Release Day???

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by iqSoup, Oct 4, 2013.

  1. iqSoup

    iqSoup Well-Known Member

    Aug 22, 2012
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    I'm about to put my new app "Impy" up for sale and I have a question about when to release an app--by that I mean what day of the week and time. Typically apps are released on a Wednesday. Do you think its better to stand out by releasing on a different day, some time when there is less competition? Or are people paying attention on Wednesday and so that's still the best time to release?

    And what time of day do you feel is best? Should you just release everywhere at once or have it come out at a specific time for each time zone--like midnight Wednesday morning, starting with New Zealand and then moving around the world as each country reaches midnight.

    Just wondering if anyone has thoughts on this. Or if any other devs have good or bad experiences with different release times. Even just as an iOS gamer--when do you check the forums for new games? Would a game released on a Monday or a Friday stick out to you or fly under the radar?

    This is my first big app so I'd love to hear from everyone on this--any thoughts/input/suggestions would be much appreciated!!! Thanks!
     
  2. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    From a selfish point of view i love it when apps appear on different days. But if i was you i would release it along with all the other new apps. A few websites including TA normally have a big news item of the latest games appearing in AUS on Tuesday which will hit the US/UK later at midnight etc.

    It should then get featured along with all the other new apps.

    If you release it on its own on another day you 'might' get less publicity. Unless its a stunning app and then everyone will be talking about it regardless
     
  3. Rip73

    Rip73 Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2011
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    For the highest potential level of exposure, the standard Thursday New Zealand and then roll around the world time zones is best.

    The one time international release works for big IP's like Angry Birds or Infinity Blade but for the most part if someone is chasing an App Store featured list or most exposure, Thursday (local time zone) works.

    It's also the day (well Wednesday is to be accurate in time zones) when Internet traffic in relation to releases is at its highest.

    Another thing to consider is that Sunday is the day the App Store has the highest number of downloads so you want to be out a few days before that so that it has generated some kind of profile but not too far before it (mon/tues/wed) that it gets swallowed up by the normal release day stuff.

    So ideally Thursday (in local time zones) is the point that offers the best potential.
     
  4. iqSoup

    iqSoup Well-Known Member

    Aug 22, 2012
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    Hang on--I'm confused. Do games typically come out Wednesday at 12 am local time (Tuesday night) or Thursday at 12 am local (Wednesday night)??? I thought midnight Wednesday local time was the standard--am I wrong?
     
  5. Rip73

    Rip73 Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2011
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    The normal release schedule internationally is 12:00am on Thursdays as it is selected on your App Store developer account, iTunes connect.
    In some stores internationally, this translates to stuff hitting at 11pm on Wednesday nights, in some stores an hour or two earlier than that even.
    It just depends on the refresh rate cycle.

    So no you're not wrong. I think where I confused you was in relation to when the exposure shows up it is normally Wednesday still in the US and the Uk but the time zone difference make a it a Thursday in New Zealand where it has actually already released if you know what I mean.

    It basically just means that if you're in the west, the coverage starts the day before it releases.
     
  6. iqSoup

    iqSoup Well-Known Member

    Aug 22, 2012
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    Ya I think your right--I was confused 'cause normally we hear about new games a day before they finally hit the US markets.

    Well I think I'll follow the advice here and stick to the traditional midnight Thursday local time release schedule. Thanks for the input and explanation.

    So look for Impy on the app store next Thursday at midnight!
     
  7. codetiger

    codetiger Well-Known Member

    It all depends on the game. We released our game "Dragon vs Goblins 3D" into the App Store few weeks back on a Thursday. We were targeting iOS 7 release and iPhone 5S release during the weekend. However, that same date, App Store was flooded with many top Game Developers release and AppStore had a freeze during that time. However, it quickly fell down and now hidden in the crowd. Though we have some good reviews in other sites, none of the good site (TA) picked it up yet.
     
  8. iqSoup

    iqSoup Well-Known Member

    Aug 22, 2012
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    Ya its very hard to stand out from the crowd. You need to have something very unique about your game, or appeal to a very specific niche. Good luck with your game--I'll check it out!
     

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