Absolutely, but I don’t I ever claimed anything exclusive either ;) But you can’t deny the fact, that the markets are burdnened hugely by the never-ending stream of clones of bejeweled, match-three etc. Even a “block-buster” brand Davinci Code was a friggin’ match-three game :P (Big Fish). With these, you’re competing in already a rather hard-core league, as the one of the best are really high quality. And I doubt a starting indie has the possibility to pull out the visibility of Reflexive, Big Fish etc.

You are absolutely right that the marketing is also the problem, but I think my point was that it comes only after doing a good game, not before.

@Markku: Well… I have totally different point-of-view regarding the problem indies are facing: I see many people having great & innovative ideas… but I don’t see many people actually selling them :) The bolded part you mentioned is true, but you must also remember that 2 out of 5 games don’t sell siply because the marketing isn’t good enough ;)

I’m going to write a very, very simple marketing plan. Not so official one. Will be released in the following weeks.

However, I personally can’t consider these things to be the really important for an indie who is starting into the business. From my point of experience most developers/starters have the trouble coming up with their product/game, not the marketing.

Marketing is lacking with most indie developers, however. People are lacking vision and not willing to do partnership deals, whereas I think the most important point in this field is concept of volume selling. I rather sell 15000 copies of my game for 50% profit with partnerships, than 7500 with 100% profit, despite the fact the money in the end would be same. Business works best when it’s “win-win-win”. I honestly think this is the only real problem, not the inability and/or lack of experience and knowledge to make official marketing field plans.

Still, there are lots of truths, but I’m just personally not agreeing the way the dots are connected with this article.

Somebody might hate me for this, but one funny thing I noticed in indie developer communities; For all the massive amount of information the net has to offer, one little truth seems to be actively ignored: On average, I dare to say the real reason why 3 out of 5 games don’t sell is simply because the game isn’t good enough. Think of it. If you think it’s the graphics, 10 “crappy looking” massive hit games can be pointed out. If you think it’s the audio, the same and et cetera.

The only real hint I’d feel to be obliged to give, is that stay true to the course you have chosen, stay content when you arrive there but don’t be distressed if the goal isn’t 100% what you expected. Most of the success in life comes from one’s ability to learn from mistakes.

Also please get realistic enough to realize, that business simply cannot be done without cash. Even $1000 put to marketing might yield huge results, but people are short-sighted and unwilling to let the 1k go. You need to give first what you wish to get; If it’s smiling people, you have to be the first to smile, right? Now there’s some non-standard marketing insight ;)

Cheers!

However I’m still waiting to see articles that explore each topic in depth. I think most independent developers hope to just throw their product out there, but have no idea what it takes to actually advertise a product once it’s actually in the market. There’s a lot that’s glossed over, but what are some of the details and costs associated to effective advertising. In general I feel this is something that every ISV (games or not) should try on their own when they start.

There are services out there that can assist in the process and distributors may even opt to take on the task, but not everyone has the luxury to afford such opportunities. Knowing your goals is one aspect that I think is very important, but also covered in depth. I personally would like to see a more in depth the actions necessary to reach those goals, how to use metrics obtained from marketing, and how to apply that to strengthen the possibilities of success.

On a side note I think product pricing is an interesting topic. Most people have no idea how to price their product. Especially when no real cost per unit can be established. Software that isn’t boxed and shelved has a fluid cost. If it cost $50,000 to develop, market (advertise, sell, and distribute), and support an independent game the cost per unit goes down as your sales goes up.

In the automotive industry Henry Ford set out to build a $500 car. This inspired him to be innovating and create a manufacturing process that could satisfy a market that was willing to pay $500 for an automobile. For me this translates to how do I make and what is a $X game. Not what is my game worth? (yes, I understand this isn’t a clear cut analogy)