Category: App development

DAF is a team of two indie developers from Málaga, Spain who are having great success in the mobile game industry - doing what they love. David creates the games and Pablo creates the music.

We are happy to feature DAF in this weeks’ Success Story Series.

1. David, can you tell us briefly about your background? How did you become an indie developer?

Years ago I used to program simple games on my PC, but my only audience was my brother and some friends. I had long been disconnected from the computer world, but then my first smartphone landed in my hands. I decided to start app development to entertain myself and earn extra income on the side (the economic crisis in Spain was at its worst). Although I did expect to eventually make a living out of it, to tell you the truth, I did not expect such success in such a short time. It was a real surprise.

2. What is your most successful game? What is its concept in a nutshell?

It is called Archanoid DEMOLITION. It’s just a clone of the classic arcade game Arkanoid, in which bricks are destroyed by bouncing a ball on a racquet.

3. Your games have a simple yet addictive gameplay. What are your tips for creating successful mobile games? 

Although it may sound cheesy, I believe that a game can only be successful if you create it with affection. In the case of Archanoid, I had tried many clones in the Play Store, but none of them corresponded to my idea of what Arkanoid should be like, so I decided to create my own game.

How to make a game that is addictive? I guess by creating a desire in the player to surpass himself; to beat his own records or achieve certain levels and have fun while doing it.

4. Creating a game is one thing, but how do you get many people to install it? What are your promotion methods?   

I placed links to my game on a few Facebook pages of Android magazines, but I didn’t really notice an increase in the number of downloads. In my case, what really seems to have worked is word-of-mouth.

5. Why did you choose AdBuddiz?

One day I received an email from you, inviting me to try the service. I liked how you operated and have been with you ever since.

6. What has your experience been using AdBuddiz? 

Very good. AdBuddiz ads have beautiful graphics and a very elegant design, which makes them very pleasant for the user, not annoying at all. In addition, out of the three advertising companies that I use, AdBuddiz generates the most revenue for me - twice as much as the other two.

7. What would you change about AdBuddiz?

Lately the portal has been greatly improved, we can now visualize the number of clicks and installs. Perhaps adding even more statistics would be nice.

8. Do you use any other monetizing methods apart from advertising? What combination works the best for you? 

Currently I only monetize through advertising.

9. What are your inspirations when creating a game? Where do you get your ideas from? 

The inspiration usually comes from the most unexpected places. An old comic you’re rediscovering, a film… And of course the classics, the wonderful games from arcades. The 80s is an endless source of inspiration.

10. Do you have enough time to play yourself? What are your favorite games? 

Not much, but of course I play the odd game. I have ‘Hill Climb Racing’ and ‘Final Freeway 2’ installed in my mobile devices. On PC, I sometimes relax doing a virtual flight with Microsoft Flight Simulator X. But since you’re asking for my favorite games, I have to mention a very, very old game that gave me many hours of fun, and made me interested in how video games are made: ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ – from the great Atari VCR console.

11. What changes in the mobile ad market do you anticipate from here until 2016? 

It is difficult to predict, but I guess more and more companies of all kinds will be created around mobile applications, not only IT companies. Perhaps in the future there won’t be much difference between the ads on apps and the ones we see on television today.

12. Where do you see DAF in 5 years’ time? 

My dream is to start a business together with some friends, but under a different name. I would like DAF to always keep the indie spirit it has now. In the near future, I would like to enter the world of Apple - at the moment I’m dedicated to Android only.

 

 

This is the third post in our success story series, which spotlights the real heroes of the mobile gaming community. Our guest this week will tell us about his experience with AdBuddiz and with Giftiz, our app that helps promoting games on Google Play. Welcome to…

AB : First of all, can you tell us briefly who you are ?

Kitmaker : Well, Kitmaker is a young spanish company that develops mobile games and apps, and that keeps trying to improve day by day. We started in 2007 by developing J2me games. We began doing apps for Android in 2010. We are located in Palma de Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, and have more than 60 employees.

AB : What is Kitmaker’s most successful mobile game ? What do you think contributed to its success ?

Kitmaker : On android, our most successful games right now are the Final Kombat saga. We believe that the success of these games comes from the fact that we chose the right theme and a great name.

 

 

AB : How did you learn about AdBuddiz ?

Kitmaker : I was contacted by one of your colleagues by email, and then went to do a little bit of research on the internet about it.

AB : Some of your games got featured on Giftiz, our app that features the best games on Google Play. How did the featuring help promoting your games ?

Kitmaker :The release of our games was much better thanks to Giftiz. We benefited from many downloads at launch.

AB : You use AdBuddiz in some of your games. What’s your experience with our network ?

Kitmaker :We tried other ad networks and got better performance with you guys. We are very impressed with AdBuddiz and we are looking forward to building a long term partnership.

AB : What are the most important things you look at when choosing an ad network ?

Kitmaker : The most important thing, of course, is revenue ! Customer support is very important as well. In addition to driving us great revenues, AdBuddiz has an awesome support team that answers all of our questions very fast.

AB : What can you tell us about your team ?

Kitmaker : Currently, we are 20 people working on games. We can be more or less depending on each project. We are always sharing ideas and working side by side!

 

AB : Last question, What is the mobile game that you like the most ? that you hate the most ?

Justo : « My favorite game is Infectonator! »
Manu : « I love Zombie Highway 2»

AB : Thanks a lot ! Is there anything you would like to add ?

Kitmaker : Many thanks for that entertaining interview !

You can visit Kitmaker’s blog here.

In the beginning, we believed that if a user downloaded our app, they’ll use it forever. Nowadays, with thousands of new apps popping up every single day, it’s getting more and more difficult to keep users loyal.

A successful app is like a great relationship. Obviously, it has to begin with a good first date, making a good first impression; but more importantly it has to be good consistently - so that your lover is happy each time she/he sees you, and wants to meet again and again, maybe even with their families and friends, and shares with the world on social media.

Here are a few popular strategies to help engage users long after they’ve downloaded your app:

1. Make a good first impression: User Onboarding

A first date, a first kiss…like any first impressions or experiences, the user onboarding can make or break the relationship. The key is to keep it clean and simple. If your app requires a login signup, simplify it by using social logins (Facebook, Twitter…); if you have a tutorial, keep it under 1 minute. Some apps are simple enough that they don’t require an explanation. According to Useronboard - a site dedicated to exploring the best practices of user onboarding - the best onboarding hack is having an interface that doesn’t need explaining.

2. Communicate: Use Notifications

Constant communication is key to maintaining any relationship. There are two types of notifications, push notifications and in-app notifications. Push notifications are pop-ups sent to users when they are not using the app (and thus more pushy). If used strategically, push notifications are like cute “I miss you!” messages you send to your lover, encouraging the user to re-engage with your app. However, it is important to bear in mind that push notifications require users’ permission, so bombarding them with notifications like an overly needy lover will only cause users to turn off notifications, or even stop using the app all together. In-app notifications are much less intrusive. They might not help bring back inactive users, but it’s a good way to engage and communicate with your users while they’re using your app nonetheless.

3. Share the love: Build a Social Media Community

A relationship is not official until you tell your friends and family. The same goes for an app and its users. There are two ways to go about integrating social media - 1) allowing users to share updates from the app to their social platforms, and 2) creating social pages where users can follow your updates and interact with fellow users. An added plus - this not only helps retain users, but also helps recruit new ones. After all, worth of mouth remains the best and most effective form of marketing, and no one wants to miss out on the hot app that everybody is using and talking about.

With user acquisition getting increasingly competitive and expensive, it is more important than ever to be able to keep the users you do get. What’s your take on this? Do you have other tips for keeping users happy and loyal? Drop a comment to share with us your experiences!