Levitar - Vector download numbers

thanks for sharing, my game released recently(donut pirate) also seeing similar numbers, first day is about 370 downloads, and numbers will drop sharply in 3 days, when your game is not on app store free game list.

i'm curious how those flappy, 2048, dont step on white clones get to the top chart, are people really so desperate to download those clones?

 

just easier to boost up because of the volume of searches in those areas.

Basically that free boost at the start at least lets people see the game which then gives it that chance of going viral. It needs to be good enough they will tell their friends.

 

There was someone here who deconstructed flappy birds success and showed it was most likely to be organic. The arguments were all backed by evidence.

I am sure some used those black marketing tools but in general there is a lot of luck combined with a good product that the end consumer likes.

 

Your first screenshot on the App Store is a menu. That's rather dull to look at. Maybe find a good action scene from your game and position that at the front.

 

As insane as it seems, I think the results for games like flappy bird are in fact organic.

That said, you really can't expect anything better than the numbers you have if you are unwilling to engage in any sort of marketing. Even in the console market, quality games with little direct competition like Madworld or Okami fail to meet expectations, largely due to a lack of marketing. In the highly competitive mobile industry, marketing is essential unless you plan to hit the lottery and get lucky, but if that's the case, it's easier to just buy a ticket instead of making a game.

 

how did you get those reviews?

 

To be perfectly honest, I am also trying to discover the secret formula for marketing. I'm actually sitting on a finished game right now until I have a plan that is satisfactory.

With no budget, you're going to have to go through social media. Just get involved with as many other developers and people in the industry as you can through Facebook and twitter. You may get lucky and meet someone who can get you on the right track.

 

At the very least you should be posting on forums while you sit on it.

 

I don't actually think that's the issue. The App Store is just so saturated, it's really hard to get downloads. I released a free version of my racing game Get Gravel (racing is obviously a popular genre) and it only got a few k downloads before dying altogether. I really think the problem is just the amount of games, especially free ones to compete with.

In saying that, your game looks great and I'm going to grab it now. Love old school stuff!

 

Speaking of that, I have had interest from a couple of big publishers about my upcoming game Oversteer... weighing up the pros and cons but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to go with a publisher these days, just too hard to get noticed as "the little guy", unless you're VERY lucky.

 

It doesn't necessarily mean that. It just means Apple didn't give your app a featured spot on the front page. Without that, it's very difficult to get any action.

 

That's what I'm trying to gauge right now. The crowd I'm talking to at the moment seems very cool. Yes, the percentages are high but I think it's probably worth it due to the exposure. I don't want to give an exact figure or name the company but you're in the right ballpark.

Basically if I can have the game published without it being changed too much to suit them, I'll go with them. I've told them about the plans for the game, style etc and they seem totally happy and haven't suggested any changes or anything yet but I guess they'd make some suggestions once we go ahead. That's cool though, I'm all for creative criticism, as long as it helps the game become better!

I did have a game published by Chillingo through their Samsung indie project but I literally got about $5 worth of sales...

 

Depends who but they obviously have a say. I imagine a lot comes on cross advertising their other games and the monetization techniques.

Even if you decide to stand on your ideals you need to keep them happy because you are asking them to pay all your marketing costs.