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Are you willing to provide your game files for free distribution?


Maras
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I think that HTML5 games could go somehow viral as Flash games do, but it would require developers to provide the whole game file (not just iframe). Will you be willing to provide the game files for free distribution?

 

It works really well in Flash market - hundreads of portals publish your game and you recieve from tens of thousand to millions of impressions.

 

Every publisher who wants your game have two options - publish your game for free (including your/sponsors branding and ads) or buy sitelock for you. It's a bit harder for publishers to get your game files, but you can fix that by simply adding "download this game" button leading to your website (generating additional revenue).

 

I will try it with my first game (once its done) and share the results.

 

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I don't think HTML5 games can have the same distributed virality as Flash games do

Why do you have that opinion? Isn´t it the same with flash portals. I mean that there are just a few portals that get most of the traffic?

I once made a little game in Flash that i didn´t even try to sell. I only spread it via the Mochi feed.

It got pick up by games.com and made me some dollars. 

I don´t see why that is not possible for html5 games.

But I also don´t have experience here, so I´m really interested what you guys think and what you experience.

 

@Maras: I´m following here and looking forward to see how your plan works out. Wil try too when i have a game ready.

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Because html5 portals don´t get enough traffic?

 

Short answer: yes

 

Long answer: I've been doing mobile HTML5 games since 2012. I make non-exclusive licensing deals only (apart from a few contract jobs), but every year I did a little test to see if the situation for self-publishing for free and refinancing via my own ads has improved. So I made games specifically for that purpose, spread them via free portals and their according streams and looked at the numbers. They are, to say the least, abysmal. You make about 0.5 - 1% of the money you can when doing regular licensing deals. This has been the same for my 2012, '13 and '14 test, with numbers decreasing overall.

Most of those portals have only shit traffic from 3rd world countries that will give you extremely low ECPM. Also, a lot of the campaigns these days are not based on impressions or clicks, but completed transactions (like, the user has to click on an ad, download the app that is advertised for and install it, before you see any money). Among those arcades and portals who are sourcing their games from the free distribution channels I also have found many who are basically criminals. The HTML5 market swarms with rippers and scamps. People edit your source to remove your ads and add their own. People cover your ads up with their own (in the HTML5-world every retarded kid can do that, with a simple div). People show only parts of your frame, so that the ads are invisible. People steal your game and re-use assets, also wrap the games fraudulently for app-stores to be published there under their own names (the latter happens with regular licensing deals, too, but at least you got something out of it first).

All in all: the only thing one does with that type of business model is increase the game reservoir and thus devaluate the games of those, who seek upfront compensation for their licenses. You are basically shooting yourself in the foot. 

I had to see it for myself to really believe it, but the model that worked so well in flash-land just does not exist in HTML5. The money is in licensing products to publishers with serious traffic or hiring your skills out for contract work. 

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Thanks alot, that sounds horrible :D

Well, I´m not so much a fan of selling licenses, so I´d probably be better off making mobile game apps?

Did you try your luck in that field?

 

PS: quite a few germans around here ;)

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so I´d probably be better off making mobile game apps?

Did you try your luck in that field?

 

I'm afraid I can't really comment on that, I don't have much experience with app store business. I have put a few things onto the app stores (Google Play specifically), but not really to monetise, but to have it easier to prove to the Google abuse desk that a product is mine, in case it gets wrapped and republished by a ripper. 

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fatalfluff > Thank you for you answer.

 

That is pretty bad, these are exactly the reasons why I was a bit sceptical with my self-sponsoring plan in HTML5 game market. 

 

Could I see your distributed games? (And possibly publish them on my portal? :)

 

I will try it with my first game anyway, but at least I won't be disappointed now I know it will be bad :-)

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i will.

my game will finish in next few days i will provide the zip file to all small portals who have no budge to buy licence.

without any ad or iframe. i also pridicted a "YOUR WEBSITE LOGO" image in assesst folder, so they can easy replace theirown logo, but not allowed to change other images.

here is my game:

http://www.html5gamedevs.com/topic/11822-pinkities-wants-fish-my-first-mobile-game-still-in-development/

 

 

Wouldn't it be better if the game would actually make you money on their portals? You deserve to have sponsor logos and/or ads in your game and noone will have a problem with that. After all this free publishing model isn't free - the developers need to make money too.

 

How are you planning to make money on this game?

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Wouldn't it be better if the game would actually make you money on their portals? You deserve to have sponsor logos and/or ads in your game and noone will have a problem with that. After all this free publishing model isn't free - the developers need to make money too.

 

How are you planning to make money on this game?

 

update:

i prefered to remove my answer, lmao :P

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