How to Succeed on PSN

Exciting Stunts with Joe Danger

2

Hello Who?

• Four friends• Young Start-up• Joe Danger on PSN• Bedroom Developer and Publisher

4

Advice

• First Game• New IP• Digital Download

Numbers!

• Numbers and Graphs Follow• Reference MetaCritic + Gamasutra• Every PSN/XBLA Game• Released iOS stats• Confirmed Sales Figures• May Contain Lies

6

Statistics

30% of presenters who don’t use Statistics are liars

7

Statistics

Only 15% of Statistics in presentations are lies

8

Avoid Number One!

Avoid: PUBLISHERS!

9

Fact!

Small Studios are making the more money and better games on Digital

download than large publishers

10

Joe Danger Release

• June 8th 2010• 113 Titles on PSN• Only 3 self published Titles• 2011 – 30+ self published titles

11

XBLA Sales

25,00047%

100,00024%

200,00013%

200,000+17%

12

25,00077%

100,000

12%

200,00012%

Publisher New IP

13

Ten Defining Titles

Title % Developer

Braid 93 Number None

Flower 87 That Game Company

Splosion Man 84 Twisted Pixel

Geometry Wars 86 Bizarre

PixelJunk Shooter 87 Q

Trials 86 RedLynx

N+ 83 Metanet

Shadow Complex 88 Chair

The Maw 75 Twisted Pixel

Castle Crashers 82 The Behemoth

11….Joe Danger ? 87 Hello Games

14

0-65 Metacritic

(30%)

65-75 Metacritic(30%)

75+ Metacritic(40%)

Self-Published Metacritic

15

Publisher Metacritic

0-65 Metacritic

(68%)

65-75 Metacritic

(27%)

75+ Metacritic(5%)

16

Are Publishers Stupid?

• Publishers not spotting good titles• Development Interference• Developers losing ownership• Low previous sales means low

budgets• Publishers overwhelming tiny studios• XBLA/PSN are the poor ginger step-

children

17

Except on iPhone

• 43 of Top 50 are published• EA = 20 million iOS users• 20k units = #1 in US• US #1 is 40x sales multiplier

18

Avoid Number Two!

Avoid: IPHONE!

19

Get Rich Quick

iPhone is the best and worst thing to happen to videogames since Flash

20

PSN XBLA Steam

Released Titles

21

PSN XBLA Steam iPhone

Released Titles

22

Statistics?

Never have so many bad games been played by so many for so little time

23

Statistics?

The Average iPhone game costs $30,000+ to make and nets around

$2,000

24

Average Revenue

PSN XBLA Steam iPhone-100000

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

Average Revenue (for most Titles)

25

Average Platform Revenue

PSN XBLA Steam iPhone

Platform Developer Revenue

26

Average Platform Revenue

PSN XBLA Steam iPhone

Platform Development Revenue

27

All Time iPhone Most Paid Games

• Angry Birds• Doodle Jump• Pocket God• Flight Control• Bejeweled 2 + Blitz• Traffic Rush

28

All Time iPhone Most Paid Apps

• Angry Birds• Doodle Jump• Pocket God• JOE DANGER• Flight Control (3.84 million

downloads)• Bejeweled 2 + Blitz• Traffic Rush

29

Statistics

Apple has made $50+ million in developer registrations alone

30

The Irony!

Hello Games is making an iPhone game –

it’s awesome

31

Avoid Number Three!

Avoid: GOING BROKE!

32

Publisher Costs

• Developer Man-Month• External Producer• Marketing• In-House QA• Middle Management

33

Hello Games Costs

(Beans + Toast) x 4 People x 365 x 1.5 years

34

Hello Games Costs

(Beans + Toast) x 4 People x 365 x2 x as long as you think it’ll take

35

Hello Games Went Broke

36

Avoid Number Five!

Avoid: SHYNESS!

37

38

39

40

Hello Games is Hiringsean@hellogames.co.uktwitter.com/hellogames

www.hellogames.org

41

42