General $$ question.
by Nathan Huffman · in Torque Game Builder · 04/06/2007 (2:42 am) · 8 replies
Could someone tell me a realistic figure one could expect should a game created in Torque 2D become decently+ popular; let's use Gish as an example.
I'm not looking to tread on anyone's personal information. I'm just curious if anyone wants to share an educated guess on what a good indie game can pull in.
I'm not looking to tread on anyone's personal information. I'm just curious if anyone wants to share an educated guess on what a good indie game can pull in.
#2
My upfront costs were nothing; other than nearly a year out of my life (and continuous development once the game was released)! If you have to pay anyone to do anything, then you are flirting with disaster.
My best advice is to slog through the hard work of creating as unique a game as you can imagine; expecting minimal rewards. And then, use the skills you acquired in developing your first game to help you to create your second game more quickly than the first. [I think that total development time on my second game will be around 3/4 of the time it took to get the first one out the door.]
Using Gish! as an example doesn't really work well; since that game is so unique, so innovative, that it created a buzz that generated large sales. Lightening simply doesn't strike that often. If you approach the concept of indie game development with a good work ethic and modest expectations; then you can anticipate success.
It is important to remember that people only tend to send you negative comments. If they're satisfied, then they usually say nothing. Also, no matter how well you thought you had done; people will hate your game, and they will be vocal about it. [I have an entire MahJong club in France who are bitterly oppose to my game, due to a disagreement on the implementation of certain obscure rules. There was one lady who emailed me at 8am (her time) every day for months; to express her displeasure!] Don't go into indie game programming for either the glory or the money!
Finally, avoid the yet-another-clone-of-Tetris syndrome. Even if you think that you've come up with some kind of unique hook that differentiates your game from all the others of that type; entering a crowded field can break your heart. [On the flip side, developing a unique game can be extremely frustrating; since everyone will pin all their hopes and dreams on you - and you can never, ever, satisfy everyone!]
Is indie game development worth it? You betcha!
04/06/2007 (8:59 am)
If 1 out of 100 downloads are converted to a sale; then you are doing really, really well. My first TGB game, MahJong Tradition, is currently converting 1 out of ~83; which has to be counted as a raging success. [The situation is helped by the fact that I chose to develop a game that has no real competition on the Mac platform! The situation is hurt by not many people being interested in my game; since you really have to like traditional MahJong to even download the thing!]My upfront costs were nothing; other than nearly a year out of my life (and continuous development once the game was released)! If you have to pay anyone to do anything, then you are flirting with disaster.
My best advice is to slog through the hard work of creating as unique a game as you can imagine; expecting minimal rewards. And then, use the skills you acquired in developing your first game to help you to create your second game more quickly than the first. [I think that total development time on my second game will be around 3/4 of the time it took to get the first one out the door.]
Using Gish! as an example doesn't really work well; since that game is so unique, so innovative, that it created a buzz that generated large sales. Lightening simply doesn't strike that often. If you approach the concept of indie game development with a good work ethic and modest expectations; then you can anticipate success.
It is important to remember that people only tend to send you negative comments. If they're satisfied, then they usually say nothing. Also, no matter how well you thought you had done; people will hate your game, and they will be vocal about it. [I have an entire MahJong club in France who are bitterly oppose to my game, due to a disagreement on the implementation of certain obscure rules. There was one lady who emailed me at 8am (her time) every day for months; to express her displeasure!] Don't go into indie game programming for either the glory or the money!
Finally, avoid the yet-another-clone-of-Tetris syndrome. Even if you think that you've come up with some kind of unique hook that differentiates your game from all the others of that type; entering a crowded field can break your heart. [On the flip side, developing a unique game can be extremely frustrating; since everyone will pin all their hopes and dreams on you - and you can never, ever, satisfy everyone!]
Is indie game development worth it? You betcha!
#3
04/06/2007 (8:24 pm)
Gish also wasn't made in TGB, but Jay Barnson has written rather extensively on the topic. Search through his posts.
#4
Yea, I in it for the fun. Hope something else comes of it, but the fun is the important thing.
Good luck with your other games!
Jd
07/26/2007 (6:45 am)
Don, I think I am going to print out what you wrote and post it on my wall.Yea, I in it for the fun. Hope something else comes of it, but the fun is the important thing.
Good luck with your other games!
Jd
#5
www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/09/sales-stats-gish-121000-sales/
07/31/2007 (3:49 am)
Here are the sales stats for Gish. $121k for 3-4 years is not that much. I would have thought that number would have been higherwww.gameproducer.net/2007/05/09/sales-stats-gish-121000-sales/
#6
07/31/2007 (5:20 am)
With the recent release on steam, perhaps they will :) 
#7
08/01/2007 (10:03 am)
It's all relative to how much you spend on it. Keep in mind if you can get a good workflow of pushing good/innovative games out at a consistent rate even if they only make 30-60k that still could be adequate.
#8
08/15/2007 (7:00 am)
It comes down to aiming for zero overhead. I'm a programmer so if I program in my spare time, my work is essentially free. What would I be doing instead? Playing games? Watching TV? The hard part is controlling a budget on things I can't do for free: art, audio, testing, marketing. If I make $10k in a year I'd be thrilled.
Torque Owner Very Interactive Person
Anyway, here are some sales stats: www.gameproducer.net/category/sales-statistics/
If a game does really good, the 60 000$ mark seems possible. But most indie 2D games are in the 0-5000$ range.