Idea Whens the right time to start a sequel?

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Bengonline

Guest
Games take a while to make even if they are simple... when is the right time to start a sequel???

I started the graphics for a sequel to my new game that just dropped while it was still in development, and depending on how well it goes I may start looking for a programmer in November.

Stray Animals is on google play.
 
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Widget

Guest
I wouldn't recommend starting work on multiple projects at once so I'd start developing the next game after the previous one is finished and released.

And since this is about sequels, I'd see how well the first game did then decide if the market wants a follow up to it.
 

ThePC007

Member
Just look at other companies and figure out when they think the time's right to release a sequel. Just don't take Valve as your example, or you'll end up never releasing it at all. :p
 

Hyomoto

Member
There are two methods of traction on the Play store: you can either release a lot of low-quality free apps lousy with ads and hope that the sheer number of apps makes up for the fact no one will spend more than a few minutes with your game, or you can try to cultivate a user base around a single game. I won't lie: from your question it sounds like you are doing the first. The idea of a sequel is brand recognition: nothing more. It's why franchises exist. People who liked and played the original are excited to play it, and hopefully their enthusiasm plus a new title will encourage new buyers.

A sequel by itself doesn't do that. A sequel in a unknown, relatively unknown or even just lightly known 'series' is as disposable as the first title and in that case you'd be better skipping the sequel altogether. I mean, what demand is your sequel trying to meet? Unless you have some sort of fan base to fall on, some sort of reasonable DAU or download count, there's no one even looking for a sequel. And even then, a lot of players who enjoy your game will probably just want you to update the original with new content since they already HAVE that App and invested time and energy into it. Which again you'd be smart to just make a new game since the people who enjoyed your first game are more likely to be interested in what else you do, not just a sequel specifically.

Short answer: unless you have some kind of annualized franchise and a player base to back it up, sequels are not something you should be planning ahead for. You have no idea how successful, if at all, your first game is going to be and diverting resources away from development and QA to get a head start on a sequel can only hurt your initial game. However, it's your choice. When you start your next project is entirely up to you, just know time spent planning sequels before you even have an audience is time that would have been better spent on the first game.
 
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Bengonline

Guest
There are two methods of traction on the Play store: you can either release a lot of low-quality free apps lousy with ads and hope that the sheer number of apps makes up for the fact no one will spend more than a few minutes with your game, or you can try to cultivate a user base around a single game. I won't lie: from your question it sounds like you are doing the first. The idea of a sequel is brand recognition: nothing more. It's why franchises exist. People who liked and played the original are excited to play it, and hopefully their enthusiasm plus a new title will encourage new buyers.

A sequel by itself doesn't do that. A sequel in a unknown, relatively unknown or even just lightly known 'series' is as disposable as the first title and in that case you'd be better skipping the sequel altogether. I mean, what demand is your sequel trying to meet? Unless you have some sort of fan base to fall on, some sort of reasonable DAU or download count, there's no one even looking for a sequel. And even then, a lot of players who enjoy your game will probably just want you to update the original with new content since they already HAVE that App and invested time and energy into it. Which again you'd be smart to just make a new game since the people who enjoyed your first game are more likely to be interested in what else you do, not just a sequel specifically.

Short answer: unless you have some kind of annualized franchise and a player base to back it up, sequels are not something you should be planning ahead for. You have no idea how successful, if at all, your first game is going to be and diverting resources away from development and QA to get a head start on a sequel can only hurt your initial game. However, it's your choice. When you start your next project is entirely up to you, just know time spent planning sequels before you even have an audience is time that would have been better spent on the first game.

I definitely a lot of work into the first one, but like you said lots of little games seems to be how some people go. And I do feel like there is a little bit of safety in numbers. Things are off to an okay start. We actually do have a brand to work with it isn't huge but our cartoons get 10k-60k in views. But aren't very prolific on the toons.... I have been contemplating being more prolific on the games. It is a really tough call.

The problem with waiting until the first one has run its course to make a sequel is that, you can lose momentum... but like you said tons of freebies boated with ads not good. It may come down to a coin flip.
 

Hyomoto

Member
I definitely a lot of work into the first one, but like you said lots of little games seems to be how some people go. And I do feel like there is a little bit of safety in numbers. Things are off to an okay start. We actually do have a brand to work with it isn't huge but our cartoons get 10k-60k in views. But aren't very prolific on the toons.... I have been contemplating being more prolific on the games. It is a really tough call.

The problem with waiting until the first one has run its course to make a sequel is that, you can lose momentum... but like you said tons of freebies boated with ads not good. It may come down to a coin flip.
Well, don't ignore that arbitrary nature of a sequel in general. Momentum in mobile gaming is obviously important, but a sequel is like hitting the reset on that. A major update can be a good way to remind people your app exists and cause them to return though depending on your monetization model this might not be practical. But in the case of an ad-supported app you might as well be committing suicide by putting out a second app in the same vein. While it is true that breaking your game up into 'chapters' or something *might* be acceptable, the numbers are out there: keeping people invested in a single app is generally better than spreading your efforts over a larger number of apps. Not only do you stretch yourself thin in terms of support, there's no guarantee the user base from the first app will even make the transition. Given that your current app might already have a little goodwill and word of mouth advertising, again, giving that up for a second app may not be worth it.

What it comes down to is if you have a few thousand daily active users and ad revenue, you are probably pulling in a least enough to justify the cost of development and support which means supporting that app is more likely to be worth it monetarily than potentially alienating your users. As I said, you can either release a lot of apps and try to make up the bulk in random views, or you can cultivate a single app. The most important thing to keep in mind is if people have your app downloaded you have a potential in right there when it comes to content and monetization, getting them to download another app or hoping your second app does as well is definitely a gamble. Unless your first app is providing steady enough income that you can afford to divert your attention between two projects, you could easily be killing what momentum you've built up.

That's pretty much the core of the as-a-service model, an app that people interact with frequently and updates with some regularity to keep their interest. I would argue outside of larger projects, generally speaking the prevalence of "free" apps and poor discoverability make the app stores a poor place for priced games. Certainly worth the support if you can muster it, but PC and Mac are much more pliable for games that can support sequels. So generally, using some form of the as-a-service model to deliver content helps ensure you have an active playerbase rather than risking a reset with a new app.
 

Genetix

Member
I'd release the sequel before the original - then call the original a prequel. Seems like a good enough idea :)
 
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Famine

Guest
When there's demand. When people played the first.
Pretty much that. You should only do a sequel when you have established your first product was a success. What defines as success for you is different person-to-person (or business-to-business). Obviously, one of the KPI's most will factor in is revenue or profitability. Was the game profitable? Can you afford to make a new game with the prior games success? Etc, etc...

One of the critical parts about being smart with your game development is knowing when to cut your losses. That means, either dropping a game in mid-production before it bankrupts you or making the decision not to continue trying to make it work with a sequel that has no proven success in the prequel. Sure, you can always make your next game successful, but sequels have the luxury of having more research and development behind it to help you make a smart decision.

If this is a game not for profit, then the same applies for engagement. It's very easy to ignore whether or not it makes sense if there is no profit. This is when you should start considering what a bad game does to your portfolio or brand if the sequel also has bad engagement. If you're serious about game development, profit or not, you don't want to blindly make bad games just to make games. Use your resources, your history from the prior game and again, make a smart decision.
 
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