. But if you know how much you make each day without the Lite version, and then you release the Lite version, and your number goes up dramatically, then you can probably assume it comes from the conversion. Generally, you're going to get 1-5%, assuming your game is any good. If it's not good, the Lite version will only hurt your sales.

[Little White Bear Studios]

If it tracks accounts or IP's, then that concerns me about the security of my personal info.

We don't get any personal information. We get a list each day of the following general info:

TanZen: New U.S. 10,000,000 copies
TanZen: New France 5,000 copies
....
TanZen: Update U.S. 50,000 copies
TanZen: Update France 500 copies
....
TanZen Lite: New U.S. 500,000 copies
TanZen Lite: New France 10,000 copies
....
TanZen Lite: Update U.S. 40,000 copies
TanZen Lite: Update France 20,000 copies
---

[Knight]

We don't get any personal information. We get a list each day of the following general info:

TanZen: New U.S. 10,000,000 copies
TanZen: New France 5,000 copies
....
TanZen: Update U.S. 50,000 copies
TanZen: Update France 500 copies
....
TanZen Lite: New U.S. 500,000 copies
TanZen Lite: New France 10,000 copies
....
TanZen Lite: Update U.S. 40,000 copies
TanZen Lite: Update France 20,000 copies
---

Holy moly, are those examples or for real? Hehe

Anyway, so how many devs now are scaling back the type of games they want to make? Seems the App Store is all about luck. Not that I think iShoot is bad or anything, I actually like Scorched Earth games.

[Little White Bear Studios]

Holy moly, are those examples or for real? Hehe

Now that would be cool! Alas, no. :)

Anyway, so how many devs now are scaling back the type of games they want to make? Seems the App Store is all about luck. Not that I think iShoot is bad or anything, I actually like Scorched Earth games.

I think it's going to be 50/50. There's always going to be people who want to make a big game. I think the bigger companies are going to be more careful, and not release bad games at high prices. But there are going to be a lot of indie devs pumping out the small games, at small prices. I agree, the App Store does involve a lot of luck. I have no doubt there are tons of games sitting in the top 500 that are better than most of the top 10.

[arn]

Generally, you're going to get 1-5%, assuming your game is any good. If it's not good, the Lite version will only hurt your sales.

i think this is good to stress. Everyone goes into it with the impression that all games are created equal and if only they had enough exposure, their game will do well.

Most games suck. :) If you make a lite version of a game that sucks, it will only serve as a warning to not purchase the full version.

arn

[Little White Bear Studios]

Most games suck. :) If you make a lite version of a game that sucks, it will only serve as a warning to not purchase the full version.


And that's why dev forums are filled with people saying that Lite versions do not work. Most games suck = most Lite versions have no conversion rate.

Now, if you do have a good game, and the Lite yields nothing, then you've either:

a) Given too much of your game away for free.
b) Not given them enough of a taste.
c) Not given them an easy way to get the full version.
d) Not made your Lite version visible enough.
e) The price of your full version is too high.

[brewstermax]

And that's why dev forums are filled with people saying that Lite versions do not work. Most games suck = most Lite versions have no conversion rate.

Now, if you do have a good game, and the Lite yields nothing, then you've either:

a) Given too much of your game away for free.
b) Not given them enough of a taste.
c) Not given them an easy way to get the full version.
d) Not made your Lite version visible enough.
e) The price of your full version is too high.

Which is one of the big reasons why Tanzen needs a lite version. Most people have never heard of Tangrams, so it is needed. On nearly any other $.99 game, it isn't needed. iShoot got the right mix of all of those.

[yanki]

This gives me some hope. ^_^

Things were going well and my first app is getting submitted to Apple tomorrow or Tuesday. Well I got called into HR on friday saying my services were no longer needed. Well I got paid out for 2 weeks at least.

So my day job quit me. Hehe.

Anyways so my first app is going to the store and I will be working on my next apps as planned even before the "news" I got on friday. So what im going to do is work on Iphone stuff until I run out of cash or I maybe see some returns.

I honestly dont have much faith for my first app but at least I polished it and the fact that is a parody might get some attention... I hope. :) When I release my next app thats more graphical I hope I can get a little buzz going on that one of the last projects I did was doing CG for the Watchmen film coming up.

Either way congrats to all who are doing well and IShoot. I hope I can make enough to buy a cup of coffee. :D

[Little White Bear Studios]

So my day job quit me. Hehe.

I'm sorry to hear that, yanki. :(

one of the last projects I did was doing CG for the Watchmen film coming up.

Well that makes you cool in my book! I hope your app makes a bundle!

[Little White Bear Studios]

Which is one of the big reasons why Tanzen needs a lite version. Most people have never heard of Tangrams, so it is needed. On nearly any other $.99 game, it isn't needed. iShoot got the right mix of all of those.

Yeah, the moment I released a Lite version, TanZen sales soared. Then I got featured shortly after that. Lite is good.

[WeHeartGames]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like launching (perhaps with a 24-hour promo release price?), and then releasing a lite version later is the way to go. Although, didn't the Liquid Air Lab guys release their Rick Robertson free version before the paid version? I wonder how their sales were. The free version was very popular for a while.

[Diablohead]

If I was selling an app which is selling well in the top 10 I would also probably take it easy and quit my day job for a while, you only live once and if you love to make and play games I think it's worth it even if you can only do it for a year or two, do what feels best for yourself.

[monk666]

Like someone mentioned on this thread, i hope the iShoot developer doesn't shoot himself when he realize the amount of taxes he needs to pay for earnings at that level. I'm not sure any accounting "magic" is going to help him as Apple deposit the money electronically...

Well... his game is doing really well so more power to him. But i believe it is a stupid idea to quit his day job. He could've negotiated a 4-day work week or even a part-time arrangement. Companies are very open to such arrangements especially when everyone is looking at cutting costs.

[arn]

But i believe it is a stupid idea to quit his day job. He could've negotiated a 4-day work week or even a part-time arrangement. Companies are very open to such arrangements especially when everyone is looking at cutting costs.

Set up 4 day work week? I find this ridiculous. He made $200,000 in one week. He's still making that level of money. What # would you quit at? $400,000? $800,000? $1 million?

Let's say he's making $70,000 a year at his current job. That means he's making ~$35/hour. It is a waste of his time to spend 32 hours a week making $1100. And then devote only one day a week to the task that made him $200,000 this week?

arn

[matt@megadev]

Thought I'd add a few comments from my experiences so far:

We have one game out called Bomboozle, its a collapse puzzle game... quite well polished (I think ;-) and it's pretty decent fun. However after initial release it was selling quite poorly and after a few weeks the sales had really dropped off.

Just after xmas we released the lite version and the sales instantly doubled and have remained reasonably constant. It's also interesting that the sales are now coming from all over the world, not just UK, US.

So in my opinion lite versions are by far the best form of advertising, I do think however that it needs to be a game in it's own right... and we'll be trying to produce better lite versions for all our future titles.

Slightly off topic but I would say beware of price changes, dropping the price of Bomboozle actually hurt sales and no doubt pisses people off that bought at the higher price. From now on I will set prices based on what I think the game is worth leave it to live or die by that!


As for iShoot, simply an amazing transformation and I completely agree with Ethans decisions to go it alone. What a great position to basically be secure for at least a year and to be able to put that time into innovating whatever takes your fancy ;-)