Game Design Secrets

Summary

Here are the key points we covered in this chapter:

• The current market for iOS gaming is about 110 million, with roughly half owning an iPhone and half an iPad.
• Most iOS game developers earn less than $10,000 in lifetime sales/in-app payments from their games; about 15 percent will earn a lifetime revenue between $100,000 to $10 million. This means that about 20 percent of iOS game developers earn 97 percent of the total revenue.
• Independent game developers dominate the iOS market (68 percent in 2012) and continue expanding their share.
• In-app payment from free games is the best and most reliable way to monetize iOS games. Genres that generate the best in-app payment revenue tend to be hard-core games, such as MMOs and RPGs.
• Because of the platform’s heavy competition, advertising is becoming more and more necessary. Cost-per-install is now about $1.50 per download and is growing.
• When deciding whether you want a publisher to distribute your game, carefully consider how important creative control and ownership of intellectual property are to you. Always bring a lawyer to work out the final terms of the publishing agreement.
• Publishers offer various levels of revenue sharing for developers, which can range from 10 to 80 percent, depending on support, promotion, and other factors.