The amount of money I made publishing 3 mobile games
Вставка
- Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
- My Newest Game On Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/16...
Creating mobile games was my first step into my game dev journey. I learned so much about game development and it sparked a passion inside of me to pursue indie game dev. But was it ultimately worth it?
➤ PREVIOUS VIDEO - • The best skill you can...
➤ TWITTER - / thomasstewartw
I would seriously appreciate your support on Patreon! / thomasstewart - Ігри
I think it’s all about actually creating a fun and well polished game. Usually when I watch these videos, the developers publish a very basic, offline, cookie clicker type game that looks like it way made in under a week.
And I think many people are like myself who do spend money on mobile games but only on the ones that we plan on playing for a long time and let’s be honest, nobody plays a cookie clicker game for longer than a week or two so why waste money on them.
Agreed. Unfortunately, the junk food of hyper casual games are the ones that get to the top charts.
@@ThomasStewartDev I've ran into several of those junk food games through instagram advertising. Initially the game looks fun and worth trying only to find out that it's riddled with ads or full of bloated features, no pun intended, that are generally there to keep you lingering.
To your credit, yeah.
@@ThomasStewartDev The main issues boils down to 3 things 1) Traffic 2) Cost 3) Revenue. Dropping a game in the store and hoping millions of downloads is not realistic. You need a way to generate traffic. Once that is done, you need to make sure you are not losing money. Then there are other things. Your game needs to get someone to spend, 10-12 minutes plus per day. So you need a lot of levels and ads in between.
@@Oliviermamet Yeah you definitely need to generate your own traffic because the app stores are so saturated.
Within two weeks you've gotten an amazing production quality, love this channel so far! Keep at it :)
Hey thanks for the kind words!
Actually very helpful and realistic review. Most videos online show you how much they made with a single game which is not what mostly will happen. Thanks for being down to Earth and showing your viewers it’s not all magic with mobile games.
Do you have a mobile app video by any chance? It will be interesting to compare how
apps do differently to games.
I found your video interesting, but just wanted to add my two cents. While it make seem like your game may either make a ton of money or no money, that is not totally true. I have two games on the app store that make a small amount of money each year. It's not enough to live off of, but it's enough for me to keep paying the $99 a year for the Apple Developer account. You have to find a niche that is not "oversaturated" or just do something better than what is already out there. You also have to spend some time learning about App Store Optimization, so you can actually get your app seen. These things take a little time and work, so you could probably still make money with your apps, you just have to get past the mentality of "build it and they will come", like it used to be back in the day. Overall, great video though!
That’s awesome to hear! So you rely on App Store search optimization to get some traffic to your apps?
Maybe that’s something I’ll explore in the future 😊
wow I can relate to this... kind of. Half a decade ago , I had grew a youtube channel(not this one) to over 2k subscribers. It eventually got shut down on youtube because of copyright. The takeaway I got from growing my channel is that you have to be patient and find your niche in the saturated youtube market or whatever market you're in. Reading your comment made me realize that app developing can be the same thing too, kind of like my terminated youtube channel haha.
I have been thinking of starting a bit of side project game devving by meddling in mobile games... what do you think would be a good niche to focus?
Rpgs? Racers? Again i imagine niche games, so probably premium...
I really need to get into building games any help will be much appreciated
what is your game
This 8 minute video saved myself from shifting towards mobile game development for money making
thats actually really sad. look at those 3 games, isnt it obvious that they are just cheep money grabs? they look insanely boring and bad its obvious why they dont make money. u need to look at videos where developers make actual good mobile games and see how much money they make
game dev is actually really hard than plain coding, especially if you are a solo indie game dev. starting from creating your own catchy graphics art, how the game works to make it fun, then comes the coding, adding some features to the game to make it more interesting and challenging is also adding some hard to find bugs, finding those bugs could lead to abandoning the project.
What is really sad is that you spent years to master your skills and publish a quality game for $5 then people will just say it's too much for an indie game.
Have you seen the more recent videos of him? Where he earns money?
@@Arkelo_CG NO ONE cares about the effort and the work. The just wanna look at the 'amazing' results. Get used to it, and don't get upset at it.
If you want to create a mobile game to make money, then create a game that is appealing and worth playing to your target audience.
Thank you! I needed this kind of videos. I'm starting out myself and although there's a large possibility that I'll fail, I still want to do it. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
That's awesome! Best of luck to you!
If you stick around until tomorrow I'm posting a video about how I quit my job to go full-time. I'll be sharing a lot more of my experiences in the coming months
@@ThomasStewartDev will wait and watch it chief o7
Honest video. Love it! Subscribed!
Please don't take this the wrong way as I want it all to be constructive.
You are correct in saying the mobile games market is oversaturated. So is the film market. Because it has gotten too easy to make films. It has also gotten too easy to publish games. Just like you can't expect some stranger to watch your student film, the same can be said for most mobile games. So you absolutely have to stand out. Your games have no monetization in them. Paying 2 bucks to remove ads isn't really a monetization plan. Using ads in general, is just a way to plug a hole. There's nothing in your games for players to spend money on. You have a cube in one of them. Maybe add customization options to that cube. Maybe those can be unlocked via progression. Maybe you can spend a dollar instead and buy them now. Maybe you can unlock skills for that cube. Maybe after 3 hours of playing with it, you upgraded the agility stat and now its more nimble. How about an explosion effect every time it flips? That could be a purchase. You see what I mean? There's no strategy employed. And because of this, the games you published became 3 more drops of water in a giant ocean.
I have been developing a mobile game for the last 18 months, and it won't be ready for 18 more. I have spent thousands of hours on the project. I have hundreds of design documents detailing every little progression aspect and every single monetization tactic. I want players to feel like my game is giving them so much value, that they'll feel guilty not spending a few bucks. I'm pouring my soul into the quality of this project because I want it to be the best game out there. That way, I can ask for a 100k investment for marketing alone with a clear conscience, knowing I did my very best.
You cant have a great game, neglect marketing, and expect results. But you really can't have a game that doesn't stand out at all, and expect results.
In the games industry, quality+marketing still works. Almost always. There's a video on YT where a dude went thru the trouble of researching all highly reviewed (acclaimed) games on steam that didn't sell, to try to establish a reason. In the end, he concluded that if it's great quality, has an audience, and marketing wasn't neglected, it would always generate revenue.
Judging from your responses to other comments, I think you know those 3 games probably wouldn't generate much after launch. I think you realize they weren't the best you have to offer. The last game you showed at the end of the video, for instance, looks 100x more interesting than your previous games. I'd bet that last one would get you a lot more than zero dollars if you decided to launch it on mobile. Id even wager it could possibly get you a publisher.
Keep at it. It's a grind and a marathon. Focus on quality. Have a monetization strategy and progression in your mobile games. Make the best game you can make. Then spend a few bucks on marketing. I'll shave my head if you don't generate revenue.
You probably wont see this but i appreciate this comment, people like you are rare nowadays, I hope youve done well and stuck to your code
How do you not have 1k subscribers yet! I found this very helpful. THANK YOU :)
Subscribers are overrated :)
I remember that I definitely played your game with cube. It was very fun 😊
Wow a very good one, thanks for sharing your knowledge 🤑
SUBSCRIBED!
Thanks!
Like your Flannel shirt. Great content 👏👏👏
David Beckham explains how he started developing apps
Just a perfect example!
Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But we all learn!
lmaoooo i love the ending!!! it made me sub! Also I want to create a game for the second reason so my friends and family and play however I dont mind making money too but i dont do game development so I need to find a way to get it made. My dream is to see my created character in a game. The one you see in my profile pic lol
Monument valley was amazing and that you had to buy off the bat, I wonder how they got their name out there at first. Of course that was earlier in mobile games years ago.
great video! very informative
Thanks for this video bro!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
You're welcome!
to be honest, looking at the cpm of 5usd there is a good earning potential there. the thing is, i think your game lack those "polish/character", it just look like an unfinished game to be honest. maybe create a game with a certain aesthetic for example " kingdom" theme, or "candy" theme or anything that make ur game have a certain character to stand out. good luck for your next endeavor
This is good advice. Make games because you like it and enjoy the process.
Publishing a game to a platform and expecting people to see it/play it is like launching a website online and hoping for people to view it.
It doesn’t happen. 🍀
1. Quality > Quantity.
2. Test constantly.
3. Market ambitiously.
4. Adjust accordingly.
You should have a marketing strategy before you start. Are you making TikTok’s or at least something organic? B2B approach? Influencer partnerships? Even local celebrities?
Switch to PC games and you will need to deliver a much higher quality for an audience half the size…. Not only do you have less of a chance of making money but the chance of finishing a game go down too!
Just feel bad because it doesn’t seem like any of those games had a fair shot. Wish you the very best! ❤️
Can you make a game with lots of consecutive explosions, upgrades, where you must think... instead of frantically move around. Like "life" and/or tower defend. Mostly watch.. an IDLE game that almost plays itself and you must make smart choices at the right moment.
Yeah, can you meet a smart and beautiful girl who will love you for what you are and not for the money?
@@hottestmanevar I already did.
It has nothing to do with an oversaturated market though. That's like saying there's no point in training for a marathon, because you will compete against at least a 10.000 equally experienced or more experienced runners, all running the hundreds of marathons organised each year and you have a high chance of getting a bad start. Doesn't make sense to complain about that at all. And most people understand you have to 'run faster, smarter, longer' than your competition to win a marathon. In videogames it is all about finding your audience. And it is false to suggest only huge marketing budget games will see any sales. Plenty of developers spend $1K on marketing and see virtually no sales. And the solution is not spending $2K on marketing instead. (Usually the game is very overpriced or there's a free alternative that is much better.). Others have a marketing budget of $0 and somehow get one or two big UA-camrs to play their game, only to see it blow up massively. Doesn't even have to be great games (think Goat simulator, Flappy bird (yes, the latter is addictive, but not necessarily a great or even new game at that)). Ironically, the Flappy bird creator allegedly used fake reviews to boost his game, which with good timing around the holidays and being lucky enough with a big blogger picking the game up, worked very well. He basically grew a conscious and decided to pull the game. Also keep in mind most of the appeal for Flappy bird was it's 'it is so impossible, it becomes an insane challenge to play', not to mention nostalgia boners for older gamers who knew the original game from the 80s.
"You either make nothing or you make millions." Sorry, but this is simply 100% false. Most successful games really don't make millions. Plenty of developers make average to low profits and still survive fairly fine. To suggest only the lucky ones make a fortune is in fact very much silly. It's only true in few cases.
The trick is figuring out _why_ your game didn't make money. From the video I see here the games do not look bad or uninteresting to play. They do lack in originality, which might mean you are competing not just against a lot of other free to play games, but in fact other games that are the exact same experience? I think the real issue is in how ad-based games just don't make a lot of money in general. Most gamers hate it. Most ad systems are borderline scammy in when they pay out. If your game is free, I'd bet big on in-app purchases that are worthwhile for the gamer. It's not uncommon for mobile games to be a bit 'pay to win' in this sense. But you can go with purely cosmetic upgrades too. Thing is, you'd need games that people continue to play. Add new levels, new content, get people invested long-term. There's so much to making a game successful, you can't say 'I failed, because there was simply too much competition'.
Hey Tomas, i've been mobile game developer for more than a decade, I'm currently working on a big company and I wanted to start doing my own casual mobile FT2 games. I new the market for casual games is extremely over saturated but you can still make some money investing in UA campaigns, I've made a few bucks but just because I'm injecting money, I've never had a decent return of it so yes. It's true. Unless a huge star picks your game and promote it you won't succeed, and even more, a life time value of a casual game decrease notoriously in comparison to mobas or other types of genres. But everything is about retention and the features you place in order to encourage players to come back. A daily login, or free stuff at the beginning. I'd love to see if you addressed those topics.
Great video mate
Ha, the floating subscribe cracked me up on the inside😂❤🎉
Hi. Do you know how to export an android apk? i keep getting a file instead of the apk, when i run build.
Thanks for sharing your experience and i agree that many trashy games are getting on top just because of advertisement.
I'd like to suggest it might be a question of video game genre and depth, like maybe your games were too much in the style of "quick-fix" gaming, but then I remembered that there are much more robust games on the App Store that I'm simply not interested in downloading and playing. Saturation surely affects a game's ability to succeed, but also, maybe mobile gaming just isn't a compelling enough experience for most people these days, making it hard to find the right audience even if you can overcome the saturation. An iOS game that I really loved before was Monument Valley, but I've got zero interest in it today, or in any other mobile game. That could be because I've got a gaming PC today, and I didn't have that before. And gaming on a full PC is just a much more compelling experience. I'd like to believe that a phone screen is just a medium, and that medium could be a platform for developing the best gaming experience ever, just as any other medium could be... but right now, I'm really questioning if that's possible to do on a mobile device. It's an interesting challenge. As a native iOS developer, there's a part of me that wants to explore it more...
What do you think about the monetisation strategies of limited free content? Ie. The basic game is free but either only has limited levels (like a demo) or you have to play really well (3 star all levels) to unlock more, but there is a flat fee price to unlock "the full game"/ all levels.
I don't know how this would be recieved by players, but it feel nicer than the "free = ads"/"pay to remove adds" strategy.
In my opinion, the only “morally good” way to monetize your games are to either make a game with no ads or coins or in-app purchases and then make the game cost money. Or make the game free but when you open the game, you can only play a demo and you have to pay for the actual game. Make it very clear right away that the demo is only that, a demo and not an actual game, players are not meant to play the demo over and over, just once or twice to decide if they want to buy the full game or not. I believe ads are a form of mind control, and coins, and in app purchases are forms of gambling, and both of which are targeted towards children 🤮. Also you could make some completely free games that have a button that says “more games” and has links to your App Store page or website and shows your other games that cost money. Or you could add a donation button that lets players donate $1 to you if they want to
@@DARK_AMBIGUOUS I also way prefer this approach. I wouldn't go so far as to say "morally good" because to me that feels like you are judging others to be objectively wrong rather than just saying you personally don't like other approaches. I don't think everyone who makes games with ads or micro transactions is wrong to do so (some definitely are predatory and manipulative but I don't feel qualified or motivated to draw that line) some people just do it because its the standard practise of our time (🤮) or because they are worried another strategy just won't work.
Hey!
Thank you for the video.
I'll publish my first mobile game in few weeks for portfolio so your story was very interesting.
Did these two games help you to find a job as a game developer?
Yes, very much so! I posted another video that outlines all the projects I made before getting a full-time job doing game dev - but these mobile games were the first projects I completed. I think it helped a ton
Ooo looking forward to Tree Guy!
Trademark pending for that title haha
What other platforms or ideas would you recommend to make money in the tech space?
You are very intelligent and I like your games. Keep up the good work...will pay up someday by God's grace.
How much money required for publishing gameing app
I thought you were gonna hit me with a Raid Shadow Legends ad when you said you were gonna show your favorite game lmao
hahaha I gotta say you got me with that subcribe outro !hahaha nice
Haha I'm glad you liked it 😂
Gotta put a little personality into these videos, ya know?
very helpful, underrated
I appreciate that!
Hehe, funny what you did with the subscribe part
Quick question, how do you publish these games on the app stores?
Paying every year 100 dollars
This was relatable af
When the video started I thought it's a scene in unity untill he came and sit on the chair🤣🤣
What's the game you showed?
You deserve more SUBS
I agree. I deserve like 2 dozen subway sandwiches. Eat Fresh™
@@ThomasStewartDev lol
If apple takes 30% in the first year then does the IRS calculate your earnings before or after apple takes their 30%
I made my mind when you open the door! That actually worked! GZ! - Nice apps btw, will try desktop games mobile isn't my thing
Haha such a silly bit. Thanks for the sub! I always prefer PC/console dev now
Love from India bro , ❤️
6:10 what are those other platforms?
Steam primarily, and hopefully consoles
Well, at least you've published games. I've been trying to get projects done for EIGHT YEARS and never published anything. I have like 10 unfinished projects with a lot of effort put into them, every time I get to certain point I just give up because of the sheer volume of work and fear that nobody will play the game and I just end up wasting my time.
Ironically, I've ended up wasting time with 100% certainty with my own actions instead.
Idk how to create games im very sad i downlosded unity a week a go and i dont know how to even start a project for ios etc:((
You can at least complete the project for your ownself and still publish it. If someone does end up playing them then it’s good for you, even if not, at least you made something you love and should be proud of that.
tbh ad should never be annoying like poping up on the screen, and ppl would definetly not pay to get rid of those, cuz ppl wouldnt pay to get less bother, they just want to play
and bro, to be really honnest, the free to play market will never be saturated if your game has a real new value
If I do make my own game, i'll make it for PC first and if it starts getting somewhere, I'll publish to mobile.
@6:10 Developers literally make the most money on the mobile platform though... not even kidding. More than half of the $200 billion dollar games industry comes from the mobile platform. So to suggest you can't make money making mobile games is absurd. It's been the largest market since 2021 and is still growing.
And now? After 2 years, could u tell us how much u made per month of each game in average?
bro can u make a video on how u devaloped these kind of game apps
Hey that’s a great idea! I’ll add it to my list
Bro flappy bird makes tons daily in its age due to low competence and no over-saturated market today thousands of companies publish mobile games to the market and spending too much money on marketing so logicaly nobody gonna hear about your game coz its a small fish in a big ocean so hope u get me, but thats doesnt mean to stop making games instead a dev should really put some effort to level up his marketing skills and do his best to have some money resources like freelancing for example coz u need to spread the voice of your game so for u to get attention game dev is a big field trust me in this u may have a game that if marketed well will make tons of money and of course thires games that even if u do marketing not gonna generate anything due to main factors like Game Design . Ads optimization strategies. The targeted audience...etc so a successful game is a game that are well designed + well marketed + well monetization strategy...
But you did something most of devs out there struggle at and its finishing your projects and be disciplined i am very proud of you bro hope in near future you hit success keep up !!
Thanks so much! I agree 100%
Hello sir, i have one question :- how to promote Android app and increase revenue ???
Ads on multiple platforms including social media. Giant gaming companies get their downloads mostly because of that. And no; I do not mean spending 500$ on ads, I mean really spending money on ads.
Please ,what are the name of game publisher .
New subscriber buddy I'm also game developer I make 2d games
If you share your games with family and friends and they find it interesting. You can then make a lot of money.
Nice : )
When you say you reached out to publishers what did you mean? Who were these publishers? Just people running studies about how advertising works?
I scraped the data from the top charts of both iOS and Google Play stores and reached out to the publishers who had multiple games up there.
I can't legally say who they are, but I was able to run some tests where they advertised my games on a small scale to see what the analytics looked like. The numbers weren't good enough for the publishers to sign on my games. It's a tough formula to beat.
If you're considering doing mobile game development, I'd recommend selling premium games for a flat fee. Apple's store in particular has gotten a lot better at visibility for premium games in the past few years.
Yes
Where can i Download your games?
Hi Felix, they should be on the iOS app store, but I haven't checked in awhile
how tf does this guy only have 139 subs
I'm trying to stay under the radar 😂
How much to make a game like Pokémon go?
I just did a quick google search and found this:
"Pokemon GO like video game pricing:
Client application and game design - $60-100K
UI/UX - $6,5K
Back End - $80K
Server expenses - $150K
QA and testing - $50K
Game models with animation - $100K
Sounds - $15-20K
Management - $20K
So total Pokemon GO like app development cost is about $450-600K"
I'll give you a bargain and only charge $300k 👍
@@ThomasStewartDev I’ll be back. As of now I’m still studying and have the idea in my head
What is the name of the games? You should advertise here.
so 3 ad looking games but without advertising them
Where can somebody like me Who doesn’t know how to make a video game go to find mobile games for sale?
Best part door opens
Oh comman :D
Mr.stewart I really need to get into making Android games. We live off grid and I Need an passive income. Will you please take me under your wing and show me your Jedi ways??
Haha I’m flattered - but I still haven’t sold a game or made money with my own projects so I don’t think you’d want to be under my wing 😉
You should've advertised your game. I can see its potential.
Its easy to say "you should have advertised it". Marketing costs money. Most people don't have 20k to splurge on ads, especially considering you have to make that money back from sales.
@@oldmanjenkins6519 Better than wasting time and effort on a game only to end up unsuccessful because of lack of marketing. Marketing is 50% of the battle, and zero-budget marketing is better than no marketing at all.
beckham?
Hi, would you like to collaborate with us. We will publish your android games. Let's have a small discussion regarding it. Let know if you are interested.
lets be honest... your games just dont seem apealing. look at these 3 games would you play them yourself? im sorry if im rude but i need to be honest here im sorry. i will say keep up your work u got this
Yeah I agree. These were the first games I ever made, and they’re all very simple. But I wanted to share my experience so it can set people’s expectations.
Do ASO for Game. And I want to play your game.
wearing a watch at home ?!?!?!?!?
when i saw 2$ on screen I smiled because I though someone really bought for remove add . when you said its was just yourself I laughed so hard. sorry bro have a nice day😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
why don't you advertise your game
I did try it (running facebook ads), which got me some installs - but it didn't pan out for making any revenue.
I think you just needed to keep trying and market your games.
*50%* *of mobile game dev is marketing. If you don't market your game, don't expect it to earn decent cash.*
Hello sir
I want a game from fiverr creators for making money From google ads. Google play store.
Is this possible? Minimum how much investment? 10$? How much I can earn?
I would probably only recommend making a game if you think it's a fun project. In my opinion, t's not worth it if your only goal is to make money.
DAVID BECKHAM IS THAT U?
Lol get out of here
you need to make the games look good rather that just using basic textures and VFX
Oh jeez your the guy making these ai games
Nope, this video came out before most of the AI stuff was even a thing 😂
I just learned game development by starting simple
Well that was disappointing, great video tho
i subscribed for the cringy outro, thanks for the info
Haha one of the quotes I repeat to myself daily is "Don't kill that part of you that is cringe - kill the part of you that cringes".
😂
@@ThomasStewartDev 😂😂😂
There is something everyone needs to understand, that your game success depends on your game type itself, there are games that can get you money by removing ads, and others by selling packs up to $100 and this type is making a lot and a lot of money.
what a cutie
This guy likes to record himself sitting down a lot
You’d be surprised how much I love my standing desk 😅
As soon as i saw your Games i already know they flopped. They are Just Like almost every other mobile Game ...
Yeah I don't disagree - my main point is that the mobile market is filled with games that make no money and games that make millions. It's very hard to make a medium amount of money from what I've seen
Wait a sec i thought u have like 1 or 2 mil subs but 😐😐😐
Haha nahhh
Maybe one day 😂
Maybe your games looked a bit too generik?
Yeah for sure. But I’m not really impressed with any of the top mobile games either.
I think I’d rather stick to PC/console and build out games with more depth.
@@ThomasStewartDev how much can you earn through PC console?
Or maybe... just maybe... it’s because the games looks like a pile of garbage with no soul, nah?
I don’t disagree 😂
The first games I learned to make were on mobile, so they’re all pretty trash tbh
No offense, but these games look truly unappealing. Whichever way you put it, most succesfull games have some effort, mechanic, game loop or trend they can emphasize and these games really don’t have any.
Agreed 👍
These were the first games I've created, and you can tell they're beginner level.
Hells from Russian 👋
No offense but those games suck
Bro don't be mad but the mobile games are not good.
This video was very uninformative, not to be negative, but the fact this video practically wastes one's time, i would say the negative provoker here is this useless video.
Sorry you found it uninformative - I'm just attempting to tell my own experience. Let me know if there's anything you would like to see me change for future videos!
Idk man, this vid helped me be more grounded with making games without getting discouraged.
want to make a discord? i can help