Making Money with Mobile Games: Tips and Tricks

 

The mobile gaming industry is an extremely fast-growing industry.

In 2020 the mobile gaming market is estimated to be worth $69 billion. The gaming phenomenon is on the rise throughout the world. 

Today, mobile games account for 33% of all app downloads. 

It's predicted that more than 2.4 billion people will play mobile games worldwide in 2020.

With the easy access to the app stores and availability of game development software, today, anybody with the right ability can develop a mobile game and make it accessible to a global audience.

Several solo developers have already taken advantage of this opportunity.

They have created highly popular mobile games to earn thousands of dollars in revenue.

If mobile games fascinate you, you love playing them and have some fantastic game creation ideas. 

Then you can be assured that mobile game development is an incredible money-making opportunity for you.

Who is this ideal for:

Ideal for passionate mobile game lovers who are creative enough to come up with their own game ideas and are willing to put effort into the game creation process.

What skills will you need:

First, you'll need to learn to use game development software and build games using it.

We are mentioning the top three game development softwares below. 

You can select any one that suits your needs and start creating mobile games.

• Gamemaker
• Buildbox
• Gamesalad

The second skill you'll require here is to understand the dynamics of the game creation process.

And the third skill is app marketing. 

You'll require this skill after your game is launched, as you'll have to promote it using app marketing techniques such as app store optimization, paid ads, social media marketing, etc.

How much money will you need to invest:

To begin with your game creation process, the first and foremost thing you'll need to invest in is the game development softwares.

From the game development softwares we've mentioned above, Gamemaker and Buildbox offer a free trial. 

You can sign up for their trail to get the hang of the process.

Otherwise, all the three we've mentioned have monthly subscription plans ranging from $17 to $99.

You can choose any suitable subscription and get started.

You'll also require investment for producing game creatives, app store fees, game promotion, and some other miscellaneous stuff.

How much time is required to get started:

The time required will vary on multiple factors, such as coming up with the game concept, learning software, producing creatives, the game's complexity, and so on.

We've seen that most game developers create their games from concept to release within 1 to 4 months depending on the game and its complexity.

You should also note that your game creation time will reduce as you get experienced using the software and overall game creation process.

Some helpful tips:

1) Build a game on a concept that's working

This is the most important tip to remember, at least while you're beginning as you're going to be a solo developer with limited resources.

Building a game on a currently working concept ensures that you have a good chance of succeeding early.

In your first game creation journey, think practically, make rational decisions, and choose an already working concept to minimize the risk of failure, not just what you feel like doing.

To find the currently trending and working gaming concepts, sign up on App Annie, an app analytics tool, and study the game ranks on the app store.

Observe what kind of games are going up or down and detect the trend.

Make a list of a few trending game concepts that you can build using the game development software.

Finalize any particular concept that suits you and start planning to build your first game on it.

2) Research already working games related to your concept 

Once you've finalized your gaming concept, the next step is to find all the games related to your gaming concept and study everything related to them.

Look for the following things while conducting the study.

• Observe for their app store page
• Titles, large description, short description
• Keywords they have included in the descriptions
• App Store icons
• Screenshots
• The number of downloads
• The design of the gameplay
• Game characters
• Engagement tactics
• Players' ratings and their suggestions in the reviews
• Monetization techniques

Use the data you've gathered from the study to build your app in a better way. 

3) Create an addictive game story

Stories work great for engaging players in the game development scene. 

Great stories attract, gives them a goal to accomplish in the game, and brings life to the game's characters.

For instance, the hugely popular game Clash of Clans has an engaging storyline. 

The game starts with the player being the village's chief, players to build their own village using the resources gained from attacking other players through the game's fighting features. 

The primary resources are gold, elixir, and dark elixir. 

Players can conjoin to create clans, groups of up to fifty people who can then participate in Clan Wars together, donate and receive troops, and chat.

The point here is, think of a good storyline for your game beforehand and develop your game accordingly.

4) Integrate social media into the game

Social media is a great way to get the word of mouth publicity for your game.

Gamers love to share their victories, rewards, and performance score with their friends and other players.

Integrating social media sharing within the game gives players an easy way to share their achievements while giving organic exposure to your game to a broader audience.

5) Release frequent updates  

Creating a game and keeping it alive is a never-ending process.

Regular updates are also necessary to deliver a smooth, crash-free gaming experience to the users.

You must also regularly add new features, additional characters, levels to receive more retention.

User retention is exceptionally essential for the game's organic rankings on the store as well as for revenue generation.

The more the users spend their time playing your game, the more chances you have of making money.

How to make money:

Game developers use various app monetization options in a very creative way.

You can choose any monetization option based on your research or based on something suitable for your gaming concept.

We are mentioning the three most popular options below, have a look into them.

1) Display ads

Displaying ads is the most simple monetization technique. There are multiple mobile ad networks available for games. 

You can sign up on a few of them, integrate their ads into your game, and see which one generates the most revenue for you.

Here's the list of top mobile ads networks.

• Admob
• Chartboost
• Unity Ads
• AppLovin
• Fyber

2) In-app purchases

With in-app purchases, you can get as creative as you can with your monetization technique.

In-purchases is a method where you can sell stuff within your game. 

Most developers use this method to sell add-ons, new characters, character costumes, game skins, etc. that help improvise players' gaming experience.

For example, Subway Surfers offers Keys as in-app purchases. Players can buy Keys and use them to restart the game from the point where they get caught before the game stops.

3) Build and sell games

Many people have gaming ideas and app marketing expertise but don't want to go through the hassle of the game creation process.

Such people always buy games from developers or hire one to create a game for them.

When you achieve expertise in building games using the game development softwares, you can build the games and sell them on Flippa or offer your game creation services as a freelancer to make money.