I don't mean to be rude but...

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by postman, Oct 31, 2008.

  1. postman

    postman New Member

    Oct 31, 2008
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    Tell me why I should keep developing iPhone apps?

    Ten thousand people downloaded my app while it was free for a couple of days. Nearly ten thousand people downloaded the free update, which means most people thought it was good enough to keep on their phones.

    At least 3,000 people have downloaded the lite version so far.

    Sounds pretty good right?

    Yet, not enough people have downloaded the paid version for me to make a penny. Nothing. I don't think I'm greedy, but folks, I can't do this for free forever.

    CALL to developers:

    Stop giving away your stuff for free. You worked hard on it, it's worth something!

    CALL to customers:

    Stop expecting something for nothing.

    CALL to Apple:

    Set the minimum price tier in the app store to 99 cents. This is not a hardship to anybody who bought an iPhone.

    Have at it folks, let the debate begin!

    The postman
     
  2. BulletDev

    BulletDev Well-Known Member

    Sep 20, 2008
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    produce applications under "Bullet Development"
    Vancouver, BC
    I know exactly what you mean! I don't completely agree with you, I mean there should still be an option to develop free apps, but people have to stop expecting free stuff. I can't stand it when people complain over great apps costing money.
     
  3. Little White Bear Studios

    Little White Bear Studios Well-Known Member
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    Aug 27, 2008
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    I think you may have run into the problem of setting the value of your app too low from the start. You made it free, thus setting its value. Then you raised the price, and people aren't interested because they know it was free before. It makes them think they're being charged too much.

    Of course, there could be other factors as to why you aren't selling well. Too hard to tell, as I don't know what your app is.
     
  4. Little White Bear Studios

    Little White Bear Studios Well-Known Member
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    Aug 27, 2008
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    1. It's fun!
    2. Given the right price, right gameplay, right marketing, and a little bit of luck, you can make a whole lot of money.
    3. Did I mention that it's fun?
     
  5. rootbeersoup

    rootbeersoup Well-Known Member

    Oct 4, 2008
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    New Orleans, LA
    People do NOT expect something for nothing

    It has been said countless times by all of us here, we will pay good money for a quality game

    I have spent a load of money on games that I like

    BTW, what app do you sell?
     
  6. Everydaynormalguy

    Everydaynormalguy Well-Known Member

    Oct 5, 2008
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    Student By Day, Masked Vigilante By Night
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    Well mr. postman, 'i don't wanna be rude' but...why the hell should i care? Obviously your game wasn't good enough to attract paying customers so...as far as developing new games, well, it's a free country: do as you like.
     
  7. We could really do with finding out what The Postman's app is, only then can we ascertain the root of the problem for this particular case.
    As others have said, people WILL pay for a quality app. So this app perhaps either wasn't as good as it could have been or it wasn't marketed very well. We won't know till we know what it is.
     
  8. stiggybird

    stiggybird Member

    Oct 25, 2008
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    Perth, Australia
    I don't know if this is entirely true. If you consider Air Sharing, it was free for a long time, and now they charge $7ish. I think they're the possibly most popular app of that purpose, even if it is not clearly the best (I prefer FileMagnet, but I'm sure many will disagree, I think some people use datacase). I believe they've probably achieved this by having so many people getting it for free that it now gets around by word of mouth, even at a price. This is despite the fact that it's now more expensive than equivilant apps, and also came later than others.

    Also, I think removing free apps would be a mistake, as I feel that it is what gets some people onto the store to begin with, who will later buy paid apps.
     
  9. moopf

    moopf Well-Known Member

    Sep 16, 2008
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    Well I'm carrying on, even though my app hasn't done very well (not sure if I'll see a penny this year from sales, to be honest.) It may not be the most sensible use of my time, if my first app sales are anything to go on, but I enjoy it.
     
  10. Oliver

    Oliver Well-Known Member

    BTW: That they update does not mean that they have it on their phone. They just were too tired to delete it from iTunes.

    I have 250 apps in iTunes. Guess what: Not all of them are on my phone. Many of them just sit in iTunes waiting for updates which make them suck less.
     
  11. snow_mani

    snow_mani Well-Known Member

    Oct 20, 2008
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    Which app?

    Hi Postman,

    Please let us know which app you are talking about.

    I have spent a small fortune on apps (an app here and an app there is really adding up).

    I have also downloaded lots of free apps and have then gone on to recommend some of those apps to other people (who had to pay when those apps where no longer free). I have also purchased full copies of apps after using the lite versions, and in one case, I have paid for a full version even though the then free version was a full game that was only missing the ability to change the appearance of the blocks in the game and access a hint system (that I don't even use). All because I liked the app and wanted to support the developer.

    There is a very wide range of people who use this forum. From all ages and walks of life. And we are all interested in seeing and using great apps. And we are interested in helping developers create those apps and improve those apps.

    Let us know what the app is and we can provide you with some constructive feedback and ideas.
     
  12. Oliver

    Oliver Well-Known Member

    #12 Oliver, Oct 31, 2008
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2008
    In august I spent about 130 Euros. Now I limit myself to 25 Euros per month, just to limit "impulse buyings". I don't have a problem to pay 8, 10 or more Euros if the game is good. I won't buy stuff like Scoops, garbage which entertains me for a few minutes and then I put it away. I also won't buy any more match-n-stuff. I'm seeking for real games, which entertain me for hours, days and weeks. Games which deserve my money, like Virtual Villagers, FieldRunners, Block Breaker, Bejeweled, Missile Command, Motion X Poker, Bubble Bash, Blue Skies, Chopper, Asphalt and others.

    Regarding my 25 Euro limit per month this means that I won't buy the game when it comes out. I will wait for videos and reviews and really think about whether this is a bad game, a game with good production value which just won't fit to me or a game which would entertain me for a while. If the third position, I will buy it. But most of the time, the game price dropped to free or to 1/4 of the original price in the first month.

    So I really think that all price problems are in fact problems of the devs who charge not enough for their work. Of course you as a dev have to make sure, that your app is visible. I put a thread on this into the programmers forum on this site. If your only chance to make your app visible is dropping the price to free, than their's something wrong, either with your app (nobody likes it, wants it, needs it) or with your promotion.


    PS: And that you are not able to tell us what game you made, not in the discussion and not in a signature, tells us something about your marketing...
     
  13. lynch

    lynch Well-Known Member

    Oct 23, 2008
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    being burned way too many times initially has stopped me from buying any app that i may want to buy, so i sit on it, and think about it,
    i also set a limit, although i went over it this month and am sitting @ $54 this month, thank gawd its the last day of the month -haha...but initially i spent well over 300, and i regret a lot of those apps

    so as a customer, i will only buy if

    I know the developer and they are good for not releasing a beta
    there are screenshots
    there is a video
    and the price reflects the value and the benefit that i hope to get out of the app

    it can have all the features in the world, but as a consumer i only care about benefits
     
  14. Little White Bear Studios

    Little White Bear Studios Well-Known Member
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    Aug 27, 2008
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    Yes, there can be exceptions to any rule. :) Certain apps' features can certainly sell at any price.
     
  15. mek

    mek Well-Known Member

    is the game Asterope?

    i enjoyed the game
    but i believe it was missing a demo so no one knew the gameplay ahead of time
    so everyone was afraid of buying it

    but then i dont think that one was updated, so i could be wrong
    but if it is...amazing game
     
  16. mek

    mek Well-Known Member

    *cough* I am Rich *Cough*
     
  17. SwingOnThis

    SwingOnThis Well-Known Member

    Oct 3, 2008
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    I think also app fever has subsided, and the people who would buy any and every 99 cent and 1.99 app under the sun have decided to hold out for better things.

    The righteous indignation of angry developers is astounding to me. You know if your app is good or not. Just because another developer has success w/ a crappy app, doesn't mean that you're owed the same success.

    Make better apps, and they'll sell. Show me one app that's awesome that hasn't sold.
     
  18. Oliver

    Oliver Well-Known Member

    Hiqup :) Really great and polished, but it seems that nobody buys it.
     
  19. SwingOnThis

    SwingOnThis Well-Known Member

    Oct 3, 2008
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    It's a peg jump variation. Not saying it's not polished or fun, but it's a variation on many other existing apps.
     
  20. moopf

    moopf Well-Known Member

    Sep 16, 2008
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    Oh yes, I completely agree. But then, how many of the top selling apps are truly original, rather than variants (or ports) of previously existing games?

    I now know that my game didn't seem to have much appeal, for whatever reason. That much is absolutely clear :)
     

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