Every technique has its own drawbacks and benefits. Self-publish or a publishing deal is no different.
The Benefits of Self-Publishing: First and foremost, it is important to consider why so many developers choose to self-publish their games. However, whatever revenue you do get can be spent to get more users, or if you have an instant hit, to help fund your next game project. You can do whatever you want with it, market it however you want, and not deal with a lot of external direction that you might not be all too fond of. This limitless creativity and freedom mean you’re the boss, and you get to experiment with crazy ideas that established game publishers wouldn’t risk investing in. There is no mandatory announcement of a release date to publish in all possible media. Although it seems complicated, self-publishing ensures you have complete control of your own game development process. You can take your time, create your game however you want, and forgo the worrying about meeting marketing deadlines or seeking the widest audience possible. It’s flexible and rewarding, and most always reflective of the developer’s unique perspective on the world.

The Drawbacks of Self-Publishing: Self-publishing means you’re in charge of marketing your own game. It means all the expenses associated with funding, developing, testing, marketing, and releasing the game are entirely up to you. That is a hefty feat for a new developer, especially if you do not already have experience in these areas. The good news is there are lots of cheap solutions you can explore, which is great for all the developers out there working on ambitious projects. For instance, there are sponsorships and grants, or programs like Indie Fund or Indie Wolverine, both of which help with specific development elements. These organizations and grants help with certain aspects of development, like quality assurance and marketing. Meanwhile, those that opt for traditional publishing do not have this issue as much. They can easily tap into publisher connections to find qualified developers. Also, self-publishing means even with the support of grants or sponsorships, you’re very much free, meaning there will be a glaring spotlight on your lack of business knowledge and unreasonable expectations. Game development is only one piece of the puzzle. Game development does not equal your game project. It’s a business, which means there are rules to follow, procedures you’ll be accountable for, and knowledge that you’ll be better off learning sooner than later, like learning how to use metric tools and how to find your target audience. Even without a designated “boss,” someone needs to act as one to streamline the development process, determine priorities, and assign tasks. Developers are creative types with big dreams and generally small budgets. With little to no business experience, this can lead to a major loss of potential profit, as well as shattered dreams. Otherwise, you risk getting lost in the thousands of indie games cropping up around the world. Consider partnering up with companies that offer a variety of tools to make all the analysis, marketing, and distributing easier.

The Benefits of Traditional Publishing: On the other hand, going with a publisher means you can rely on their experienced marketing team to handle all that work for you. With their expertise also comes their big pool of users across their network. One of the biggest benefits a traditional publisher provides is the ability to handle all your marketing tools, such as website and social media accounts. And in turn, you get more time to spend on your game development. Publishers do not publish just any game, otherwise they would go under. When they choose a game, it is because they see a market for it, they see the potential, and they know they can gain something from it. They want to help you, the developer, without sacrificing themselves in the process. Anything they suggest will come from a place of business incentive. And if you put your best possible effort into it, you still can’t make everything else, like marketing, work in your favour without the experience. A traditional publisher knows how to do the things you can’t, and they have the connections and experience from doing these things on a daily basis.

The Drawbacks of Traditional Publishing: Of course, bigger revenue potential comes with a bigger share to be taken by your publisher. The exact amount varies among publishers and depends on different factors. Working with publishers also means you need to be open to sharing ownership of the game, as well as deal with contracts and commit to milestones. Also, remember that going with a traditional publisher usually means a loss of freedom. They will only invest if there is potential for return, but once they invest, they are looking to put you through the motions of running a business. Because let us face it, development is a business. The minute there is a sponsor or publisher, you must take their opinions into consideration.
Put simply, it is the combination of everything you, the developer, would normally do, plus all the things publishers do on a routine basis. Services like App Annie and Chartboost will help answer these questions, as well as Facebook’s insights and targeting, or Xsolla Publisher Account. If you want to get users to download and play it, you’ll need to put in hard work. Creating a blog with regular updates will also help, as players love feeling like they can directly communicate with the creators behind their favorite games.

Getting users in your game is just the beginning. Keeping them long enough so you can convert them into loyal and paying users is where the real battle happens. As with user acquisition, find a good combination that leads to higher engagement. Having a good system for them to give feedback is also crucial in keeping them loyal, since players love to feel like they’re being heard and catered to.

Earning revenue is ultimately what everything boils down to, even if it’s not your primary motive. To become successful, understanding revenue is a must. Besides the usual updates, promotions and ads, you can earn revenue by investing plenty of time and effort into understanding your players. Dive into the data and know how your players behave, so you can use it to your advantage.

Some things to make a note of are which items they purchase the most, which are being ignored, and at which point in the game do they spend the most money. These questions are important to help you improve your game’s flow and find out how to transition your users into loyal, paying players. Note that there is no single solution that works 100% of the time. Combining all the above would increase your chances of getting players into your game.

Appsflyer is a really good tool to help you identify which campaign gives you the most users and where they are coming from.

Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath