Post-MortemBrian StabileCo-Owner/Executive Producer, Astro Crow

■ Brian Stabile■ UCF Digital Media (Comp Sci Minor) Graduate■ Worked for UCF on Serious Games■ Worked on ‘Three Dead Zed’ for PC■ Plays drums in Yogurt Smoothness (www.yogurtsmoothness.

com)

Who Am I?

■ Released April 7, 2011■ iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

■ Company created and game conceptualized in one day■ Development cycle: ~8 months■ Number of Sales Worldwide: *insert sad face*

What Went Right

Excellent Presentation■ High-Quality Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=fpQAKUV46zY)■ Great Artwork / Sound Design■ Humorous

Unique Take on Existing Model

Jump Jump, Collect Jump, Slide, Turn

Jump, Slide, Flick, Pop, Shoot, Collect, Run, Fart!

Continued Support■ Constantly updating game to improve the overall experience■ Past updates included

■ Game Center Integration■ Tutorial Overhauls■ Retina Display Support and native iPad Support■ New Enemies

Tons of ‘Ground Work’, Positive Press■ Press Releases■ Promo Codes■ YouTube Reviews■ Generally Positive Reviews

■ “…one of the more interesting variations on the runner genre I’ve played” –Destructoid

■ “purr-fectly addictive!” -iFanzine

Physical Ad Materials■ Small and large promo cards■ Great conversation starter■ Adds credibility/ No longer creepy.

What Went Wrong

Positive Reviews Did Not Translate To Sales■ Large number of iPhone casual gamers do not read game

blogs/materials aimed for hardcore gamers.■ Front Page of Destructoid■ 1,300 views■ Only averages 1 sale a day

Lite Version Not Limiting Enough■ Full game minus a few enemies, no iPad or Retina support.■ Updated:

■ Incorporated Ads■ Added Nag Screen■ More limiting updates to come!

Tutorial Not As Foolproof As We Thought■ Only tested amongst our gamer friends■ Bad design made obvious through further testing■ If not 100% obvious, some players just don’t get it – even

when it is 100% obvious!■ Improved in updates■ More improvements to come!

ZERO Advertising Budget / No Love For Indies■ Too broke to ‘gamble’ on an ad campaign with no guaranteed

return.■ Hot dogs and peanut butter sandwiches.■ Friends unwilling to help■ Consumers can’t distinguish between our title and EA’s titles■ Piracy (Unavoidable, but still annoying)■ Search function sucks!!■ Misjudged Twitter

Tools Updated Too Quickly■ 4 different tools issuing updates at almost monthly pace■ No deprecation – very time consuming!■ Incorrect installation instructions!

Remember: They Can Only Buy Your App Once!There’s Room For Us All On The Market!

■ How to help fellow indie developers■ Tweeting■ Sharing on FB■ Downloading, Rating, and Reviewing■ WORD OF MOUTH

■ Brian Stabile■ brian@astrocrow.com

■ Twitter: @AstroCrowGames■ www.facebook.com/astrocrow■ www.facebook.com/lastaceofspace

Feedback and Suggestions Welcome!

Thanks! Keep An Eye Out For Future Astro Crow Projects!