So ive nearly finished writing an android game...

superflyninja wrote: »

Hi all,
I've nearly finished writing my first android game (im in the middle of drawing the art assets). Its a simple kids tile matching game. I was wondering if you would be more inclined to buy it for 99cent or have it ad-supported? Or even give it for free to build userbase. Anyone release their own apps already? Any hints/tips?

I'd go for advertising rather than charging for it as there are far too many free apps out there in the same class and conversion rates on Android are low to begin with.

You can also release it for free without adds if you wish, but if you do I'd suggest you might include the additional permissions that advertising API's demand as otherwise people won't upgrade if you add them later and they have to specifically allow new permissions.

As for promotion, there are various approaches, including buying advertising, submitting your app for review and so on. Do a search for blogs and sites on app promotion for more comprehensive tips.

Jennyrose wrote: »

Unfortunately Android users seem to think that for the price of a packet of crisps, you should be getting a top of the range game that takes 1,000s of development hours.

That is because they can.

Because the big guns have the economies of scale to do this, the sole developer doesn't really stand a chance.

This is simply not true. I have a cousin who developed a nifty are relatively simple app for Android that relies on advertising alone. His income is between €3,000 and €4,000 p.m. nett from this.

Also because of google's "licencing" approach, your code is easily nicked unless you can afford to chase Aisian coders legally.

There are plenty of ways to avoid this.

I develop for both android and apple, and I find apple far more rewarding financially

I would agree that iOS is still where the money is, or at least easier to make. However, much of this is down to the fact that you cannot really replicate the iOS ROI model in the Android ecosystem; you have to adapt or even reinvent it.

Jennyrose wrote: »

Im intrigued, what is the name of this app?

I'd rather not say, given that I've discussed financials in relation to it. It's a video downloader (for downloading flash or other videos) - so it's actually not a terribly complex app (could be easily written in a weekend) and neither is it the most popular in the market. However, it is quite popular and he put in place a fairly good advertising display strategy.

It can be done, as long as you don't try to copy the iOS ROI model to do so.

superflyninja wrote: »

with it being a kids game i wasnt sure whether ads were the right way to go...but what im hearing is yes!

Actually, one very unethical ROI model is to use in-app payments in children's games, allowing them to purchase virtual items or add on's. This is because they will often play these games on one of their parent's devices, where the credit card is already registered, and will not think twice about making purchases. You'll find dozens of online threads on this subject with parents bitterly complaining about how their kids have run up bills in such games.

Of course, this is a very unethical way to make money from an app and so I am not condoning it at all...

superflyninja wrote: »

Lol that is grim!! I being a father myself I wouldn't do that, no way.....

True, but it does illustrate that you increasingly need to 'think out of the box' to make money in the app market. The days of popping a generic app on an appstore, sticking a price tag on it and watching the money roll in are pretty much over. Nowadays, unless you're very lucky, you either have to differentiate yourself significantly and/or leverage new revenue streams.