Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, App Store
An app with everything but sales
To be fair, it is selling. They've sold less than 100,000 units, they say, and even half of that is a nice chunk of sales. But apparently that's not a success, and they're wondering why. Piracy is their first guess -- we've heard before that piracy can be a huge issue, even on cheap apps. They say the game had an 80% piracy rate in the first week, which has since dropped down to 24%. I'm not convinced piracy can be blamed completely -- there's no guaranteeing that all pirates would have bought a real copy anyway.
But certainly there's something going on here -- you can have a terrific app that's well-reviewed and buzzworthy, and if it doesn't end up in the right place at the right time, it still won't be successful (or at least as successful as you want). Everyone is still working to unlock success in the App Store, but with over 100,000 products on the shelves, it has become increasingly more difficult for the good apps to stand apart.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
hanconscious said 9:08AM on 12-17-2009
Well, I suppose the best way to get your product noticed is advertisement. I think a lot of developers want their product to be noticed, and expect Apple and the App store to somehow highlight their product, via top downloaded, what's new, etc, etc. But like the retail marketplace the best way to get your product noticed is by advertising, or raising awareness through blogs like Tuaw. I'm sure after being highlighted here, their sales will skyrocket.
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jwo said 9:15AM on 12-17-2009
Supply and demand. There are thousands of games; many borrow or license characters that boosts awareness and demand. Many are redo's of classics. And many other games like Rolando, etc just look better — based on the screen shots above/on iTunes.
When there's that much competition for your iPhone/iTouch game attention, I found I don't need any more games unless it's either that good or sparks other memories or narratives. This game doesn't look like it'll do either.
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garp said 11:52AM on 12-17-2009
There's a big problem with having a large stock of applications and it has been mentioned before: finding an application that matters to the user has become increasingly tedious. And Apple knows it, this is way they have put Genius recommendations in the AppStore. However the Genius recommendations are pointless: frankly speaking, they are crap. And user feedback is impossible, so there is no way to train recommendations.
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RCook said 9:35AM on 12-17-2009
Ok, do you read your own articles? This smells of the 'Dashboard is best because Apple says so' news post. In the first paragraph you say:
"Oh, sure, it's been reviewed well, there's a little bit of buzz about it, and the game itself, says the firm, is good"
and then in the third paragraph:
"you can have a terrific app that's well-reviewed and buzzworthy, and if it doesn't end up in the right place at the right time, it still won't be successful"
How does one review by some random app review site equate to "well-reviewed", also "buzzworthy" -- by your own admission the app has "a little bit of buzz" and finally your taking the word of the developer themselves to validate the quality of the app -- no parent thinks their kid is ugly of course the developer is going to say the app is good.
The entire article is contradictory and I'm not sure of the point for it at all.
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LD said 9:48AM on 12-17-2009
What a terrible article.
As for the developers, as was already mentioned, they need to advertise. I've never heard of this game and still don't know what it does even after this blog-whoring post. Nor does their little whiny rant on their own blog explain what the game does.
Making a great game and putting it on the App store absolutely is no guarantee of success. You can build the best widget, but if no one knows about it then it really doesn't matter, does it?
It seems like developers need a business and marketing class or two and need to learn about educating their customers.
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Jamus said 9:52AM on 12-17-2009
Piracy? Really? Pie Rats are the cause?
That would seem to imply a HUGE number of iPhone/Touch users are filthy stinking jailbreakers right?
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rails said 10:28AM on 12-17-2009
I wonder how they came about with the piracy numbers? I know most industries tend to pull them out of the air depending on what argument they want to make
Lorinstar said 10:49AM on 12-17-2009
I resent filthy and stinking. And Jailbreaking doesn't mean piracy, there are a few extra steps involved, It's not that easy. Also I wish there was a way to delete apps I don't care to see in the App store anymore so I only see new relevant apps. And BTW If I couldn't have a jailbroken iPhone I'd get android.
cwk2 said 10:10AM on 12-17-2009
LOVE this game. It's a big hit where I work through word of mouth. Buy it!
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Bob Patin said 10:59AM on 12-17-2009
I play this game all the time; it's my current favorite. At first it's deceptively simple, but when you try to get more than 20 points, you'll quickly find yourself hitting a wall. My current high score is 49, which is well below the top score (which I think is 199).
Great game, well worth a dollar.
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pacokorn77 said 10:21AM on 12-17-2009
At first look, the screenshots made me think it was a Geometry Wars game for the iPhone, but then reality struck and I realized that will never happen.
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Phil J Leitch said 10:22AM on 12-17-2009
I'd like to know where this 80% piracy number comes from. i've seen it referenced in other articles about games/apps being pirated. Seems unlikely that for every 10 they sell that 8 more are pirated.
I know a lot of people with a Touch (we live in a non-AT&T area) and to the best of my knowledge none of them have pirated or even know how to pirate an app.
Seems like b.s. to me.
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Brandon said 10:27AM on 12-17-2009
I'm not sure what "far less than 100,000" means, but it certainly that must be more than 50,000 (otherwise they would have said less than 50k). Now, that is > 50k units in 3 months (the app was first released sept 19). That seems pretty good. The app is cool, but doesn't have too much depth, so I doubt it cost too much to make.
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Niels said 10:35AM on 12-17-2009
In the article they claim 7 months for development, so I can see why < $80,000 in revenue would be concerning.
Cy Starkman said 10:56AM on 12-17-2009
Yeah but you can spend 7 months developing and still it will have no effect on quality. Time spent never equals quality.
I'd be worried too if I actually thought the amount of time I spent on something gave a reward guarantee. How many years were spent on Spore? The result, a hacked together set of simple mini games, no real multiplayer, a range of incompatible versions and a shite load of hype and marketing. Sales? Regardless of being hyped for years and having the might of a global marketing machine it has hardly turned out to be the years biggest hit has it.
The Appstore has changed the game. Unfortunately this is one of changes. Whining 2bit developers who get airspace for their tantrums at not suddenly becoming rich.
I wouldn't buy it from those screen shots, looks like a few of the games in wii play. I've never heard of it and I won't follow the link.
Welcome to business fools. Many open, few survive, like any other organisim in a system. Maybe learn instead of complain.
drumstik76 said 10:39AM on 12-17-2009
I agree it is a great game. I bought it a few months ago and it's my go to quickie game when I'm just waiting in line or whatever.
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Bones3D said 10:48AM on 12-17-2009
Wow... yet another article about a developer struggling to determine why their app isn't selling well, while trying to avoid any explanation that might cast doubt on the developer themselves.
Perhaps the developer failed to advertise their product adequately, or advertised to the wrong target audience. Maybe the developer simply over-estimated the value of their own product and can't come to terms with what the market is telling them.
Personally, I see it as a sign of weakness to blame something as commonplace as piracy as the primary source of all your shortcomings.
Want to improve your standing in the software business? Develop a better product or marketing scheme the next time around, rather than point fingers at a problem you're inevitably going to face anyway.
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KP said 10:56AM on 12-17-2009
Well I have never heard of this game before just now, so I'd say they should look into that problem before worrying about piracy. Of course now they've landed on TUAW, and I have heard of it, so I guess they're improving already.
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Mystic said 11:03AM on 12-17-2009
I think these apps, especially games, really need to be seen in motion. A lot of times the screenshots don't do the game justice. If the consumer isn't wowed by the screens, then they pass.
If they promote videos of their games, and maybe even one day able to post videos on the app store, I think they will do better.
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Jordan said 11:43AM on 12-17-2009
It's because 70% of apps on the app store are paid apps, but only 30% of app downloads are for paid apps.
In short, it's because most people don't want to pay for apps. It's because most people will only download the free ones (myself included). It's because most developers don't make shit off the app store.
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