When should i consider upgrading to PRO?

ferzheng

Hello everyone, i am new to gamesalad, i have been concentrating on developing 3 games. Now i have finished the 3 of them and i am not sure about upgrading to PRO and publish them with ads (IOS, Android) and then keep developing, or wait till i finish more games and publish them all at once.
I would like to ask for your suggestions, as all of you have more experience than me, would it be better for me to take the risk by upgrading to PRO now and publishing the 3 games now, expecting them to generate a little revenue or would it be better to upload a bigger quantity of games afterwards so as to expect them to "generate more revenue"?
Thank you!

Thunder_Child

going pro would allow you to start seeing how much revenue you may generate from your three games...compare fill rates...eCPM and such. If you are good with your ad placements you may get quite a few impressions...get a good idea of how long the ads are being displayed and how to implement them better in future games. Like "most" of us...you may not get your money back unless your game is downloaded many times. Wish you the best of luck.

As_Of_Latte

I'd say if you already have 3 games finished, try upgrading to PRO and publish those bad boys!

It would be easier to keep track of a 3 game launch and manage their updates/revenue flow, than say launching 10 games and trying to keep up with all of them...

Quality over quantity!

But make sure you've tested your 3 games first. Upgrading to PRO is only $300, but remember to publish an iOS game to Apple, you need to also pay a $99 Apple Developer fee.

ferzheng

@Thunder_Child Thank you very much for your reply! May i ask you if the ads frequency (interstitials) are set up in gamesalad with rules or in the ads webpage (chartboost)? Moreover, is it true the fact that marketing is key to getting downloads?

@AsOfLatte Latte Thank you very much for your reply! I am now more determined to upgrade to Pro after your recommendation! I would like to know if it is possible to test my games before going Pro, as i have tried but xCode needed me to be signed with the IOS developer program first.

As_Of_Latte

@ferzheng You're welcome! Glad I could help

I believe to test a game on a device, you do need to upgrade to PRO and also have your Apple Developers license (that's where the $99 comes in). Which explains why xCode is asking you to sign up for the developer program, because you haven't purchased your license yet...

Also, to answer your question for @Thunder_Child, once you have purchased PRO you can "enable" ads within Gamesalad with rules. ChartBoost I've heard helps you create ad campaigns and track revenue. Which is why marketing and promotion are extremely important.

Someone could have the worst product in the world but if they market it right and get enough people to see it, it's bound to gain some traction and generate some sort revenue .

CodeWizard

As an employee I'd say: If you enjoy using the software and can afford it then please upgrade to Pro. It's good for everyone!

ferzheng

@CodeWizard said:
As an employee I'd say: If you enjoy using the software and can afford it then please upgrade to Pro. It's good for everyone!

Thank you very much for your reply CodeWizard! Of course it is good for everyone! The thing that worries me is whether 3 games are enough to recover the costs of upgrading to Pro, considering i market and promote them very well and get downloads.
May i ask if most of Pro users have been able to make their costs back within the year after upgrading? Thank you!

Thunder_Child

@ferzheng ...I personally have only ever used iAds...one of my game...after launch received about 150 downloads....after I had tested and researched how IAds worked...I placed my ads where I would get the most value from Apple and for the first few months after...I had nearly a 100% fill rate...let's use an example 100 ads were shown and those 100 ads were visible (requests)...for the full 45secs (impressions) required by apple to receive full ad revenue. And for a while I had a (eCPM) of around $15....if only I had 100K downloads !!!

I use the example of "Flappy Bird"...you play and in 20 secs you die...game over plus ad...you play again and again...ad ad ad ad ad ad ...but they may have only been shown for a few seconds and did not receive a 100% fill rate...the guy just had 400K playing for 2 hours a day....making him a mega millionaire.

Less downloads with ads being shown for a longer period of time can do about the same. This IS why the clone wars began.

So at least for iAds...do everything you can to get them shown for a full 45 secs at a time to receive MAX revenue from Apple for the ad being shown. I have tested this extensively.

I will also add that having a "lite" version with ads...with an IAP to remove them...as well as a paid version of your app is a good idea as well.

Personally I have made more money...although not a lot...with a paid version. They pay once...no ads...no IAP...they buy it's theirs does provide more revenue.

I am NOT a big fan of ads...so I do NOT "spam" a player with ads I place them very non intrusively. Nothing makes me un-install a game faster than pop up ads, especially in game pop ups ! Intersential ads are less damaging....unless your game is stellar and people are willing to buy to remove ads....watch how you place them.

As far as "marketing" goes....if your already rich your certainly can market a game to receive tons of downloads...just watch TV for an hour and you know what I'm talking about

For us low cost "indies"....this can be tough. Twitter, Facebook, websites, blogs, YouTube video of gameplay...tag your game properly in iTunes..."Anounce your game" here in the forums...enter the Arcade competitions...possibly use app review sites.

There is also iAd Producer...you could even make your own ad....

ALSO! Yes I just keep going here on this subject...be sure to make a "more games" page/link in your games to YOUR iTunes game page...self advertise. Provide a "use internal browser" link to feedback site so players...should they choose to do so...could help you ad new features...fix issues you missed...ask people to rate your app...AND...this has been an iffy subject...and currently allowed with Apple...reward them for rating...BUT DONT ASK THEM TO RATE 5 STARS! Just ask to rate.

Tell your friends...beta test the holy crap out of your app to see it works properly on ALL devices you plan on publishing too.

I think I have covered just about everything !!

Peace!!!

ferzheng

@Thunder_Child
Yes! You have covered almost everything i needed to know! I am so glad to see how helpful the GameSalad forum is, so are all of you guys!

I loved your example with Flappy Bird. I did not know that Apple still paid you even if the ad has not been shown the entire time (45 seconds).
And as regards your eCPM of $15, wow! That means $0.015 per impression (45 seconds)? Does Apple still pay that much nowadays?

You said "Less downloads with ads being shown for a longer period of time can do about the same. This IS why the clone wars began."
But if they cloned Flappy Bird, their ads would have also been shown for very little time, as that type of games made you Game Over very fast. Thus, making the ad not get 100% fill rate.

All my 3 games have been developed with Universal Build, so shall i still worry about them not working on certain devices?

Everything else, i cannot agree more! I will apply those marketing & promotion strategies and i hope i to see some results in the coming months! And if miracles exist, weeks (?

Thank you for all your time!

Thunder_Child

@ferzheng lets again use an example of iAds fill rate...

1 iAd requested and shown for 45s....100% fill rate.....1 iAd requested and shown for 3s....1-2% fill rate and your eCPM FOR A 3s ad...would be paying much less than a 45s ad.

Now mix a bunch of 3s and 45s ads shown and your fill rate will not be 100% but not 2% either...this will make Apple evaluate your eCPM and determine what they will pay for you to show their ads. Get a near 100% fill rate and Apple says..."pay THAT guy the max because he is making them players watch those ads ! Give him an extra cookie.

Again Flappy ads were not worth much seen for 2-3s...but again he had a gazillion people playing each day. Dolla-bills ya'll !

As far as my $15 eCPM...it was pretty high....I think somewhere in the forums I posted that pic of it. They are much lower now because I don't have people playing so often.

Also if you have an iPhone...download iTunes connect from the App Store. Great monitoring tool without having to be viewing it via mobile web browser or desktop/laptop.

Edit...I found that pic.

ferzheng

@Thunder_Child
Perfect! I have no more doubts about ads you have been so clear on your replies.

There is a thing that makes me a little upset, I have been searching and it seems that Apple does not let you use a non-person name unless you are a company, which means my name would be displayed on the AppStore.
I want to ask you, it does affect the downloads the fact that the game is published under an indie name right?
I mean, all the featured games and top charts games are from companies (i dont know if Ketchapp also is), and the only one who could make it to the top was the guy of Flappy Bird, or am i wrong?
This made me feel that i wont be able to get much downloads with a personal name displayed.

Again, thank you for your support!

Thunder_Child

@ferzheng that has been a good debate.

Yes major companies use a logo and name for the company...I believe the Flappy guy did use his name but his Logo at least...maybe company was under the title "GEARS"

I'm pretty sure to publish under a title like "King"...you have to have a business and register...trademarking is another thing.

I make games under a title in my Splash Screen as Shookie Studios but I sign my app of copywrite as my year made and Name...

2015 David Ballew

@BigDave is indie I believe and he is doing pretty good for himself.

I don't believe being an "indie" hurts to much...you make a badazz app/game and the money is going to come...keep in mind. "Word of mouth" IS THE BEST advertising there is...and the cheapest !

Btw creating a business is not hugely expressive...I have done it. Paying for advertising costs the most...then employees...then taxes...profit is hard to come by. Do a good job and word of mouth brings customers.

ferzheng

@Thunder_Child
Omg, i have to admit that your phrase
"you make a badazz app/game and the money is going to come...keep in mind. Word of mouth IS THE BEST advertising there is...and the cheapest !" made me feel a lot better and is very inspiring. Absolutely, the worth of mouth marketing to be the best one was repeated from a lot of forums and blogs, so it is as powerful as it seems!
May i PM you in the future in case i need some little help (i wont be very annoying)?

I thank all of you for all your help, i will upgrade to Pro and start publishing and marketing and promoting these 3 games of mine! I hope to see some results after the course of months, and i also hope that my name being displayed on the AppStore does not affect at all!

Thunder_Child

@ferzheng ...You can PM me anytime you like. I will help however I can...keep in mind I may have good input under this topic...others I may fail EPICALLY ! Lol. I am NOT an advanced GS user when it comes to making games...I would keep most of that in the forums as you will get more answers from actual veterans...

Thunder_Child

Oh and keep us informed when you publish so we can watch you sky rocket to fame!

ferzheng

@Thunder_Child said:
Oh and keep us informed when you publish so we can watch you sky rocket to fame!

Of course i will!
Also, may i play some of your games?

Thunder_Child

@ferzheng said:
may I play some of your games?

Does a bag of flour make a big biscuit?

Off course. Google search David Ballew AppStore. Top link. Not sure if posting link is allowed here as not all my apps listed were made with GS so that's why I suggest search.

jamie_c

Personally I have made more money...although not a lot...with a paid version. They pay once...no ads...no IAP...they buy it's theirs does provide more revenue.

@Thunder_Child, that has been my experience as well.