Viable business model?

Business and Project Management Discussions
#1

This isn’t an actual business proposal, but a question about the viability of a model.

I’m kind of discouraged by much of what has been said about problems with Applets and with piracy in the Android world.

Does the following business model sound plausible?

Game is free. I’m making a puzzle game, and there would be a limited number of puzzles/levels that come with the game.

Since it is free, it can run on the web or via android and no worries about piracy.

However, to get additional puzzles, one subscribes to a service, and that costs something like a $1 or $2 a year. My idea is to produce and send out a daily puzzle, kind of like the way every day is a new Sudoku or new NYTime crossword.

Thoughts on how to implement this?

#2

Well, it’d have to be a pretty complicated (read: takes a long time to solve) puzzle, or one a day is simply not enough. Aim for the time it takes for an average person to solve a sudoku.

#3

I don’t think the implementation is a problem.
Maybe you worded it wrong about “sending out” a daily puzzle, but what you really need to do is to have a server listening to client requests for their daily puzzle, then the client would download it from your server.

About the business model, I personally don’t like the “subscription” model, I think people get discouraged to buy something that will expire. I would go for a less-cheap lifetime subscription. (See Nyhm’s Island Forge: He tried this subscription model but people asked so much about a lifetime subscription that he gave also this option).

#4

Sounds like Flow Free. They offer tons of levels on free version and MORE tons if you paid. I haven’t finished all free levels yet though.

#5

Don’t let anyone discourage you though!! I say go for it.

But also, don’t completley avoid the others as well. You should still try and experiment with different things. I say android marketplace is definitely a great place to start. Applets I know are very difficult to be able to monetize.

Also, all non traditional business models are going to have resistance from different people and sources. A lot of people hate the whole microtransaction, yet it is becoming ever more popular.

Also, what works or doens’t work for 1 game genre, might work or not work for you. The people here might not neccesarily be into the daily puzzle approach. However plenty of people buy newspapers still for crossword puzzles and such. I say go for it, learn and gain some experience.

The whole marketplace and business models for mobile apps are still very up in the air right now, there is no definitive ‘this is the way you are supposed to do it’ Especially when you throw into the mix the different type of apps, content, and genres

If it doesn’t work out, just keep at it. The biggest thing is to just keep trying things. Eventually you can find something that works and is profitable, if you simply keep at it and be Active!

#6

Hi

Ok, I see what you mean.

There are other solutions to deploy a Java game, you can use Java Web Start, JavaFX native packaging, Netbeans depoyment, IzPack, GetDown, native installers with embedded VMs, etc… Yes there are tons of problems with applets.

There is some piracy in other “worlds” too and don’t overestimate its impact. There are still some people willing to pay a reasonable price for games. However, about half of Android users in my country have 0 paid application on their smartphones and tablets.

I agree with teletubo, people will ask for lifetime subscriptions.

I know I’m not the best person to speak about business. In my humble opinion, lots of game developers have to think about that because there is no existing sustainable and fair economic model that provides a solution. People should just vote for a game/movie/whatever and the authors should be paid according to these votes (I already talked about that in my blog), there wouldn’t be any need of pirating but authors should still take care of protecting their paternity rights.

Do you plan to use Flattr? If your game is really nice, maybe some people will give you some money.

#7

Thanks for the encouragement! Lots of nice input all around.

[quote]Maybe you worded it wrong about “sending out” a daily puzzle, but what you really need to do is to have a server listening to client requests for their daily puzzle, then the client would download it from your server.
[/quote]
Yes. I’m not at all sure about how to implement this. I guess there needs to be a client-server setup. The client goes to get its daily puzzle. The server checks if the user is paid up. That sort of thing. I’m taking a course in JSP, working with Tomcat. That will presumably help make this clearer.

#8

So this is basically the DEMO and FULL approach, paired with subscription.

DEMO and FULL are really easy to see and develop, ehm scale-wise.
My point is, with a subscription YOU HAVE TO DELIVER.

Now, a 1 year subscription, a puzzle a day means: You have to, even by law since this is what you advertise, release one puzzle per day.
You have to release one every day, cases of server outage, sickness, car accident, brain tumor, wife left me and I’m on the bridge would be no excuse to the customer of course. They could potentially sue, knowing americans, they might.

Subscription based service of this kind that come to mind are MMOs of course (but this isnt similar), Call of Duty … eeeeh ELITE ? - some monthly pay crap to get more maps, weapons, whatever, Playstation PLUS actually since they have some free games every month

It seems like a lot more work and danger doing it like this than DEMO and FULL - however then you’d have to create like 200 puzzles for the FULL right off the bat of course.

#9

While in development you could create as many puzzles as you can, and think of a way to automatically give out the puzzle.

You could also put it in the terms and conditions that in some cases a puzzle may not be released, but 2 would be available the next day?

To me making as many puzzles as you can sounds the best idea, and when you have free time and bored, create even more, this will allow you to have a large supply of puzzles that can be given out over the year.

#10

Errrrr automatic server? :persecutioncomplex:

#11

The puzzles I have in mind are not so hard to make and test. Many can be made in a short period of time, and preloaded with their dates into the server.

Yes, with this sort of thing, it seems to me the client should be able to go back over the period that they subscribed to. If I start Jan 1 for one year, on Dec 31, I should be able to view all 365, and on the next day, I still own those 365.

A nice feature of Sudoku is that the levels vary over the course of the week: easy on Monday, really tough on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is a sort of bonus puzzle of some sort. My puzzle game lends itself to this cycling, actually. And I’ve automated much of the creation and testing already.

All considerations with this sort of model!

Indeed it would be bone-headed to make something where the design of new puzzles is obligated and ongoing and hard to do, when the payoff may be pennies if you don’t have many subscribers and the subscription rate is low.

One thing that appeals to me, though, is that if this business model IS made to work, it could have a longer lifespan than other puzzle games.

Well the proof is in the doing. Have to get back to programming already.