If you didn’t catch my first post-release wrap up, you can read it here. In a nutshell, the release of Unknown Orbit went well, and I got reviewed by a lot of big sites, but sales didn’t launch in a big way.
So how’s it all going now that things are well and truly settled? Here’s the sales graph by week:
Things started out alright, and sales haven’t been a total embarrassment, but now I’m down to around 1-5 sales a day, its just pocket money. I’m going to try offering the game free for a day or four to promote the game a bit more soon, but this is probably where I leave it for now. I was seriously considering doing an update, but its just not worth it for the sales and initial reaction I got. I’m getting more and more eager to begin work on something with some more depth and meaning.
Despite the rather average sales, I felt like the game was well worth my time and effort. I learnt a lot in 2012 about Unity, Playmaker (the visual state editor that I use instead of programming) and met some great people in London. Also got an article published in Gamasutra, so I’m overall quite pleased and ready to move on to the next game.
I’ve just moved back to my home town of Adelaide, so I’m using this opportunity to think, ponder and dream about next game possibilities while I get setup. I’m also going to take this chance to study some more game design, and branch out some more creatively. I’ve been reading Mastery by Robert Green, Art of Game Design, and I’m generally just trying to shake things up a bit more by doing some more drawing, guitar, and reading before I decide on the next game. I’m also going to commit to a more constant study process, whether that’s specific game design books, philosophy, psychology, art, design, etc. I’ll also be continuing to practice and flesh out my skills in Unity and Playmaker so I can prototype and build the next game even faster.
I’m also going to be thinking about partnering up with someone for the next game, perhaps once I’ve gotten a ways into the prototype development, game design, etc. Making UO on my own was fun, but if I want to develop something more in depth, then I shouldn’t fool myself that I can do it solo!
The only thing I can say almost for sure about the next game is that it will be about people. Something I’m very interested in is getting players attached to characters, so I will see what I can do to turn this effect up in my next game as much as possible. I’ve got a few great ideas I’m throwing around at the moment, its just a matter of choosing one!
Stay tuned for future updates, looking forward to sharing my next game.
Regards,
Jay