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How much would you pay for games from independent devs for the iPhone?

darkpaw

darkpaw

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 13, 2007
799
1,602
London, England
I've started writing a strategy puzzle game based on a game I wrote for the Amiga 10 years ago (yeah, I know...), and I was wondering how much you guys would pay for a game that involves wiping out the other player (or the iPhone/iPod if playing a 1-player game)?

The game logic is almost entirely done; I just need to add some sounds and pretty up the interface by putting in options for New Game, colours etc.

So, how much? $1.99? $4.99? $9.99?

I'm an independent developer and don't have the resources of major companies, but I am a tenacious S.O.B., and the game is nearly finished :)

Also, given that Apple claim there'll be 10 million iPhones in existence within a year or something, plus all the iPod touches, how many sales do you think such a game would get?
 
there are a lot of factors that would go into the price i'd pay for a game, one of them being quality. however, no matter how good the game may be i'm not going to pay more than $5 for another tetris or bejeweled. i'll pay for originality but not another rehash. and if (big if) the game is good enough, i don't see why i wouldn't pay a price comparable to a ds/psp game.
 
Unless it was a really, really, REALLY kick ass game, i wouldn't pay anything for it.


Why?


Because other people can probably make the same thing, and even better, and charge nothing for it.

When the AppStore comes out, some apps have to be above and beyond for me to pay for them.
 
i agree for the most part these are amateur developers and wouldn't earn my money unless the app is amazing or very useful
 
It's not kick-ass, but it is something you've never played before.

If the iPhone Simulator could do OpenGL ES*, I'd have written a completely different game to start off, but this one will do for a start.

*Well, if Apple would expand the firmware beta to countries other than the US, some of us in the UK might have a chance at compiling for the actual device...
 
Depends on the quality of the game.

I'd say that the only way to figure out pricing is to wait and see what the big boys are charging and then charge a price that can compete with them.

It doesn't really matter what we say we'd pay- if we say we'd pay $4.99, you price it at that, and then it turns out that EA and the others are charging $1.99 for a similar type/quality of game, who's game do you think we'd probably end up buying? (or bitching about?)

Since you claim to not have funds for market research, develop your game and let the big boys use their $$$ to do the market research. Add your game to the App Store after they've priced their games and have begun selling them.

Just my 2¢.

/Is anyone else loving the fantastic new trend of the "How much would you pay for...." threads? I know I am.:D
 
I think it would depend on the amount of game play it provided before getting old. I'm certainly willing to pay for games I enjoy.
 
As an indie dev myself - Hi!
It would depend entirely on the quality of the game. For highscore games I'd only pay for extremely addictive games, for reward/adventure games I'd likely pay more. Say £2.50 for highscore, £5 max for adventure.

Out of interest what Amiga game did you make? I had quite a few Amiga games and an extensive PD game collection so I might have played it!

Btw I won't be splitting apart indie and commercial games on the iPhone. The max I'll pay covers both of them since indie devs seem to be much more creative and daring than big studios, though sometimes at the cost of quality.
 
If it was something like the MonkeyBall demo they showed March 6, I'd pay $10. Otherwise, it had better be a lot less.
 
From the description I think you could probably get away with $2.99.

I suspect that price point would give you the most total revenue.

It really will depend on the competition though. I don't think you want to under price yourself, and if you have it ready for launch people will buy it just out of curiosity.

So I would say an initial launch price of $2.99 would be good.

If it turns out the marketplace for comparable games is $.99 then you could drop your price later on.
 
After thinking about how small emulated games from old systems are (and the totally legit files on Nintendo Wii), there could be a HUGE market if the game companies could figure out a way to incorporate controls into these old games. Fools like me are paying $5-10 for old Nintendo games on the Wii. I guarantee you someone is working on a device that would pop into the dock adapter and work like a game controller.
 
IF i wanted it, i would pay whatever the price up to $10. I have no problems buying game of the Playstation Network, and those run about the same.

There are a few factors though that will com into play when gaging exactly how high up to that ten bucks i will pay....

1) Do i want it. theres got to be at least one good reason for me to want it

2) How long and how much is there to the game

3) is the game half assed? im not gonna pay all this money for a buggy game.
 
All the games shouldn't be more than 5,99$. Games on an iphone/ipod touch can't be better than games on a PS2.
 
lofight said:
All the games shouldn't be more than 5,99$. Games on an iphone/ipod touch can't be better than games on a PS2.
Click to expand...

Which is silly because Links Awakening, Tetris, Super Metroid, Mario Bros 3 are all better than many, maaaany PS2 games.

Personally I think iPhone games need to be cheap. At the right price they could really make a big impact. With DS and PSP games at £25-30 it'll be refreshing to get a good quality handheld game for £5-10. Plus you'll sort of be forced into the cheaper corner (all devs) by digital distribution.
 
raggedjimmi said:
Which is silly because Links Awakening, Tetris, Super Metroid, Mario Bros 3 are all better than many, maaaany PS2 games.

Personally I think iPhone games need to be cheap. At the right price they could really make a big impact. With DS and PSP games at £25-30 it'll be refreshing to get a good quality handheld game for £5-10. Plus you'll sort of be forced into the cheaper corner (all devs) by digital distribution.
Click to expand...

well, i'm not sure about you, but I need to see/feel the iphone/ipod touch with a game that uses the accelerometer, too see if it really works very good...
 
People may moan about Apple approving games and apps before placing them on the App Store, but I think it's a good thing, as it'll ensure that buggy and resource-hogging software should be a rarity.
It might not prevent bug-free, but average apps getting through though. :D
 
How much do games cost for the DS ?

I'm not saying that the iPhone is even close to a DS but I would have to say a DS quality iPhone game should be charging much more then the free / $5.00 some people are saying.
 
Tough question

I think a high quality game can fetch a decent price, like $9.99. Bejewled level game play. Something on a DS or PSP level can fetch $19.99
 
I agree with iphonewiz. I'd pay up to $19.99, but I'd need to know that the game was good. I'm not sure how I'd know that without playing it.
I've bought a yahoo game or two, but they let me play it in minimal mode to know that I wanted it. With all the web app games I've gone through, I don't know that I'd risk spending with the number that didn't hold my interest.
Good luck.
 
iphonewiz said:
I think a high quality game can fetch a decent price, like $9.99. Bejewled level game play. Something on a DS or PSP level can fetch $19.99
Click to expand...

Yes but them games come on cartridges or UMDs, complete with packaging, storage, shipping etc.

UT3 is a brand new game. It's still £35-40 in shops. A few days ago I bought Unreal, Unreal 2, Unreal Tournament 99, 2004 and 3 for £30 via a digital distributor. That's £5 a game and something that smaller studios have to fight against. Hell I've put 18 months full work into a game I'm working on but theres no way I'll be able to change more than £10 without causing a fuss.
 
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