The Short Way To a Perfect Game – Oleg Pridiuk, Unity
Lets go straight to the point
You just got 20 million downloads in four days, but do you know how this translates into real money? One of the key reasons of success lies in the lack of a guide. In perfect games there is no need for it, because the overall game usability strikes a nice balance for the casual player - it is not too hard nor too easy. they are easy to get into and playable on the go. Just look at the Angry Birds - most of the time it is played... on the damn toilet!
Innovative gameplay means new or improved a game genres
Good games in the mobile world are designed for short bursts of playtime with low entry barriers and a varied difficulty levels - from the novice to the pro. For a small company it is essential to innovate at least some aspects of the game genre because otherwise nobody will notice you. Only the strongest reach the game charts on both the App Store and Google Play.
Monetization is an essential part of the game, not external
Surprisingly there isn't much difference between the titles themselves when it comes to earning revenue. Sure, titles from the App Store top 10 are earning thousands of dollars per day. What is remarkable is that titles outside of it earn a little bit less, but overall it still accumulates to millions in a year. A good title takes 3-4 months and 50 000$ to make.
Lets look at an example. Here we have a small racing game, which has earned 12 million $ in the first month, making it a huge success. How did they achieve this number? They combined addictive gameplay and great player experience into one game.
The first hour of the game is free, but if you wish to keep on playing it then you need to pay. (Sounds a lot like all the other games that have in-game purchases, which I personally do not like much)
Everyone wants an eye candy, so invest in it!
Once you really invest in the art and come up with a really nice visuals then it`s quite a short way to the top, even if the game itself is not very good. Today´s youth are addicted to the visual side of games, so put a lot of emphasis on that.
Once you grab the attention of players then it´s quite easy to get your game into the featured games list. As a rule, games that are featured, make heaps money!
You need to create a setting that hooks the player in
Dreams should look good and feel fantastic! Fulfill the dreams of your players and your success is almost guaranteed.
Showing some gameplay of RavenSword.
Focus on what you`re best at and be the best in your niche!
Do not monetize heavily!
(Showing a puzzle game) So what you have here is a set of boxes which you need to open. What they did right was that they designed the game specifically for this platform.
Think about the ways users naturally operate
Put emphasis on the user experience and usability in general. You need to test out how players use their devices and design your game accordingly. You also need to think about the features and suitable advertisement methods. Benefit from 5 fingers, two hands, sensors and platform features!
Showing some Rovio games - Bad Piggies!
Put emphasis on the replay value
Players should always return to your game again and again, so do not concentrate on just getting the first purchase. Certain games have the ability to stick for a longer period of time and become classics. You will always get more value from games that people love again and again.
Q&A time!
Q: How many developers use Unity?
A: 450 000 game developers worldwide have opened the Unity editor at least a few times a month.
Q: Why has the PS Vita failed as a device?
A: Well, when you have an iPhone or an Android phone, you already have access to various different types of games and when you have one device for various things then there really is no need for a separate handheld game console.
This means that need to have a really good motivation in buying the PS hardware. Sony was able to essentially generate motivation for the hardcore audience, but they failed to deliver the whole message. Not to mention that PS Vita games only have a few hours of gameplay, making them a really bad investment for the players.
