So many good mobile games start as an idea or concept that’s very strong but doesn’t have any obvious way to make money. Once the new game burns through all of the seed capital, it usually gets removed from the app store. That’s a shame because any number of delisted apps included games that people actually wanted to play. Without any income, however, these games simply shrivel up and vanish.
If you’ve been thinking about releasing your game on the app store, then make sure to look over these three business components that will help keep your company afloat. By building positive cash flow from the beginning, you can be certain that your app has a future. That will keep your loyal fanbase from ever having to deal with the sudden stress of learning that their favorite mobile game is going away.
1. Ad Mediation
One of the best ways to bring money into your app is through mobile ad mediation. This model consists of an external management solution that enables outside publishers to join together and create multiple ad networks. These are all delivered through one single software development kit, which greatly streamlines the process. Companies from many different market segments can find your app in this way and then post ads on it. Since this kind of advertising scales with the number of total players you have, it should continue to grow as your app does. Conventional ad networks eventually bottom out if you have too many or too few players. This paradigm is so flexible that it could work for nearly any size.
2. Securing Funding
Startup companies often look for grants and investment money that they’ll be able to use until they get up and on their feet. To some extent, this is the wrong thing to do since you really need to be sure that you’re not going to be running your company at a loss for very long. Try to get funding from several different areas. Be careful if you’re letting others have shares of ownership in your mobile game since it’s possible to eventually dilute your own decision-making power.
3. Finding a Business Model
By experimenting with ad mediation and related technologies, you’re working to find an online business model that works for you. Depending on how many players you have, you’ll eventually want to try selling upgrades and customization features. Microtransactions have historically worked better than trying to get people to pay for your app upfront. Though you might be able to charge an entry fee if you have a particularly good game, there’s a good chance that you’ll ultimately make more consistent income through a freemium model.
Don’t forget to work on a sequel as soon as your game becomes successful. Players who are interested in an app will likely end up just as enthusiastic about other related games that feature the same kind of content. When you first are starting out, it can seem daunting to create a mobile game, but there are many tools, resources, and services out there that can help you create a successful mobile game.