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7 Steps for Creating a Successful Game App

· 12 min read

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Most gaming companies invest their assets and efforts in designing an astounding game application with the hope that it will boom in the market and receive high ROI, but they fail to achieve the expected results.

People are passionate about developing a game and think it will be the town's next big talk. And they develop their games using clean programming, with exciting new features and fascinating premium graphics in their games. However, they fail to achieve the best outcomes, which means that these are not enough to consider, and we should focus on other factors to work on, to build standout game apps.

It's pretty surprising for us, but as per the graph, 80 to 90% of mobile apps are abandoned just after a single use. Moreover, research says that an average mobile app tends to lose around 77% of Daily Active Users just within three days of its installation.

So, in this blog, we have covered crucial information that would help you develop a successful game app development roadmap. If you also have some ground-breaking game ideas and want to scrabble your name in the industry, read the whole blog and get benefits.

Before going to share tips of designing a game app development roadmap, we would like to make you aware of the reasons for its failure. So, it will help you to do better than others.

What are the Prime Reasons for Mobile Game App Failure?

There are various reasons for mobile game app failure, but the major reasons are insufficient market research and product core inefficiency. We've mentioned both reasons in brief that lead to game app failure.

Insufficient Market Research

As per industry reports, 47% of failures are recorded due to insufficient research. Moreover, it has been reported that less than 0.01% of mobile apps were expected to be commercially successful by the end of 2018.

Product Core Inefficiency

Many game applications are failed due to product core inefficiencies like development issues, app crashes, bugs, or non-user-friendly applications. 19% of mobile apps fail to achieve their expected growth due to a weak product core, in which UI/UX is one of the main components.

Statistics show that 25% of mobile applications are used only once due to bad UX.

By reading this blog, you will have an idea of the finest aspects of designing a game app layout that will lead you to success for both iOS and Android platforms. So, let's start with the importance of market research.

Why is Market Research Important for Game Development, and How to Do It?

According to reports, 72% of mobile applications fail to perform in the market or targeted industry due to limited market research.

So, it is important to have market research before creating a game-development designing map for any game app's success. Indeed, you must have to invest your time in market research to learn how the industry works, what popular gaming studios are doing, and what engages customers more.

Market Research

Market research gives you crucial insights that help businesses develop strategies for their future development. We have given a brief note below to help you in market research by questioning yourself.

What is Your Business Model?

Yes, this is the first part of creating any business layout. You will have to decide a business model before proceeding or creating further plans, which can help you in frame a business plan perfectly.

Plan Your Game Model and Analyze it Within Industrial Terms

The first step in designing a layout for game application development is to understand the purpose of the game development. And then, you will also have to be aware of why you are designing the game, and how it will be beneficial for you or your organization. What should be in the gameplay, and how can you make it more engaging?

Also, Checkmark the Below Pointers:-

➤ Identify your target audience(s)

➤ Scope the competition

➤ Engage a portion of your persona

➤ Summarize data and draw conclusions

Purpose of Game Development

There are mainly three purposes of game development which are listed below:

Player Experience

Games are designed to collect players' data through satisfactory gaming experiences and activities from different aspects.

Revenue Generation

Many games are developed to generate revenue using monetization model ads, in-game purchases, Premium versions, etc.

Brand Optimization

Games are also developed on free-to-play models using branding tactics to create brand value among existing and potential customers.

Here we have finished "Why is market research important for game development?" in the next section, we will continue with developing good marketing strategy tactics.


How to Design a Successful Game App Development Layout?

Designing a successful game app development layout requires a good marketing strategy, which can be created by defining your organization, your business model and analyzing the market's current situation. You can utilize various online forums, gaming communities, and social media platforms or create landing pages, Facebook ads, and more to develop a good marketing strategy.

Aftermaths with market research and developing your marketing strategy for the game, you can follow the below steps to get the best result.


Set a Monetization Model

If you are designing a game to earn money from your product, you must remember to bring a monetization model in your game because when users download or install, that doesn't mean they are purchasing your services, but when they play and give you something back, then the deal cracks. So, it would be best if you are assured that you have a clear roadmap of game monetization, which gives you possible outcomes, churns, and more. For your ease, we have mentioned three models here. You can pick any monetization model like Ads, Premium Version, or In-App Purchase to generate revenue sources for your games.

● Ads

You can use the Pay-per-click revenue model for your game. Whenever the player clicks on the ads, you will get paid.

● Premium Version

You can also create a Premium version of your game. Once the users engage with initial playing, you can ask them to purchase a premium version.

● In-App Purchases

You can add game elements like powers, upgrades, coins, and other things within the game to purchase whenever they want to buy.


It is mandatory to keep your eyes on genre trends as it helps you to win the race with your competitors, and keeps you ahead in the industry. Indeed, choosing a genre decides your game growth. So, it is essential to choose wisely the game genre you want to enter with.

Because designing the same game against big game companies cannot make you stand in a win-win situation, and you would not likely going to succeed with your decisions.

So, ensure that your game genre is simple yet approaching and should have exciting game elements that can bring different types of gamers to your platform.


Focus on Main Game Element

A repetitive mistake observed by failed projects is that developers ultimately spend lots of time building something that would not work for their game elements. So, developers should consider focusing on the main elements of the game and should do 20% of the development work of your grand vision because that 20% of the work will have 80% of the impact of your game.

By applying this method in development any game app will help you reduce development time, effort and resources on things that are not going to make a serious impact on your game application.


Simple & Captivating Graphics:-

The development state includes the production tenure of the game, which consists of graphic design UI/UX, programming, preparing a monetization model, and deciding the platform for the game.

Before starting how should a game app look, you should answer the below question,

What Do You See Before Installing a Game Application?

We think you would probably say that you see the screenshots and checkout the game layout and description provided in the app store. Moreover, we also know if you don't like the provided design, characters, and game plots, you might not install the game application, and the same thing happens with your audience.

Because most developers and game producers focus on the overall look of the game application and don't consider eye-detailing on individual graphics of the game, which is highly important to look after at each stage to build a bespoke game application; moreover, experts always recommend considering each small detail of the gameplay.

Create Captive Designs to Indulge Users

Graphics are not enough to make the best UI/UX for any game, you are required to bring life to each character, environment, and overall graphics; that means you need to get creative designers who can serve your requirements and make exciting UI/UX. You can follow the given factors:-

  • Use Consistency Standards
  • Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
  • A match between the system and the real world

Choose Development Technology

After deciding the monetization model, you will need to choose the best technology for game development that includes everything from programming languages to the tools you want to use while keeping in mind that selected technologies can give you profitable results.

In this segment, you should also evaluate which platform will be more beneficial for your game genre because often, people don't consider it, and they launch their app on a platform that isn't entirely suitable for their game's genre.

For IOS App Development, you can use

  • Objective C, Swift - Programming language
  • Xcode, Appcode - iOS Development Tools
  • UIkit, Swiftkit- UI Frameworks

For Android App Development, you can use

  • Java, Kotlin, Flutter - Programming language
  • Android Studio - Android Development Tools
  • Android UI, Jetpack - UI Frameworks

Engines for Game Development

  • Unity
  • Unreal
  • Cocos
  • Construct2
  • AppGameKit

Use Customer Development Approach

Mastering in customer development approach can build a simple game app, the finest title of all time, as it will build with the core idea and requirements of the gamers. So, you can talk to your customer through various social platforms about your game or can directly schedule calls to get their feedback and to have words for your game; it will be surprising for you.

As players are willing and excited to talk to the game developers of the game they play, even if it's a newly launched game. So, we recommend you get in touch with your customer to make the perfect game.

Also, keep an eye on your players' reviews on Play Store or Apple Store and always try to reply to all reviews while confronting negative too. As there are many game apps, they have been down on the Apple store due to unanswered queries. This simple ignoring ended up with a 2.0 rating and tons of uninstalls for those developers. So, you should make sure that you review almost every review and cover it in the next version.


Hire an Experienced App Development Team

Yes, this is also a crucial step to create a successful product. You would have to hire a professional game development studio because creating a popular game application is not possible without a reliable development team.

So, it would be best to work with a dedicated team who is creative enough to transform your imagination into reality, like Gamix Labs,which can provide multiple services regarding a successful game development app.

Gamix Labs is a full-cycle game development company that provides extensive game development services, including game art design, animation, and development under one roof. We are one of the top game development companies in India and are experts in mobile game development. We have experience in developing games that can be loved by non-gamers & pro players.

Wrapping Up:

We hope you have learned everything that your competitors never want you to know how to create a booming app for Android and iOS platforms. If you want to learn more about game development, you can follow us on our social channels or hire us for your next project by clicking here.

FAQs


What are the reasons for failing game applications?

Insufficient market research and product core inefficiency are the main factors for failing any game application.

How much time does it take to develop a game application?

Development time depends on the size and complexity of the game. To know the accurate development time and cost, click here: https://www.gamixlabs.com/

What are the engines used for mobile game development?

Mobile game development can be done using any game engine or from the list given below: - Unity - Unreal - Cocos - Construct2 - AppGameKit

Is Gamix Labs an art outsourcing studio?

Yes, Gamix Labs is a full-cycle game development studio, and it also offers art outsourcing services for every type of game.

Do you provide services for multiplayer games?

Yes, Gamix Labs team provides game development services for almost every genre, including single or multiplayer games. We can help you to create fighting, arcade, or other multiplayer games.