This is a four part piece article is a feature story on my Windows Development journey; the good, bad and ugly. This is Part 2 of my bad Windows development journey with the launch of failed two video games from Transparent Machines teaser hype to the bad launch of Hinder video game.
Hype Train
In November 2014, I announced my first Unity game called “MALEVOLENT” project very early got people hyped up and interested in the game. Right after developing and publishing my first app prototype RSS news app, Topen News Hub.
It’s March 2015, with Central News app faltering to gain more downloads and app sales, of setting unrealistic targets of 100,000 paid downloads and having the worst mindset as an app developer of being “rich” with naïve mindset as a teenager from all those “App Millionaire” stories coming out of the tech media in the US. The worst attempt I did is to amplify my small starting out app business with hype with no long term strategy.
The ambitious AAA style Transparent Machines teaser video that was taken from the original designer Beeple by permission went viral across gaming forums, reddit, Windows Central, MSPoweruser. It got so viral that Polygon decided to contact me about the game for reporting and I quickly declined.
The hype train become so entrenched, thinking it was a perfect strategy for my future projects, that I started pumping out unrealistic goals and release dates for other Windows 10 PC and Xbox UWP games. Then, credibility started to erode with my relationship with major Microsoft centric outlets due to riding on the hype train.
The mistakes I made with my app launch strategy
Instead of organically growing my Central News app, I paid attention away from it to amplify hype to a unrealistic target of my game for the following year which led to the failure of my Hinder game launch in the summer of the same year with a buggy and unplayable PC game that I ended up yanking it off the Microsoft Store.
The mindset of treating an app business as a rich quick scheme instead of a long term growth strategy. As a result, the interest for the Central News 2.0 update faded and ended up failing to deliver substantial features for Windows 10 launch that led the app lifecycle to be shortened into oblivion.
This failed hype strategy with the ego with social media led to the eventual shut down of my small app business getting shut down the following year erasing credibility and trust among major Microsoft centric sites.
Summary
Avoid the mistakes of short term quick rich scheme, short term mindset, if you create apps with a mindset of just wanting to earn lots of money, you will fail as an app developer. Being an app developer is not easy, it’s a tough and it’s a long term strategy path, if you’re very committed into app development.
Another important point is to organise and strategize your app development from start, middle and finish. If you are starting out, don’t announce projects very early, announce it near complete or at best completed because you’re not yet established in the app or game industry. Because first impression is vital when launching your first project because it could make or break your business.
If you want to have a successful marketing campaign for your app or game for the Microsoft Store. You must develop a humble and clean image with the use of social media where you gain credibility, respect and trust among the Microsoft centric journalists.
Lastly, strategize your app launches because it’s vital to plan app launches and app marketing preparation across tech or gaming media outlets, giving outlets a free test version your app or your game. This is vital to a successful marketing for your app that would bring in long term revenue and profit for your small business.
Stay tuned for Part Three. Inspired by my Windows development journey? Learn more about Windows development here. Share your experience with Windows app development in the comments below!
