2 ms·

An indie developer released his numbers lately and it made the front page of HN. I don't recall the game and actually never even head of it, but I remembered be

An indie developer released his numbers lately and it made the front page of HN. I don't recall the game and actually never even head of it, but I remembered being impressed by his revenue, especially considering how simple the game was. >but it's curious to me because the games continue to be made. I think the numbers are more impressive than we assume and the work, especially for an indie-quality game, can be done with a very, very small team. Only a handful of the top played games in Steam are actually AAA games. That leaves a lot of dollars available for smaller shops. 2014's success story? Goat Simulator with 1.4m copies sold. Even at its modest $9.99 pricing, that's pretty decent money for what is essentially a joke game. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/steam-gauge-measuring-the-most-popular-steam-games-of-2014/ http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/steam-gauge-measuring-...

GFischer 12y ago
But developers that fail usually don't share revenue numbers. A coworker had a failed game launch (a Mario Cart clone for Android), he made U$ 25 off it (but he did get some consulting gigs out of it). I've also met or listened to other hopeful game studios, one with dozens of failures, that eventually pivoted into productivity software.
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  My understanding is that mobile is so over-saturated that its the equivalent of gambling. I have no proof other than my limited experience in the industry, but Steam tends to be more of a meritocracy. If you make a good game in a genre people want to play, you have a decent chance of making some good money. There are people waiting and wanting those types of games. They'll forgive the lack of 3D graphics or fancy voice overs, etc if the game itself is solid. The top sellers in 2014 were almost all non-AAA titles. With mobile, your marketing budget is more important than your game. Anyone can code a ad-driven clone of $popular_game, like your friend did. If anything, mobile is a lesson in attracting the wrong kind of developers (quick cash kiddies making clones) and a lesson in how poorly organized and run the various App stores are. Not to mention, how unsophisticated the mobile buyer is. Its grandma looking for a distraction, not the next Half-Life.

GFischer 12y ago

But developers that fail usually don't share revenue numbers. A coworker had a failed game launch (a Mario Cart clone for Android), he made U$ 25 off it (but he did get some consulting gigs out of it). I've also met or listened to other hopeful game studios, one with dozens of failures, that eventually pivoted into productivity software.

drzaiusapelord 12y ago
My understanding is that mobile is so over-saturated that its the equivalent of gambling. I have no proof other than my limited experience in the industry, but Steam tends to be more of a meritocracy. If you make a good game in a genre people want to play, you have a decent chance of making some good money. There are people waiting and wanting those types of games. They'll forgive the lack of 3D graphics or fancy voice overs, etc if the game itself is solid. The top sellers in 2014 were almost all non-AAA titles. With mobile, your marketing budget is more important than your game. Anyone can code a ad-driven clone of $popular_game, like your friend did. If anything, mobile is a lesson in attracting the wrong kind of developers (quick cash kiddies making clones) and a lesson in how poorly organized and run the various App stores are. Not to mention, how unsophisticated the mobile buyer is. Its grandma looking for a distraction, not the next Half-Life.