"How To Make Money From iPhone Games"

How To Make Money From iPhone Games.

Last year, carried a small game developer Pangea Software Mac called one of his titles for the Apple iPhone. expect to Brian Greenstone of Pangea is not much of the iPhone version of its arcade game Enigmo, he expects the company to sell 10000-20000 units, during his life. He sold the property to a single day, from July 2008 to January 2009 he sold a total of 810 000 copies, took over with a profit of $ 1,500,000, even after their Apple cut of 30 percent.

The numbers help explain how the explosion of the game for the iPhone news / entertainment here at SXSW 2009 applications, location-aware fun of Facebook Connect feature between iPhone applications on the social network. But there are also challenges. At a SXSW panel Greenstone Saturday were discussed and three other developers to the iPhone success, here are my five favorites to win.

Think portable game console is the mobile platform

Moderator Raven Zachary follow the rules of the game: In the market there are now 17.4 million iPhones and about 9 million iPods (also bring the iPhone OS.) There are 27 000 applications for the iPhone that have been downloaded half a billion times , 1 in 3 games and entertainment applications. Although not the hottest phone on the market, is by far the most net-centric, which represent nearly 70 percent of all use of mobile Web-based.

For these reasons and others, the discussion participants consistently described the iPhone not as a mobile platform for a game console. Ngmoco Morgan said Stephanie is actually larger than the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP, because the iPhone has a better network connectivity and, in contrast to a competitor the touch of a finger has, and the accelerometer function of location awareness, which will be integrated into the game can and as it is, you know, a mobile phone, the owners tend to have on your person, not a handheld.

to keep low budgets by sharing the risk (and prosperity)

Despite the blockbuster success as Enigmo Pangea or ngmoco Rolando, go most games lost in the confusion of many iPhone applications. Therefore, Greenstone reservations about the cost of development to term. "We will not spend much money because we do not know if we are again." To maintain the low budget, do not pay artists and other developers to help porting games to the iPhone Pangea, but also gives them a share in the profits when the game is sold.

Web 2.0 Marketing is the key

The difficulty of distinguishing the game in a swamp of 27,000 applications have been a recurrent theme. The participants recommended that the awareness of YouTube, social networks and other Web 2.0 channels. The great goal, adopted unanimously, will always back his play to Apple, 100 applications. Once there, supporting himself gaining momentum.

Play with the price level

But like iPhone games should cost? At first he tried to sell the securities Pangea for $ 10 each, but were found in a price war against the proposals of 99 cents. Currently, the price of their games £ 07.03 U.S. dollars U.S., but believes that the average price tends to show up, by $ 10 Green Stone. Morgan said ngmoco experimenting with low entry, a discussion participant Danielle Cassley Aurora Feint (responsible for a fascinating self-titled MMO iPhone) proposed lowering the price of one game in the top 100 and then begins to get the increase prices. (Rumors that Apple will soon launch a "Premium App 'shop, especially for iPhone games could also help to increase the level of acceptable price.)

Do not worry about piracy (again)

With the success of software piracy is a member of the audience asked if there was a problem with the iPhone games. Greenstone of Pangea said unauthorized downloads of games was first advanced, but now makes about 5 percent of the total population. Stephanie Morgan agreed ngmoco, describes a negligible concern ".

At the hearing, Q & A, someone who identifies himself as an employee, said that Nokia interest in acquiring the rights to the games of the panelists had iPhones sold and its own mobile platform, but the Finnish company dominates the market for mobile phones, The developers have not expressed great interest in the offer. The exchange was a lesson to me that Apple's competitors would do well to learn from it. If you have any hope of competing, we not only with the iPhone itself, but the commitment of the community development of applications, which have grown around him.