Pricing of games is difficult, isn't it? - A story about a game I made that didn't sell very well
日本語版の記事は、以下のリンクからご覧ください。
It has a kind of lonely title, but I write in a funny way, so please bear with me.
I don't know why, but my twitter account for game announcements has been suspended for a few days now.
いやあ、途切れへんね！こんな沢山遊んでくれはるん！？チラシもどんどん持っていってくれはるし、すごいわ！ #デジゲー博 pic.twitter.com/G4VmpL6VMC
— Shuhei Miyazawa (@room_909) November 13, 2022
Very popular at the Digital Game Expo!
[Translate] The basic rule is simple: “cross the corridor without getting hit by raindrops” by moving the cat's hand at the bottom of the screen left and right. There are many hidden bonuses, such as a “non-stop bonus” for running through without stopping, and a “badge” with special effects for reaching the goal after meeting certain conditions, such as obtaining a large number of stars, which are items that score points. The game is a fun way to score and attack with these bonuses.
Derek Yu of "Spelunky" gave it a great review!
The delightful presentation, perfect pacing, and mysterious badge system elevate this seemingly simple raindrop-dodging arcade game into a compelling score chaser with powerful "one more try" appeal.
Highly rated 8/10 in the historic British Edge Magazine!
There is genuine character in its presentation, too, from the four distinct jingles that follow successful sprints to the anticipation-heightening Cambridge chimes that precede a new run, the leaderboards celebrating the 'top five brave cats' and the game-over text - 'It's cooooooold!' - that somehow mollifies the frustration of a run prematurely ended. It's a reminder that good ideas are timeless. Another 40 years from now, we suspect it won't have aged a day.
Furthermore, even tobyfox from “Undertale” enjoyed himself!
(Thanks to you, Daisuke Amaya!)
1年前ぐらい、天谷さんと少し話せました。あの時、Raindrop Sprintersをお勧めしてくれました。楽しいよ！
— tobyfox (@tobyfox) December 21, 2024
あと、Shuheiさんと天谷さんはまだ仲良しで何か癒されます
But it didn't sell that well. Raindrop Sprinters, the classic action game I spent two years making, didn't sell as well as I thought it would. A year after its release on Switch and Steam, the total number of copies sold was about 900. Well, I thought it would go for 1,000 units.
Nice to meet you. My name is Shuhei Miyazawa, a web designer by profession and an independent game developer. I am an old man who jumped into the world of indie games after working as a debugger for “Cave Story” created by my school friend Daisuke Amaya and meeting NIGORO of “La-Mulana” and “Roses and Camellias”. I have been involved in the industry since around 2011 as a debugger, event staff, and other behind-the-scenes staff and have met many creators. For more detailed profile, please visit the official website.
I had been working behind the scenes for a long time, but I took a leap of faith and created the free game “Raindrop” during the Corona Disaster. It was unexpectedly well received, and my fellow creators encouraged me to create an upper version for the consumer market.
However, I was an amateur who had only created free mini-games. I was full of anxiety because of my lack of expertise, but with perseverance, I managed to release the game over a period of two years (the publisher, Play, Doujin! Project, also helped me a lot, for which I am truly grateful!).
As a side note, the main visual (cat and background) was created by my wife, and the program, graphics, sound, game design, flyer, PV, etc. were all created by me alone.
Additional game modes (8 modes of 4 x 2)
Major improvement of graphics
Massive addition of direction and BGM
Addition of wallpapers
Addition of vertical (TATE) screen mode
Addition of Pixel Perfect Mode
Addition of network ranking
💧Raindrop Sprinters🐈
— Play,Doujin!プロジェクト (@PlayDoujin) August 3, 2023
🎉応援メッセージリレー⑧＋
配信当日、最後の応援メッセージは実はもう1通……
有限会社エムツー・ほりいなおき @hor11 さんから！
職人集団を率いるボスからの熱いメッセージをどうぞ！
🛒：https://t.co/f1jpTV9ob8#走る肉球 pic.twitter.com/brtD1XJ9E5
Extremely primitive! A well thought out idea! You just wanted to put out such a game and you alone implemented even online ranking and I thought it was a monster. That must have been a dopamine rush.
Next time it’s our turn to be flooded with dopamine.
many years (support from PLAYISM and room6, publishers of other companies!) It was like a festival. I thought that perhaps this would sell well.
Thus, in August 2023, the Switch version was released. Press kits and PVs were made, releases were sent out in Japan and overseas, and even messages of support were received from creators who have been a part of the project for
However, sales weren't that great: I got a lot of “I bought it!” reports on Twitter. but the number of sales was not as high as I had expected. I was a little impatient and thought, maybe there are a lot of people waiting for the Steam version.
In December, the Steam version was released with much anticipation. A lot of updates were made, including the addition of achievements and hidden modes, and the Switch version was updated as well. Once again, I sent out a press release, and this time, it should have worked! But the result was the same small wave as the Switch version. Why not!
After that, I updated the game many times, talked about the topic, ego-searched and talked to players directly, and did many other things, but I did not see any major changes. Often I got media coverage, but it remained in a state of calm, and before I knew it, a year had passed. It's depressing when the response to something you've spent so much time creating is so weak! Then, when I hear that someone has won an award, or that tens of thousands of copies have been sold immediately after its release, or that it has become a TV drama or an anime, I want to scream. Aaaaahhh!
Now, I know this is hard, but if we are going to look into the future, we have to find out why it didn't sell. If the game was boring, it would be a quick story, but my game was well received. The media response was great, and everyone who looked at the reviews and ego-surfed enjoyed it. So what wasn't good? Of the several reasons I considered, the one that stuck out the most was the price.
List price: 1,260 yen (tax included). At first glance, it looks bullish, doesn't it? It is really difficult to determine the price. At first, I was expecting to pay around 500 yen, but it seemed too low. After consulting with many people and worrying about it, I finally decided on this price. This game, although it may not be popular with the general public at first glance, should stick with the core fans. I also thought that people would buy this kind of niche game, even if it was a little expensive. I knew I couldn't hope to make a thin profit. I also simply wanted to recover as much of the development cost as possible. The longer the development dragged on, the lonelier my pocketbook got, and the more anxious I became.
But when sales began, I realized that I had made a big mistake. My games were not niche. I was shocked to read reports that everyone from small children to women in their 80s were enjoying playing my games. I wondered why I had forgotten that my games were enjoyed by people from all walks of life at digital game expositions, and that I had made them easy to operate so that anyone could play them.
The price I decided on may have targeted only core players. I think it would have separated me from the general players, and as a result, I would have reduced the initial speed of sales, which is the most important factor. If the price had been more affordable, it might have been more exciting for everyone to compete with each other for scores, which would have led to more sales. As I stared at the online rankings, which were not increasing in number, I wondered if my pricing, which seemed bullish, might actually be the result of my bearishness (Currently, the scores are properly registered up to the 100th place).
Now, in the 2024 Winter Sale going on right now, both the Steam and Switch versions are being offered at 50% off, the largest discount ever. This is probably about what the price should be. Please try it out, I'm confident you'll find it fun. The sales will be used to pay for milk for my daughter who was born 2 months ago, please help us!
So, the reason why I am writing this article now is that I wanted to bring closure. Even though some time has passed since its release, I have been holding on to the nagging feeling that something is still missing, that something will happen, but I think it is time to move on. I think it is right to move on maturely, as it is extremely rare for sales to exceed the initial speed later on.
A cleverly designed single-screen arcade game where its core gameplay is enriched by strategies for scoring without complicating the gameplay. The extra modes are just as fun and have a lot of replay value. Unfortunately, according a database of Steam information, this game might only be owned by 120-700 people on Steam, and reviews are virtually non-existent. That's a shame, because Raindrop Sprinters deserves a lot better than that. I'll be banging on pots and pans to spread word about this game.
[Excerpts] All I really have left to say is that you should buy this game. I'm really impressed at how well it hits that arcade-itch, and I think if this was released under a major publisher 30-40 years ago it would steal a lot of quarters. Each play session only lasts 30 seconds to five or so minutes, but I've kept coming back again and again despite how short it is. I hope this takes off so room_909 can continue to make more fantastic games in the future!
[Excerpts] My thoughts on Raindrop Sprinters after nearly 3 hours of play is that it has to be the most fun I have had with an arcade inspired game for a while now...At the end of this ramble, yes I would recommend this game to all arcade fans and would even go as far as saying that most casual players would like it too.
Top shelf single screen score chaser arcade game. Simple, snappy controls and a ridiculously addicting gameplay loop across 4 game modes. Cool risk/reward score mechanics. Bullet hell elements like grazing and focus. Global leaderboards and TATE mode. What more do you want?! This is such an easy recommendation to anyone looking for a good and authentic feeling arcade experience. Really hope this dev makes more stuff like this!
[Excerpts] The cute and comfortable is juxtaposed with the cool and curious in a way that really activates my imagination while I play. This is also reflected in the game's mechanics, like mysterious badges and special events. As a result, it captures the feelings many retro games do, by inviting you to imagine and experiment while you play. Congratulations to Miyazawa-san for achieving such elusive feelings in his game.
"Show me your courage, tabby cat!" pic.twitter.com/L1LKb3WOwQ
— 🦋 @SODABYTES.com (@SODABYTES) September 14, 2023
However, the response was more than satisfactory. I gained enthusiastic fans, received glowing reviews, was praised by my friends who are also creators, and even received fan art for the first time in my life (I still have it framed and on display!). My game has been enjoyed so much that it has stuck with players at home and abroad, and they can't stop playing it. It was a perfect debut for a rookie, and I am very happy to have created Raindrop Sprinters.
But I still feel sorry for the game in the sense that not many people played it. As I said before, the works I created are like my own children. I think I could have done a better job of bringing them to the world. That is my only regret.
[PS] Two more reasons why it wasn't good, besides the price. First, the name “Raindrop Sprinters” conveys the content well, but it is too long when spoken. It is difficult to make up an abbreviation, and it is difficult to convey in conversation.
Another reason is that 'the time between the event and release was too long.'The 2022 Digital Game Expo was held in November. If we wanted to take advantage of the positive feedback we got here, we should have released the game within a month or two. In reality, the Switch version was released the following August 2023, nine months later, and the Steam version was released in December 2023, a year and a month later. Perhaps the event should be attended when it is nearing completion.