In Flash, Monetizing Tough, But Building Your Portfolio Worthwhile

Author: by Staff

In Gamasutra's latest feature, new Flash developer Tim Cooper argues that while making a profit off of his studio's first game was next to impossible, it opened doors and was ultimately worthwhile. Like many first-time developers, Cooper began without adequate planning, revisiting decisions later in development after it became clear from user testing that his game was flawed. Further changes came thanks to one of his collaborators, who provided the game's art: "I wanted it to look a little out of the ordinary, and take advantage of [artist] Phil's illustration style, so at some point (I can't remember where the idea came from) the decision was made to replace the people with monsters and the 'regular' ingredients with the kinds of things I would expect those monsters to eat. The name Beastie Burgers followed shortly afterwards." Following his nose led Cooper to create a game he was satisfied with, but one that was difficult to monetize. "In the end, when we did agree to a deal, I was a bit disappointed by the process," writes Cooper of his experiences with Flash Game License. The team also put the game on Facebook, with poor results: "We added various Facebook hooks throughout the game and plonked it on there. We also put some Mochi ads in at the beginning to see how that would work out. Again, the results were a little disappointing." However, Cooper is confident it was worthwhile. "Of course, on paper it looks like a financial disaster, but that isn't the point," he writes. "We currently have six separate game projects either in development or booked in to start in the coming months, so in that respect alone I can honestly say it was worth the time and expense it took to get it built. My main regret is that we didn't start and complete it sooner." To find out what other lessons the Cooper learned from building the game, and how the title fared from a revenue perspective, read today's Gamasutra feature, Going Games: From Web Development To Game Studio In One Project -- live now at Gamasutra.