hi there,
i finished the first half of my 2D Game.
Right now, the Game will be for Webplayer only, perhaps a dlc version as standalone.
But i’m really interested in bringing my Game to iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
But i’m not a pro in this business - or better said - i’m a noob 
So…
let’s say i want some cents (€) to buy the game for mobile - what will be my earn for about 100 copies? Is the mobile market a good way to sell a 2D sidescroller (like castlevania)?
Well at 0.99cents iirc it should be around -$30 for IOS due to there 30% cut and the $100 fee. On Android you would make $40 though so that’s good. But seriously there is a very low chance of selling any copies without it being a polished game and getting it out in the publics eye.
No market is good. Gotta forget that nowadays. It WAS good.
Marketing will make your market good. You’re making your market. Assuming the game is fun and so forth.
Well if you want to sell 100 units then it would depend on how much you are selling it for but if its 99 cents then you are making only $70.
In some ppls situation, the profit is negative…
its costs more to make the game than they ever make.
Are you kidding? In just about 99% of the publishers loose money and that’s when the market was good.
What?
Do it right and you can make money, although if you are a programmer may I suggest application programming as a better source of good income :).
You need to make a marketable game, don’t aim for making a unique record shattering game just make something you know a large amount of people want to play and make it look amazing.
My original comment before I decided to make it sound less shit than it is pretty much said the same thing.
^ This.
I recently updated my Marriage app from [free with an IAP] to [up-front charge]. The downloads went from 500/day to … like 4/day. And this is on a well established product, with 200+ 5-star reviews and popular keywords. People expect free. Your mileage may vary, though I wouldn’t bank on it.
Gigi
One common model is to offer the software for free but charge a small amount for in-app items. This seems to be most effective in multiplayer games where there’s competition (if the in-game items give you a small edge or more prestige, etc); or in “virtual pet” apps in which certain people will spend a lot of money providing the virtual pet with stuff.
I think the key to success is to make a game that has genuine character - something unique enough so that it stands out. It doesn’t have to be technically flashy or superior, but it does need to have a unique “feel” or something unusual to do. As a case in point: there’s a fairly new Unity-based game by a tiny indie company (two people) called “Sir, You Are Being Hunted” which is already making a big splash (despite still being in alpha, I think) among the Youtube gamer group, even the “big name” Youtubers who have large numbers of subscribers; and the game is making those waves despite having routine, middle-of-the-road graphics and a simple structure. The thing that makes it appealing - and possibly will give it a cult-hit status - is the game’s interesting and mildly humorous environment: it’s a very British “tweed” scifi thing (think “Doctor Who”) in which you’re being hunted by robots sporting top hats, curly 19th-century moustaches, tobacco pipes (these robots smoke, apparently), and shotguns. To survive, you need to either evade or shoot the 'bots while scavenging for food items such as tea (of course), haggis, marmalade, chocolate biscuits (i.e. cookies), canned pies (steak-and-kidney, possibly?), and other staples of any proper Englishman’s diet (especially tea).
Now, if this had just been yet another FPS, it would fall flat on its nose. But it has a unique flavor all its own, and quirky British humor.
Here’s a gameplay video by “Sidestrafe”, who has a fairly large following on Youtube:
Here’s one in which Sir Sidestrafe finally manages to shoot a robot:
