Re-investing your game's profits to generate more profits - discussion

[Sigony]

Have you ever released a game, and then felt like you can kick back and relax? WRONG.

Your game, once released, is not fixed. You can update it.

Once you have accumulated some money from the sales, perhaps of an alpha or beta, you can invest said money back into making the game more marketable, or even to pay for promotions, such as with influencers that have an audience that would like the game.

You can pay freelancers who offer services such as cover art, website creation, trailer video editing, etc.

In fact, there are many reasons why you might like to save up and pay for some of these things outright, considering the time value that you've already put into your game to the point that you've released it.

My actionable tip: make a list of services that might help your game's sales, including the probable cost next to it.
Then, assign a number to each one, 1-10 that indicates the possible impact of this service on your game's sales.
Then, prioritize the list such that you receive the most impact to your game's sales per dollar spent.
Decide which you will pay for outright, and which you may pay for with the game's sales profits.

I'm curious, how would you re-invest the money from your game's sales?

 

[Parallax Panda]

If we’re talking about your average RM game, then it’s probably wiser to take a percentage of your profit and invest in your NEXT game instead.

From what I’ve heard, the ”big money” will be made at or around launch, since that’s when your visibility is the best. It’s also probably when most of your die-hard fans (if you have any) will buy the game.

So besides bug fixes and maybe some balancing (if needed), I don’t think it’s profitable to invest more money and time into a game that’s already past it’s launch day.

 

[Dezue]

What @Parallax Panda said. In my experience, trying to market a game after its release is setting yourself up for an uphill battle, even if it's possible in some cases. Even for a demo release, things like the key artwork or a trailer (if you need one) should already be in place. If you're going for Steam, the launch days basically determine your overall success on the platform, so it's wise to invest your attention in the months leading up to this release.

One exception can be made if your release is more of an 'Alpha release' for testing out the waters, in which case you probably don't need that much promotional fluff around it. The drawback here is that your game probably won't make as much of a splash as a 'real' release.
Even then, I tend to have the most important promotional assets in place - it just helps with making your game visible in the first place, which seems to be a key goal in game promotion right now.

That said, your actionable tip is good (and the part about not kicking back after a release is definitely true). Just wanted to point out that marketing your game should start as soon as you have something playable
So, for your question, I'm with Parallax Panda on investing more into developing/marketing the next game.

Stay funky,
Dez

 

[Tamina]

From what I’ve heard, the ”big money” will be made at or around launch, since that’s when your visibility is the best.

It is the general rule for most games, but there are often exceptions to this rule. There are many "slow sell" games in the history that became successful an year after or later.

That being said, games like this were successful because it created topics for discussions, not because the game gets more marketing fund.

 

[lianderson]

Invest in knives, time, and more knives! Do not invest into your game if profit is the primary goal you seek!

The altar has determined there are more lucrative ways to accrue capital. Such as studying the art of dancing without attire! This will yield much growth to your portfolio. I am not an accountant! I am but a humble human who is not a demon that volunteers at the nearby gentleman's club down here in the nether world that is perfectly normal and relatable to us humans such as yourself and ourself because we am human like you why do you no trust us? At this club of sophistication, our positive free work is to feed the homeless to other homeless. Much morality! We also sew shirts made out of those that are fed. Recycling shall save us from increased tropical activity! You are welcome Italy and Florida! Your homes have been saved!

Good day person who is seeking advice. We hope this has helped you in some matter or form! Worship the carbon.

 

[jkweath]

The altar has determined there are more lucrative ways to accrue capital. Such as studying the art of dancing without attire! This will yield much growth to your portfolio. I am not an accountant! I am but a humble human who is not a demon that volunteers at the nearby gentleman's club down here in the nether world that is perfectly normal and relatable to us humans such as yourself and ourself because we am human like you why do you no trust us? At this club of sophistication, our positive free work is to feed the homeless to other homeless. Much morality! We also sew shirts made out of those that are fed. Recycling shall save us from increased tropical activity! You are welcome Italy and Florida! Your homes have been saved!

What?

Edit: to actually participate, I've been reinvesting a good chunk of my sales into my next projects basically since the beginning , and I've found great success with it. Almost all my income from Itch and Aldorlea goes straight toward purchasing assets from Itch, commissioning more assets and paying my beta tester. Another good chunk of income goes toward paying my artist for cover art and artillustrations, which has had a huge impact on my overall sales.

Can't say I've done much promoting for a game I've already released, tho. Need to get better at that!

 

[rrrllll]

i think the point is if updating it would get you more attention...
are you going to use the updated contents to market your game further?