BY JAMES NAGEL

There are lots of people who at some point in their life decided to develop a mobile game, which indeed can be quite a lucrative venture. They pick up an engine, start diving in, and quit before even finishing their first game because their experience is just frustrating. Hopefully, some of our advice from today's article will help you avoid common pitfalls and disappointments that often befall game development startuppers.

Mind the Scope!

The first thing you're going to be careful about is scope. Lots of entrepreneurs choose a game engine dreaming of making the types of games they liked playing. Unfortunately, it often is just not possible. Truth is such games as God of War or Final Fantasy are created by professional game development teams that have at least 40 people over the course of several years. It's a rare business owner who is capable of paying their developers that much and is willing to wait that long and.

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So, even if you throw your whole life into creating your game, you won't create another God of War or Final Fantasy. Especially, not on your first attempt. Your goal with your first game should be creating something you can play, even in the most rudimentary fashion, as soon as possible. Think of your first games as a learning exercise, not your masterwork. If you start with a huge project, you'll find you don't even know where to begin and you'll get bogged down doing little bits and pieces having no tangible result. In other words, keep it simple and start small.

Choose the Right Engine

The second thing you need to decide is what platform or framework you're going to use to create your game. Our recommendation is that you use Unity, a cross-platform engine that is now widely employed for creating VR and augmented reality titles, three- and two-dimensional games, simulations, and much more. If you opt for this engine, you will be able to run your game on pretty much any device, which means there's no need to develop natively for each specific platform. To learn more about Unity development services, visit this website and familiarize yourself with an exhaustive article. Other possible options may include Unreal Engine, CryEngine, GameMaker Studio, and LibGDX.

Nothing Specific…

Another thing to keep in mind is don't go into your first game with a specific idea. Though it may sound weird, you shouldn't aim to create meaningful and highly conceptual on the first attempt. Learn what you can do and build up to creating something really impressive. Even if you hire experienced game developers, do some experimenting. Don't lock yourself into an idea and beat your head against it for weeks and months. Instead, watch a few tutorials, then start working towards something you're pretty sure you can build and subsequently sell.

It's OK if there are still a few parts of the development process you have no idea how to even start to do. But make sure it's only a few parts when breaking your project down and planning things out. Should you have any problems figuring out some aspects or have a hard time putting your ideas into practice, don't hesitate to ask your development team for advice or recommendation.

Invest in User Acquisition

Tons of new mobile games are created and published every day. It's no wonder that so many of them end up gathering dust in app stores. It doesn't necessarily mean that these games are boring, low-quality, or undeserving of users' attention. The truth is the gaming market is really flooded with offers and oftentimes, supply does exceed demand. Don't let the same sad lot befall your game. You would be well-advised to invest some money in pure organic growth.

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Create a buzz around your game by paying for the initial 3,000 or 4,000 downloads. By doing so, you'll manage to get the ball rolling and attract real consumers. It's a good idea to harness the power of social media and try to reach potential customers on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. You may also consider collaborating with an experienced game marketing expert to attract new users and convince them to download and actively engage with your product.

Choose a Monetization Strategy

As with any application that hits an app store, your game should bring you not only laurels but also tangible profits. To monetize your game app, consider including various in-game purchases and third-party ads. That being said, don't go overboard with it. In-game purchases shouldn't give your users too much advantage over other players, and your advertising content should be relevant, inoffensive, and non-distracting. Furthermore, try and collaborate with other game app developers and publishers to cross-market your game. You could also work with affiliate marketing, advertising other products within your app. This is more subtle and therefore often proves to be more effective compared to traditional advertising techniques.

(Disclaimer: The article is sponsored, and hence promotes some commercial links.)