Comments on: Spirits of Metropolis Sales Stats http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/ I bake games. Indie style. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:23:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Duude http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136290 Duude Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:09:08 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136290 Just as a heads up, I found this game through GGOTD, and hadn't heard of Vertigo Games prior to seeing it available through GGOTD. Having visited your website and playing some of your games I think you've done an excellent job of making really catchy and cool games, so I hope you keep it up. Spirits is acutally my favourite too, a very unique, professional and polished game. So, I wanted to let you know too that there are three things that caused a barrier to sales, from my perspective: 1. No way to demo the game before buying. You mentioned it yourself: "It’s a game that doesn’t really sell itself very well unless you play it, another one of my mistakes." Yup. Once you've played a bit you realize how unique and addictive this game is. 2. Price For a casual game, I'm looking for something in the $5-10 range, since it's going to give me a few hours of fun (or at least, if I buy it I don't feel too bad if I ultimately don't wind up enjoying it for long). I don't know how that price point fits with what you'd planned, but that's the reasoning that goes on inside my head when it comes to casual games. 3. The link to it being a "Match-3" game The genre is pretty much worn out in my mind. Yet, your game felt so unlike any of the other Match-3 games out there, it just barely qualifies as a Match-3 game. I think it was a somewhat of a mistake to get the game connected to the Match-3 genre. I would have pushed it more as a puzzle-reflex game personally. If I'd been able to download the game, play say the 1st and 2nd constellations, then told I could buy the rest (including any puzzle packs you put out, and the puzzle editor) for $4.99 or $5.99, it would have been an easy sale. Anyways, just wanted to shout out and let you know that I love your work, and wanted to share my 2 cents about what would have kept me from buying. Hope you keep it up! Just as a heads up, I found this game through GGOTD, and hadn’t heard of Vertigo Games prior to seeing it available through GGOTD. Having visited your website and playing some of your games I think you’ve done an excellent job of making really catchy and cool games, so I hope you keep it up.

Spirits is acutally my favourite too, a very unique, professional and polished game. So, I wanted to let you know too that there are three things that caused a barrier to sales, from my perspective:

1. No way to demo the game before buying. You mentioned it yourself:

“It’s a game that doesn’t really sell itself very well unless you play it, another one of my mistakes.”

Yup. Once you’ve played a bit you realize how unique and addictive this game is.

2. Price

For a casual game, I’m looking for something in the $5-10 range, since it’s going to give me a few hours of fun (or at least, if I buy it I don’t feel too bad if I ultimately don’t wind up enjoying it for long). I don’t know how that price point fits with what you’d planned, but that’s the reasoning that goes on inside my head when it comes to casual games.

3. The link to it being a “Match-3″ game

The genre is pretty much worn out in my mind. Yet, your game felt so unlike any of the other Match-3 games out there, it just barely qualifies as a Match-3 game. I think it was a somewhat of a mistake to get the game connected to the Match-3 genre. I would have pushed it more as a puzzle-reflex game personally.

If I’d been able to download the game, play say the 1st and 2nd constellations, then told I could buy the rest (including any puzzle packs you put out, and the puzzle editor) for $4.99 or $5.99, it would have been an easy sale.

Anyways, just wanted to shout out and let you know that I love your work, and wanted to share my 2 cents about what would have kept me from buying. Hope you keep it up!

]]> By: Ravenheart http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136261 Ravenheart Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:41:08 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136261 Well I just checked a few sites that i monitor, none of them have Spirits of Metropolis so I'd really love to see which sites you are talking about. Keep in mind there are tons of fake/scam sites that list non-existing items as "in their catalog" or that "have been download XXXXX amount of times". Well I just checked a few sites that i monitor, none of them have Spirits of Metropolis so I’d really love to see which sites you are talking about.

Keep in mind there are tons of fake/scam sites that list non-existing items as “in their catalog” or that “have been download XXXXX amount of times”.

]]> By: David G http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136212 David G Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:51:06 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136212 @Game Maker Blog, basically it was just an increase in the piracy sites found when searching for Spirits of Metropolis in Google...I don't have any hard numbers and probably never will, but those sites weren't prominent before GGOTD. It's not their fault; I chose to make the game without DRM, and that's just one of the consequences. Glad you guys liked the article, and a big thanks to gameproducer.net for letting me share my experiences! @Game Maker Blog, basically it was just an increase in the piracy sites found when searching for Spirits of Metropolis in Google…I don’t have any hard numbers and probably never will, but those sites weren’t prominent before GGOTD. It’s not their fault; I chose to make the game without DRM, and that’s just one of the consequences.

Glad you guys liked the article, and a big thanks to gameproducer.net for letting me share my experiences!

]]> By: Juuso http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136124 Juuso Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:41:48 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136124 Chris: thanks, fixed. Chris: thanks, fixed.

]]> By: Chris P http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136122 Chris P Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:53:12 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136122 Ouch. A rather sad and sorry tale! You've definitely got the right attitude; chalk it up to experience, let go, and move on. Hope your next game goes better. TBH I have some trepidation about the earning potential of XBox Indie Games, but please go ahead and prove me wrong. :-) Ouch. A rather sad and sorry tale! You’ve definitely got the right attitude; chalk it up to experience, let go, and move on. Hope your next game goes better. TBH I have some trepidation about the earning potential of XBox Indie Games, but please go ahead and prove me wrong. :-)

]]> By: jacksong chen http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136121 jacksong chen Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:43:39 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136121 good work have done. hope you get a great success in the future. good work have done.
hope you get a great success in the future.

]]> By: Chris http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136119 Chris Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:05:03 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136119 Links 'Vertigo Games' at the start and end of post are broken Links ‘Vertigo Games’ at the start and end of post are broken

]]> By: Game Maker Blog http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136116 Game Maker Blog Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:14:19 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136116 Always interesting to see statistics like this. You wrote that after placing the game on Giveaway of the day the piracy rate increased - how did you monitor that? Presumably just searching for the game? Always interesting to see statistics like this.

You wrote that after placing the game on Giveaway of the day the piracy rate increased – how did you monitor that? Presumably just searching for the game?

]]> By: Luiz Marques http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136115 Luiz Marques Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:04:00 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136115 Thanks for the stats, sorry it didn't go better. I do have the game from GameGiveawayoftheDay. It's quite interesting, and I thought the overall atmosphere was quite original. The gameplay is indeed a large change from regular match-3, I think it may have influenced the sales... Thanks for the stats, sorry it didn’t go better.

I do have the game from GameGiveawayoftheDay. It’s quite interesting, and I thought the overall atmosphere was quite original. The gameplay is indeed a large change from regular match-3, I think it may have influenced the sales…

]]> By: DesertDweller http://www.gameproducer.net/2009/09/06/spirits-of-metropolis-sales-stats/comment-page-1/#comment-136114 DesertDweller Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:40:25 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/?p=3509#comment-136114 Wish it could have gone better for you, Mr. Chubigans. (didn't think you'd be on this site?) Wish it could have gone better for you, Mr. Chubigans.

(didn’t think you’d be on this site?)

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