The Art of the App Store: The Business of Apple Development

CONFRONTING THE “HERO INVENTOR” SYNDROME

Before the team at Villain launched their first game, “Archetype,” they got a lot of smaller projects off the ground, each with grand dreams of breaking the Top 100. The design framework was worked out, schedules were made, milestones created, and the first of the contractors were contacted, all in an effort to follow the latest trends — or at least some killer ideas.

In a common work week, the team would be gung-ho for one project, only to have an idea pop into one of their heads by the weekend that they wanted/needed to pursue — always ASAP — and, thus, the next week would see the previous week's work postponed. Needless to say, planning new projects in this way broke older schedules that hadn't even been given the chance to be assigned yet.

Inevitably, the question would occur at some point in the week, “You know that game/app named blah-bleh-bloop? Well, what if we took x, did y to it, then blended in z…” and dollar signs appeared yet again in the eyes of the team. The gist is that planning an app is easier said than done. Schedules, ideas, and even grand designs do not an app make.

Everyone wants to have that one design or idea that he or she turns into the next “Angry Birds,” but we can't pursue them all. That's the pitfall — the need to constantly create and ideate, but never actually take action.

Benefitting by Doing It Yourself

When you finally decide to take the plunge, it is advisable to start by making a list of what assets you ...