Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#11

Post by waru » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 5:00 AM UTC

bandhakavi wrote: post #10

is there a way you can enter the users iphone from outside the App Store? If such a hack exists you can price your game say only 50 cents (for some limited levels) so that Apple gets to keep only 15 and open up the remaining levels or in game merchandise by charging the remaining 50 cents after the game has been downloaded. So in effect you can keep 85 cents of the dollar instead of 70 through a bullet subscription..…

Well, games can't be priced less than 50 cents. What you're suggesting seems to be strictly prohibited by Apple, so that developers can't get around it. They always get 30%, it seems.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#12

Post by chalst » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 8:18 AM UTC

The model you need to work is different from the freemium model, which says you earn money by getting people engaged enough to pay for upgrades. Here you want to make the game cool enough so that players want accessories to advertise their association with it. It sounds like more of an all-or-nothing proposition to me.

I don't think, pace patio11, that the game needs to be blockbusters to generate decent revenue, but you do need your players to feel that they belong to a community of gamers. I have the impression that merchandising generates decent revenues for some B-list webcomics: you might contact some of these to learn about their experiences. Who knows, maybe you can have your game characters appear as guests in their webcomics and vice versa?

I think being a startup has advantages here, since startups are cooler than corporations.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#13

Post by rmc » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 10:52 AM UTC

waru wrote: post #7

hboon wrote: post #5

What's the marketing plan?

Still working on that, but making a really fun game seems more important than anything else, since popular iPhone games spread quickly by word of mouth and social networks.

making a really fun game seems more important than anything else

Really? That's a very rosy-eyed view of the gaming world. "If you build it, they will come"?

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#14

Post by waru » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 2:23 PM UTC

chalst wrote: post #12

The model you need to work is different from the freemium model, which says you earn money by getting people engaged enough to pay for upgrades. Here you want to make the game cool enough so that players want accessories to advertise their association with it. It sounds like more of an all-or-nothing proposition to me. I don't think, pace patio11 , that the game needs to be blockbusters to generate decent revenue, bu…

Contacting webcomics was a good idea; thanks. I have already been thinking about cross-promotion through webcomics, too.

It is kind of an all-or-nothing proposition. We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters.

And I agree that being a "cool start-up" has some advantage over corporations, too.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#15

Post by waru » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 2:25 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #13

waru wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still working on that, but making a really fun game seems more important than anything else, since popular iPhone games spread quickly by word of mouth and social networks.

making a really fun game seems more important than anything else Really? That's a very rosy-eyed view of the gaming world. "If you build it, they will come"?

Do you know any small indie games that succeeded because of an amazing marketing strategy and NOT because of word-of-mouth/social media and the fact that their game is really, really fun?

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#16

Post by rmc » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:12 PM UTC

waru wrote: post #14

chalst wrote: post #12

The model you need to work is different from the freemium model, which says you earn money by getting people engaged enough to pay for upgrades. Here you want to make the game cool enough so that players want accessories to advertise their association with it. It sounds like more of an all-or-nothing proposition to me. I don't think, pace patio11 , that the game needs to be blockbusters to generate decent revenue, bu…

Contacting webcomics was a good idea; thanks. I have already been thinking about cross-promotion through webcomics, too. It is kind of an all-or-nothing proposition. We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters. And I agree that being a "cool start-up" has some advantage over corporations, too.

We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters.

Sounds like you're banking on winning the lottery. If you want to be a world famous creator of this, then that's what you should aim for. However if you want to run a business, and allow yourself to work full time on this, then you don't need to be a rock star. You can, in fact, support your business fulltime without having to 'strike gold'.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#17

Post by waru » Fri, Oct 21, 2011, 4:37 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #16

waru wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Contacting webcomics was a good idea; thanks. I have already been thinking about cross-promotion through webcomics, too. It is kind of an all-or-nothing proposition. We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters. And I agree that being a "cool start-up" has some advantage over corporations, too.

We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters. Sounds like you're banking on winning the lottery. If you want to be a world famous creator of this, then that's what you should aim for. However if you want to run a business, and allow yourself to work full time on this, then you don't need to be a rock star. You can, in fact, support your business fulltime without having to 'strike gold'…

Well, I didn't necessarily mean being a rock star or the next Angry Birds, but there is a general sweet spot of "cool, desirable product" that I want to hit.

You mean that with a good marketing strategy and a self-sustaining business model, we don't need to have "the next big thing" in order to support ourselves and do this full-time, right?

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#18

Post by rmc » Sat, Oct 22, 2011, 4:16 PM UTC

waru wrote: post #17

rmc wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We just have to hit that sweet spot of a really cool product/game/characters. Sounds like you're banking on winning the lottery. If you want to be a world famous creator of this, then that's what you should aim for. However if you want to run a business, and allow yourself to work full time on this, then you don't need to be a rock star. You can, in fact, support your business fulltime without having to 'strike gold'…

Well, I didn't necessarily mean being a rock star or the next Angry Birds, but there is a general sweet spot of "cool, desirable product" that I want to hit. You mean that with a good marketing strategy and a self-sustaining business model, we don't need to have "the next big thing" in order to support ourselves and do this full-time, right?

If you charge more than $1 you don't need to be the next big thing, since you need less customers.

I am a little confused by your question about marketing. Do you think marketing and a business model are optional? You aren't going to have a mega hit or a small successful business without marketing.

That doesn't mean you must act out scenes from Mad Men or do boring PowerPoint presentations, you can be unconventional, like notch's "oops my server is broke, everyone gets a free copy", or talking about your business model on HN.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#19

Post by rmc » Sat, Oct 22, 2011, 4:30 PM UTC

waru wrote: post #15

rmc wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

making a really fun game seems more important than anything else Really? That's a very rosy-eyed view of the gaming world. "If you build it, they will come"?

Do you know any small indie games that succeeded because of an amazing marketing strategy and NOT because of word-of-mouth/social media and the fact that their game is really, really fun?

Social media is a marketing strategy. For popular start up game, I'd offer Nashville.

Re: Ask HN: My Revenue Model- How does it sound?

#20

Post by rmc » Sat, Oct 22, 2011, 9:43 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #19

waru wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know any small indie games that succeeded because of an amazing marketing strategy and NOT because of word-of-mouth/social media and the fact that their game is really, really fun?

Social media is a marketing strategy. For popular start up game, I'd offer Nashville.

The should obviously be "Farmville". Damn you autocorrect.