Releasing Games on Mobile in 2023 as an Indie Developer

The Challenge

With nearly 500,000 video games apps on the Google Play store it is becoming harder and harder for developers to stand out, worse still the plethora of low-quality titles on mobile platforms has resulted in them having a negative image overall.

"Free to play" has become the expectation and led to developers utilising aggressive advertising policies, or using monetisation methods that bear many of the hallmarks typically associated with gambling or the dreaded "pay-to-win".

Worse still lower quality titles are flooding advertisement markets so it has become difficult to advertise products on social-media with paid ads.

But is there a third-way?

Of Course!

For a start, hardware isn't an issue. The Nintendo Switch Lite has a fraction of the specification of many mobile phones on the market - yet games on the platform have achieved great success.

But, more importantly, some games have broken through using a methodology that many developers seem to have forgotten about: demos. Worldbox: God Simulator by Maxim Karpenko provided a base game as a demo and gives players the option to simply buy the rest of the game's features.

This method, that is so simple that it boggles my mind that so few developers use it, allowed the game to build the player's confidence before their purchase and because the game is so enjoyable this was successful.

So how do we market your product? Well, you're going to have to do some hard work, networking, and outreach. In many ways the marketing of a mobile game is harder than the actual development of the title - and the marketing must be considered during a title's development.

Does your game have its own style? What are its unique selling points? Why should someone begin playing your game? In this sense marketing mobile games are no different than marketing on any other platform - and it's worth thinking about every step in your journey.

If you have a stand at a convention or exhibition are people going to stop at a stand with a handwritten sign? (Yes, I have seen indie developers do this.) Or are they going to stop and look at the stand that has been made to look like a scene in the game, for example. Bossa Studios did exactly that at EGX Rezzed in 2015 when they showcased I am Bread in a traditional English dining room:

At the end of the day whilst audience expectations have developed an association that a game on a mobile phone should be free there really isn't a reason why other more traditional release strategies can't work as long as the game has an effective marketing strategy.

For independent developers this can be more of a challenge with a small budget but if Cards Against Humanity can have a successful booth at PAX East literally made out of cardboard they found in the dumpster (see below) or sell literal bovine excrement then you can find a way to think outside the box and market your game too!

The first thing I recommend is to have an early development build of your game ready for a convention and have an eye catching booth. Make sure you do those long hours at the convention networking events, talk to other developers, and make sure you have a notepad and pen for any feedback that people that try your game have for you.

This isn't too expensive either - indeed some of the bigger shows out there do allow free exhibition space for indie developers.

The earlier in your development process that you can do this the better - in business it's called a minimum viable product and can be incredibly valuable in determining whether your final game will be successful or not. It can help you identify the parts of the game players enjoy the most, or it can help you learn early on if your game isn't going to work out.

As I say, the marketing process MUST be a part of your development process and cannot be considered as a separate concept. Indeed, if your game is going to be a good one and your early stage marketing is doing its job right then you could find an early revenue stream through merchandise.

Overall, whilst the mobile platform is an intimidating place for developing games there is certainly space for better developed and higher quality independent titles. You should seriously consider bringing on someone with marketing experience - or hiring an agency - early on in your development process as this can greatly help you with your process but if you do this ensure that you are engaged in the marketing process and not just using it as an excuse to "leave the marketing to someone else".