Are iPhone games a hard sell?

Strawdog Studios says successes 'can be counted on the fingers of one hand'.

Strawdog Studios biz dev director Dan Marchant has stated that despite App Store's many plusses, real-world success stories are harder to come by than many people believe.

Speaking to ME sister-site CasualGaming.biz, Marchant said: “The App Store is certainly easier to develop and self-publish for than some other digital platforms but from a business point of view that freedom generates a whole new set of problems such as getting your game noticed in a crowded market.

“Consequently developers need to embrace new skills such as marketing and PR if it's going to develop into a sustainable/predicable business model. We have all read the stories of the guys who made hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single month but those people can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

He added" “There are over 25,000 apps available and most of those have struggled to make a few thousand dollars, let alone hundreds of thousands. Greater freedom means more competition and the openness of the platform means that many of the developers are hobbyists releasing free or very very cheap games. There have been several apps in the top 10 that make you scratch your head and wonder how and why they got there. It's becoming clear that price as well as polish are key ingredients to success.”

To read the full interview with Strawdog, click here.