... you had the knowledge and experience you have today? A lot of us had big dreams of making a very decent living from developing for this platform. For most of us it hasn't been as smooth of a ride as we were hoping for. Instant worldwide exposure and that slight chance of publishing the right idea at the right moment sure make the process addictive. The simplicity of access to such a huge market without shipping or having a physical product, is the real attraction. It has attracted a lot attention and competition. So two questions if you could go back in time...... Would you publish your app(s) again? If you would do it again, what would you do differently?
I wouldn't I would like to either help develop games for ps3 or nintendo.Ps3 exclusives like FF series and nintendo such as Square Enix/Golden sun games.
I would certainly do it again. My first app went live on the app store 7 months ago and in that 7 months I have learned a lot and made a decent amount of money. The one thing I would have done differently is try to build a brand name. When I started I just used my own name as the publisher name, so now I'm kinda of stuck trying to build a brand since my apps are all displayed on the app store with my own name.
lukeca, your apps are so far apart from each other that branding or being under one banner probably wouldn't help you that much. Each of your apps would have a totally different customer base making the branding very difficult. But you probably have more apps brewing.
I would do it again - but I would invest less money and concentrate more on casual and easy-do-develop games or apps. It is hard to bring in the costs of a multi $$$$ game.
Financially the experience has been like inserting a black hole in my wallet. I never expected to make a lot of money although a lot of hope was part of the equation. I guess my experience dabbling with other creative endeavors in my life has thought me the following seemingly brutal reality: "No one cares about your stuff." This might sound harsh, but really isn't. We live in a society where we're constantly bombarded with films, games, video-clips, comics, novels, music, and other bits of entertainment. Most of us only take time to check out an almost infinitely small part of the total output. It takes something really special (and/or loads of money) just to get the peoples attention. I still love iPhone developing though. So, at the moment it like a really expensive hobby, but despite pushing forty I still find it kinda' magical whenever I see my App up and running on the device.
I love it. For hobbyists such as myself who just want to earn some money on the side, it's a dream come true. Despite all the issues with the App Store, it's still one of the easiest ways to sell software (games, mainly) than anywhere else. I'd be lucky to get a handful of sales if I made games and sold them from my personal site. On App Store, with 0 advertising, I can make thousands of dollars. That's not bad. If nothing else, I see all of this as resume building material. Mobile is hot these days, and even if your apps aren't, it just might help you get a job.
Absolutely. This was our foot in the door in terms of becoming a development house and a brand. We're not able to quit our day jobs yet but we're slowly working out way there. We'll have some new apps out soon and keep on moving from there!
We would absolutely do it again. If I could send a message back in time it would be "Hurry up" (assuming messages through time are charged by the letter, and not cheap). An obvious third question: Knowing everything you know about the market, would you start developing your iPhone apps again today?
I would definitely do it again. They say timing is everything. When I started in 2008 there were no online leaderboard services. Not wanting to roll my own I just included a local high scores feature. Now after 6+ million downloads of reMovem it's daunting think about switching out to support OpenFeint, AGON, Scoreloop, etc. Last year when I evaluated them all, OpenFeint was not a good fit and AGON looked like a winner. Things are very different a year later. I'd concentrate more on the casual games, especially after seeing so many of my friends' great apps wither on the vine.
Without a doubt, I would do it again. I have learned so much since my first App went live almost a year ago! Sure, my games don't have the best ratings. Sure, I haven't made $100,000. Whether I carry on what I have learned under App Tech Studios and continue the company for years to come or get a job at a larger company, it is irrelevant. What I have experienced and learned in the past year is priceless.
I'm just starting out developing my first game, and I'm pretty optimistic about it. But I'm also realistic. I don't expect to get rich off it. I'm doing it because I want to do it, and because I think I have a few ideas that could bring something a little new and different. (Yeah, everyone says that about their stuff even these days, but having followed the market since its inception by blogging about it while I had a site actively running, I've been following it a little closer than the average Joe, so I've a good idea what's out there and what's not.) Mostly though I'm doing it for me, and I think that's the only realistic way for an indie to approach it. If you're heading into it thinking you'll be able to dip your ladle into the pot of gold, you'll probably be disappointed. I mostly expect to make a respectable suppliment to my normal income and maybe, once I have enough product out there, make enough to do it full time. But I'm taking it slow and cautiously and just developing games I like and hopefully others will too. That's as much a reward to me as any money I might make off it.
Agreed. As developers, we all have to realize that the App Store is still very immature, and there's a tremendous amount of growth potential. Those that enjoy developing on the platform and are in it for the long haul will benefit from their perseverance. Those that are out to make a quick buck, may get lucky, but won't be able to maintain the revenue and will eventually get frustrated and move onto the "Next Big Thing" (TM).
DigiTap, Are you certain the app store is still very immature with lots of growth potential? Besides the iPad, I am more inclined to say that we hit a brick wall ( 4 brick walls aligned to create a square box) With the competition on everyone's heels and the uncertainty of how your app investment will fair, I see the process more negative than positive. Without Apples push towards new products and features and the awesome creativity of developers the store at the present moment has expanded beyond its limits.
