http://www.pitofwar.com is an online browser game I created that targets a niche audience who likes strategy/simulation/text heavy style games.
EMAIL LISTS
When I first launched I had two email lists I used. The first was an email list I had laying around from an older game I had created many years prior. The second email list I stumbled upon for an old game with some similar mechanics to the game I was creating. I composed two sets of emails and sent them out to the lists. For the list of my old players I re-introduced myself and told them about the game. For the second list I started the email off with a sentence that said something along the lines of "this is a one time email, I will not email you again unsolicited. You are receiving this email because you may be interested in a game I've just created...". Those two emails got me my first 200 players.
ONLINE FORUMS
After that I found some gaming forums and asked the mods if it would be ok if I posted a message about Pit of War and they were cool about it and said go ahead. That style of marketing grew the player base again. I had a friend who was the mod for a high traffic web master forum and he made a post in their "off topic" section that helped get some more traction.
TWITTER
He also knew a handful of folks with a good number of Twitter followers and asked them if they'd make a tweet about Pit of War and they were kind of enough to do that for free to help me out.
PAID ADS
I tried Facebook ads a number of years ago and they weren't very effective, however, I'm told they are much better now. I may try them again in the near future. I then turned to cpmstar which is an ad network dedicated to games. This proved to be very good with the CPA (Cost per Action - which in my case is someone clicking on the ad and then signing up for the game) being much lower than the LTV for a player gained through this channel so I focused on that for awhile. CPA prices have gone up a lot since I started and there are many more games out there competing for the same eyeballs so this channel has started to wane but is still acceptable.
DEVIANTART & FACEBOOK
Using DeviantArt and Facebook I would upload some of the art from the game which would get shares and more eyeballs which helped increase exposure and player count.
WORD OF MOUTH
I asked my friends and family to try the game out and if they liked it to please share it with people they think might like it as well.
Hard to pick a best because each channel contributed. Having said that, the initial email lists and paid advertising via cpmstar were crucial for the success of the game I believe.
I did some of the UI art myself, but for the character art and gear I hired artists to do that. I directed them but they made the magic happen. If you're interested in making a game but don't want to do the art or can't do the art yourself, consider using a game engine like Unity where you can then use their asset store to buy the art you need. There are also open source art sites out there with free art you can use such as OpenGameArt [1] to get you started. Start with free (or cheap) art assets to test your game ideas and learn, and once you have a fun design and game you can consider hiring someone to make better looking art or something more specific to the style you had in mind.
I created an online game called Pit of War (http://www.pitofwar.com). It's a strategy/management game that puts you in charge of a stable of gladiators. You train your gladiators, outfit them in armour and weapons and give them a set of strategies to use during the fights against other players. Strategies start off simple and grow in detail and complexity as gladiators gain levels, skills and better equipment.
I cut my teeth on games like Zork when I was a kid and never looked back. Text based games have always captured my interest and I often tell my friends that there is no better graphics engine than your imagination. Many of the games I made in my spare time were text based in nature like old school professional wrestling sims, adventures games, etc and there is a surprisingly high number of people in the world who still enjoy them (young and old) as is evidenced by this article and my latest game (shameless plug in 3, 2, 1: Pit of War [1]). I don't believe I've ever spent money on a mobile game because its awesome 3D graphics, but I have spent money on a mostly text based game with an awesome story, or something like Gemini Rue with its retro style graphics and intriguing story and will happily do so again. Story is key for these types of games and I believe they leave a much longer lasting impression, at least for me anyway. My game that I mentioned above is more of a strategy pvp arena fighting game so there isn't the story element there yet (it is planned for 2015), however, I often get emails from my players telling me how much they enjoy the fact it is text based and they're happy to support continued development. Don't be afraid to try this genre out if you are small team or just one person. You won't get fawned over by the press but you'll have the ability to create a rich, fun and detailed world and with some creatively placed still images and an engaging story or game mechanics many people out there will pay you for your efforts if that is one of your goals. Be attentive to your player base, be good to them and they will reward you in spades for keeping one of their favorite genres alive that the mainstream have all but called dead and buried many times over.
What is true is if you chased the mobile game craze there was a small window where little indie games had traction. A well developed indie game (I would call it an exception at this point) can still gain traction in today's app stores but it is rare. It is true that with the increased supply of games three things have happened. First, the amount of terrible games one must slog through to find a gem has increased. Second the number of gems has also increased which in turn keeps raising the bar of what a "gem" is. Third a race to the bottom began and player's expectations changed and what they are willing to pay with it. The real culprit and difference than the days or yore or even just five years ago is exposure and marketing costs.
I run a small indie studio and our game Pit of War[1] is a very niche game (a PvP, character building, gladiatorial strategy game with text and still images. You don't get much more niche than that!) and we've found great success by managing our resources well and not chasing the latest craze be it flash, facebook, mobile, or what have you. We chose to keep the game on the web and keep full control over it instead of having to pass a judgment committee, or handing over 30% of our revenue to some platform. I found a niche that I enjoyed and had little competition and then built a game and a community around it. That last part is critical these days. I'm sure many of you have heard about "A 1000 true fans"[2], and it very much applies here. If you are using a F2P business model it is your bread and butter.
In 2010-2012 everything was awesome and then something happened in late 2012, early 2013. The user acquisition costs skyrocketed. In the last five years I've seen CPA costs increase 300%-600%. I spent time in Japan and knew some people at an ad agency there that mainly caters to mobile game companies and the CPA on those networks was averaging 700-800 yen (about $7-$8), with peak prices hitting 5,000 yen ($50) when Japanese companies paid out the yearly bonuses to their employees. Five years earlier CPAs were around $1.50 and less. The price increases on their networks have mainly been fueled by four or five companies like Supercell, GREE, DeNA etc. This is where the fairytale ended for a lot of indies and small studios hoping to make a living. It is a rare game that can pay those kinds of marketing costs and remain profitable.
My recommendation to anyone looking to get into indie game development would be to find a niche you enjoy and be the best in it. Build a community around it. Learn how to utilize an ethical F2P business model and last but certainly not least, have fun.
[1] If you are curious about what can be accomplished with a web based niche game you can check it out here: http://www.pitofwar.com
I've been programing games since I was 10 years old and games are the only reason I went into Computer Science. I started off at a smaller studio out of college and accepted a salary about 15% less than my friends who went into Aerospace and Finance. I didn't care, because games is where I wanted to be and I loved every moment. I found games interesting, intellectually challenging and ultimately very rewarding. I moved from UI to game play to AI, did some Audio programming, dabbled in graphics, helped with design, etc. There was always something new to learn and do. Fast forward and many of my non-game industry friends were bored with their jobs, not learning new skills and maintaining legacy code. Some friends left the game industry to find greener pastures and more money in other fields and eventually came back due to the lack of creativity and monotony many non-game jobs entail. This is obviously subjective and perhaps the kind of person that is not attracted to making games would find those other jobs rewarding and that is not to say that all game jobs are dynamic and wonderful.
Regarding long work hours and terrible pay, not all employers are created equal. I eventually worked for a couple of different AAA companies before going indie and I had a very good salary and benefits at both companies surrounding by extremely talented developers. I have a few friends who I would say have extraordinary salaries and perks, however, they are very good at what they do. I have worked the crazy crunch times sure, but I think that is becoming less common especially after the EA Spouse debacle and the industry matures. It does still exist at some companies, however, there are many other jobs and industries out there that are just as demanding. I eventually went the indie route mainly just to see if I had the chops to run a small company and be the captain of my own ship. It was a question I wanted to answer for my own personal growth.
Working at a game company just so you can have a "job" is probably not a good idea. Just like I wouldn't recommend starting or joining a startup unless your heart is really into it and you love what you are doing because, yeah, there are going to be some long hours sometimes and there is a good chance you could be making more money elsewhere. If you like games, want to make games and are passionate about it, there are good companies out there that will pay and treat you well. Seek them out.
I often go to install an app but then abort when it asks for what I consider to be overreaching permissions for what the app is. I'm sure the majority of the apps need the permissions for a valid reason that isn't nefarious, however, the end result should be the user's decision. This all or nothing approach is maddening and ridiculous. Simply allow the end user to selectively accept and deny permissions and require app developers to handle the cases when the permission they are asking for are denied. I would feel much better and buy/install a lot more apps.
The game has two currencies. Hard currency (Trophies) that are mainly bought with real money and soft currency (Gold) which are found in game. It is a fairly standard practice for those familiar with Free-2-Play (F2P) games. It was difficult to balance things so paying players and free players could compete on level footing but after three years I feel I've found a nice balance and if judging from player feedback the majority also feels the same.
The game's forum uses advertising but the income is negligible, maybe around $10 per month. This is likely due to the fact that it is the same eyeballs looking at the ads and it is not a high traffic forum.
I created a web game called Pit of War (http://www.pitofwar.com) about three years ago and it has been generating enough monthly income to pay all my bills and affords me the ability to travel and live anywhere I like. It isn't completely passive but that is because I choose to add new features and updates. It is a niche game but the Internet is a big place with lots of people. :) Books like The Long Tail and The Curve have taught me that you don't need to have the #1 product in an industry to make a good living.
EMAIL LISTS
When I first launched I had two email lists I used. The first was an email list I had laying around from an older game I had created many years prior. The second email list I stumbled upon for an old game with some similar mechanics to the game I was creating. I composed two sets of emails and sent them out to the lists. For the list of my old players I re-introduced myself and told them about the game. For the second list I started the email off with a sentence that said something along the lines of "this is a one time email, I will not email you again unsolicited. You are receiving this email because you may be interested in a game I've just created...". Those two emails got me my first 200 players.
ONLINE FORUMS
After that I found some gaming forums and asked the mods if it would be ok if I posted a message about Pit of War and they were cool about it and said go ahead. That style of marketing grew the player base again. I had a friend who was the mod for a high traffic web master forum and he made a post in their "off topic" section that helped get some more traction.
TWITTER
He also knew a handful of folks with a good number of Twitter followers and asked them if they'd make a tweet about Pit of War and they were kind of enough to do that for free to help me out.
PAID ADS
I tried Facebook ads a number of years ago and they weren't very effective, however, I'm told they are much better now. I may try them again in the near future. I then turned to cpmstar which is an ad network dedicated to games. This proved to be very good with the CPA (Cost per Action - which in my case is someone clicking on the ad and then signing up for the game) being much lower than the LTV for a player gained through this channel so I focused on that for awhile. CPA prices have gone up a lot since I started and there are many more games out there competing for the same eyeballs so this channel has started to wane but is still acceptable.
DEVIANTART & FACEBOOK
Using DeviantArt and Facebook I would upload some of the art from the game which would get shares and more eyeballs which helped increase exposure and player count.
WORD OF MOUTH
I asked my friends and family to try the game out and if they liked it to please share it with people they think might like it as well.
Hard to pick a best because each channel contributed. Having said that, the initial email lists and paid advertising via cpmstar were crucial for the success of the game I believe.