Defining the success of Ayakos Mission game - a solo developed project

 

In 2023, it has been pretty hard to stand out of the crowd when it comes to releasing games on Steam. Ayako's Mission is an experimental shoot'em up project which I released on Steam at $0.99. There has been almost 50% down in sales even at 40% discount compared to the last year August $0.99 game launch. It was a bit shock for me realizing how things have changed for indies within just a year. It may be possible that the recent changes(increment) in regional prices might be the cause for less sales. It is unfair to compare apple with orange because two of the titles are of different genres. It was a horror title which according to Chris Zukowski, is doing well on Steam while this one is a Shoot'em up game which usually falls under "low selling titles" bracket in most of the cases.

First lesson for me here is to not make a game on impulse. I know how much you want to create platformers or shoot'em ups but they don't work. 

 

As per his advice, I have to get at least 10 reviews to start receiving traffic. I do have a horror game which have managed to get 19 user reviews and gets more traffic and sales during discounting sessions. So, I know it works when you have more reviews on games. It is extremely hard to accomplish at higher price point with $0 marketing budget.  

So, for Ayako's Mission, I have managed to sell around 70-ish copies during the launch month and got 1 user review. It really does not matter if I get positive or negative reviews. I just have to get 10 reviews for the titles.

I. What I have done so far?

1. Nothing special. I've set $0.99 price tag because I am pretty good at selling more copies at this price point. It works even if you have a half-decent game.

2. I've set 40% launch discount because in the past having 20% discount reduces sales numbers. Here, I want to get as many sales as possible which increases the chance of getting more user reviews.

II. Next steps:

I am not sure! I have no marketing budget but I know how to sell games if you know what I mean. Weird, isn't it?

GOALS: Here are my goals. I will update the data from time to time. I will strike through them as soon as I reach my goals. Success is different for different people but for me my goal is realistic and it is quite achievable at this price point. Developers might say that you need to price higher. Trust me, it will only work if you have higher marketing budget and skills.

a) Making A Living: The goal is to make a living creating video games. It is very much possible because I am from a country(IN) with a low cost of living. I basically need $200 a month to survive. It does not have to be from one game but from multiple titles.

b) Marketing: No, I am not going to invest in marketing. I might do some free marketing here and there. I want to see how many copies it sells with $0 marketing budget.

Milestones: 

Review milestone:

- Got First review!

- Got 5 reviews!

- Got 10 reviews!

- Got 20 reviews!

Anything above that is anomaly.

 

 

 

Net Revenue milestone:

- Made $50 in sales

- Made $300 in sales

- Made $500 in sales

- Made $1000 in sales

- Made $1600 in sales.

Anything above that is anomaly.

Also, I will get back Steam direct fee which I paid after my game makes $1000 in net revenue. That should be my target for now.

I share a few sales data from time to time and share if I have reached my goals. I will do this for $0.99 games only because it is hard to reach with higher price points unless it's a 3D game or something. 

 

My Indie Game Launched on Steam Today - Vlog - Warships On The Halloween Night - Game Developer - Part 1

Hello everyone,

Today, I have launched my first Arcade shooter game on Steam called Warships on The Halloween Night. It is a 2D Arcade Shooter game based on the war which broke out between the Human beings and The Living Pumpkins. You can find more information about this game in the video given below. Thanks for watching and I hope you will enjoy the video.

Title: My Indie Game Launched on Steam Today - Vlog - Game Developer | Part 1
Source: YouTube

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My Indie Game Coming Soon On Steam - Release Date Announcement - Warships On The Halloween Night

Hello everyone,

I have just uploaded a new YouTube video exposing the release date for an upcoming indie game called Warships on The Halloween Night. It is a 2D Arcade shooter game based on the story of the war breaking out between human beings and the Pumpkin bots. 

Please like and subscribe to my channels for more videos like this.

Title: My Indie Game Coming TO Steam - Release Date Announcement - Halloween Special
Source: YouTube

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Warships On The Halloween Night Coming Soon on Steam! - A 2D Arcade Shooter Game - Wishlist Now

Hello,

I have been working on a new indie game called Warships on The Halloween Night which is a 2D Arcade Shoot them up game based on the war between the human beings and the pumpkin bots.

Wishlist This Game on Steam: 



Warships On The Halloween Night is an extreme Top Down Arcade Shooter game based on the naval war which broke out between the Human beings and the Living Pumpkins.

I also have released the game trailer for Warships on The Halloween Night game. If you are into the shoot'em genre you might like this game. Here is the Official Game Trailer given below:

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Warships on the Halloween Night is my very first 2D shoot them up game which brings you back to 90s when arcade games were very popular among the masses. I thought it would be a great idea to work on. 

I have done all of the graphics work, artwork, animation, character design, and programming. I have used Royalty free music for the game since I am not a music guy. I am an artist to begin with and I love programming too.

It took around 1 and a half month to finish the game. I also have worked on the cover art. Key visuals is an important part required for marketing. If Steam cover image is attractive it will encourage a higher number of users to click on the game page link and check out your game on Steam. 

During the development of the game, I got stuck for a few times especially at the ideas and game mechanics. Creating 20 big levels was not a matter of joke. No matter what the situation was I had successfully finished making the game. 

PLAYTESTING:

I don't have any other playtesters other than Steam curators who play the game and write the reviews. Well, not many people wrote reviews though. I have tested the game from level 1 to 20 and I made sure there are no game-breaking bugs. As you know, the launch window is crucial because it is make or break situation. I always make sure that the game is free from any major bugs and issue. 

REVIEWS:

Yes, I have received a review from one of the Steam curators who are into arcade shooters and he has played for about 15 minutes in average. So, here is the review he wrote:
"A fun top down shooter where it feels like an old school game with retro style. Bullet hell at times, which is great, love the Halloween style! Lots of fun for hardcore and casual players!" - Hookups.

Well, that sounds cool. But these reviews does not matter. I just have to learn from the feedback I receive and I will make better indie games in the future. 

VERDICT:

Although it was a really challenging for me to make the game of a new genre I have enjoyed the process. Since I have created a game based on the Halloween theme I was super excited and I wanted to finish the game before the Halloween 2019 comes up. 

1. The game will be released on 13th September, 2019.
2. It will be priced somewhere between $0.99 and $1.99.

This is all about the game and if you still have not wishlisted the game yet please do it. I hope you will enjoy the game and yes, cheer me up because I am really nervous as I don't know what will happen after the game goes public. Moreover, it is a great learning experience for me.

I will do a mini postmortem as soon as I have some sales data. Thank you!