Reassurance

[Strashiner]

I need some reassurance guys.

If I make a commercial game with the RPG Maker Software it won't sell as much would it?

I've been doing a lot of research as of late and I realized all made games from RPG Maker doesn't sell or do so well. I am not sure what I should feel.

but I am thinking maybe I am wrong...

Can someone enlighten me on this? 

 

[Artificer]

As i can tell (and since no one has reply yet), all depends on the quality and the level of the marketing that you invest into it, with a good visual trailer you could have a chance. I have tried steam greenlight and at least the first two days your game has some people looking at it, but it has a cost, i can assume the best thing to do is hiring a professional publisher.

 

[Vox Novus]

Relatively speaking rpg maker games are a niche market its not super sizable compared to other markets, to put it simply people love visually interesting, unique, and fun gameplay experiences.

As for the first one rpg maker games tend to look really similar to people if store packs (and especially the rtp) is used and some people won't touch them because of that; people want to feel like its something they couldn't have made themselves (a lot of rpg maker game buyers are also users). Adding in artwork that separates your game from others is an excellent way to stand out in a sea of rpg maker games; same thing applies to music and sound-effects as well.

As for the other two this depends on how you develop the game; sure a lot of people can make a good standard rpg but I think if you really want to stand out you need to show something in it that isn't the norm; maybe it has a unique gameplay style or your story is top-notch, etc...

Rpg maker games do sell for some people but it should be said right away that it isn't an easy path to success you got to build your name up, get a fanbase and improve your quality as you get experience and feedback as you go. You aren't going to be able to buy that fancy car with your first game. Indinera founder of Aldorlea Games makes his living from rpg maker games so it can be done its just not the exact case for every person and it depends on the amount of time and work put into it.

It should be noted what makes an rpg maker game sell can vary considerably some people love a classic game with tons of gameplay length, while other times something short but visually interesting can sell like this game: http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/.

I've seen commercial rpg maker games with mostly rtp stuff seem to get good reviews because everything else was on point and I've seen and played rpg maker games that have sold well but weren't even all that fun to play to be honest or had a lot of issues still mechanically, they got sales though because they stood out and got people interested to try the game. As artificer said part of being a developer is also figuring out how to sell your game, how to get your target market interested in it.

Lastly personal advice if you are working on your first project or two don't try to go commercial with it. It can take considerable time to learn the skills needed to work with the database and to get used to what it is like to actually develop a game; some people have the maker for years and have never finished a game due to not being able to stick with a project. I've had and been using Ace for over a couple years now and only just start to feel like I could be seriously ready to try my hand at a commercial release for a game; I've only finished two games to be honest in that two year span but the rest of it was spent learning and improving with the maker, seeing how others did things in their own projects. Had I seen the first game I finished now released as a commercial game I would think it a joke.

Anyway best of luck. For more in depth conversations about commercial games there is a section on the forums for commercial topics.

 

[Mysticphoenix]

RPG Maker is a little niche.

 

[Kes]

If I make a commercial game with the RPG Maker Software it won't sell as much would it?

Sell as much as what?  As much as a AAA game?  Dead right it won't.  No chance.  But could you make a AAA game on your own, or with a small team and a budget of less than many, many millions?  Again the answer is, no chance.  You are, therefore, trying to compare two utterly different things.

So what exactly is your question?  Are you asking if you can make a living from it?  Some people do - having had a lot of game making experience before going commercial.  So you are also mistaken when you say that 

all made games from RPG Maker doesn't sell or do so well.

some do sell, and sell well, but never as much as a AAA game.

You ask how you should feel?  How can anyone tell you?  Certainly disappointed if you thought this was a surefire way to mega bucks in a relatively short time.  

But maybe you are asking the wrong question.  If you are only going to make a game as a way of making a living then it is unlikely that it will be a good game anyway.  People make games for a huge variety of reasons (there's a whole thread on it called something like "What's your end game?") but a purely monetary reason, and nothing else, didn't feature anywhere.  So perhaps you need to see what your reasons for making a game are, and can those reasons be fulfilled.  If they can, go for it.  If not, then at some stage you will run out of motivation to continue what can be a hard slog.

 

[Matseb2611]

RM games certainly do sell. But as Ksjp said, it depends on what you consider 'selling well' is.

From my experience, just make sure you do the following:

- Make your game as good as it can be. Polish it, test it, have other people test it, make sure everything is as good as you can make it. Ideally get some experience with the engine first making a short free game before you do a commercial one.

- Marketing is everything. You need to be able to market it well, otherwise nobody will know of your game. And if you are bad at it, like me, then find a good publisher who will do it for you.

- Get onto Steam. Now this isn't something to rush into, and getting onto Steam isn't easy. You need to get enough votes to pass through Greenlight and all. But once you do get on Steam, you'll see those sales sky rocket. Steam is pretty much the centre of PC games these days, and because of the number of users on it, your game gets a tonne of exposure.

 

[metronome]

Actually, this makes me curious.


What is the most selling (bestseller) RPGmaker game in the history?


If only there is a list somewhere that will tell us this...(or there may already been a list out there I don't know...)


And about how you should feel, I think noone is stopping you from using other engine...


There must be reason why you stay with rpgmaker, right? This question wouldn't come out otherwise...

 

[Kes]

A list like that does not exist - no developer is going to reveal that sort of information, which would quickly become out of date anyway.  Indeed, portals like Steam, Bigfish etc have a NDA for a lot of commercial information.

 

[Matseb2611]

What is the most selling (bestseller) RPGmaker game in the history?

If I had to put my money on it, it'll probably be To the Moon. It seems to be pretty popular even among the non-RM gamers. Though I'm not sure, and perhaps best if someone confirmed this.

 

[Kes]

I think you'd be wrong there.  It's certainly shifted a lot of units on Steam, but many of them have been at a heavy discount.  This is one of the reasons it is so hard to make comparisons.  If you have a game which sells heavily at full price on the dev's own site (as is usually the case with Aldorlea and Amaranth games), plus what it sells on Steam, it will likely far outstrip To The Moon in money terms.

 

[The Stranger]

To The Moon has also sold well on GOG. It's a very successful game; it's even won awards for best story. People seem to love it.

 

[Kes]

It has certainly been successful, no doubt about it.  Most successful games sell on several portals and in bundles.  Yet another reason why it is so hard to make any meaningful comparison between games.  There are so many variables.  I know that when the first in the Millennium series was voted RPG of the year, its sales sky rocketed.  Something like that, or TTM's getting the best story that year, will do wonders for sales.

From the OP's point of view, though, outliers like those two are not much help for gauging how well games do overall.  After all, only one game can be voted the best each year.

Another crucial factor, I believe, is repeat performance.  This is where To The Moon is more typical, in that the developer, Freebird, has not been able to really follow up on that success.  TTM was released in 2011, iirc, and if someone wants to make a living from game making, then consistency of performance is vital.  Here is where developers like Aldorlea and Amaranth shine among their competitors - and it looks to me as if matseb2611 is also shaping up in that way, looking at how he is able to keep releasing games in a timely fashion.

 

[Chiakscare]

Frankly, if your game radiates quality, great gameplay and has worth in and of itself, there's no reason to even say it was made in RPGMaker; your quality work sells itself.

Of course, to reach that sterling shimmer, you'll need to put a lot of your own work into the game (graphics, sprites, etc.

Look at the graphics and storyline of early Pokemon: poor in both regards but the premise of monster catching and trading sold millions; you could have made those entire games in RPGMaker and no one would have cared you did; they'd have bought it on the prospect of the game alone. 

Rant aside; quality sells; your method of creating the quality is negligible apart from bias of those who hate RPGMaker just to hate RPGMaker.

So don't get discouraged; if RPGMaker is your stone, you just have to squeeze the blood out of it until a shimmery, immersing pool lays at your feet.

 

[Strashiner]

I was meaning profits.

Money. Sure I love the passion and drive of making games!

But I just want to be reassured.

Sure to the moon has been very successful, but I wanted to know how many copies they sold on a rough estimate. 

 

[Clord]

Don't tie your monetary situation to whatever game sells enough copies or not. Make a low risk title first that still looks good and see where it goes.

 

[Kes]

Sure to the moon has been very successful, but I wanted to know how many copies they sold on a rough estimate. 

No one will tell you that - and as I said before, it is not just a question of how many copies, but at what price.  It is much better to sell 200 copies at $10 each than 400 copes at $3 each.  You must look at your total revenue, not just how many copies.

 

[Strashiner]

Yes yes yes...

sorry what I meant was, on average, games like to the moon sell how many copies?

Thats why if you say its so successful whats your indication?

what are the numbers of copies or fans? 

 

[Chiakscare]

I'd say a rather noticeable group of people put down their own money for a game you made with an engine that's essentially free (since it eventually pays for itself), then you have created success.

If 100 people buy your 10 dollar game.. that's a great profit and therefore success.

One must walk in baby steps and learn to fall before they can sprint toward the goal at the end of the race. 

 

[Kes]

And as I have said at least twice, no sensible developer will give you that information.  And if the person is not the developer, then any number will be pure guesswork, and could be out by significant amounts.

'Success' is a slippery term to define.  You can do things like look at the number of positive reviews, or the number of 'follow' buttons, things like that on Steam, but I know that even that can be very misleading, because buzz doesn't always translate into sales.  And of course it takes no account of sales on other portals, bundles etc.

So you can keep asking, but you cannot get accurate figures from anyone other than a developer, and the developer won't do it.

 

[Clord]

Success is so subjective.


Some don't do their commercial games to earn money, it's a side-product to fund more development. Basically they might care about earnings but it isn't their "main thing" and likely produce better games due of it (which again might or might not be true depending of person.)


It's especially easy spot if single guy developed title was made out of passion or the potential money it would generate. Asset flip games are a good example on unity side.


Recent example would be a game called rack N Ruin on Steam. Game that is ignored and extremely underrated by sales that it deserves. It was not until Totalbiscuit did a video about the game that I even knew about it.