Is it better to make a game based on a trend rather than making an original concept?

I was just randomly wondering, is it better to publish a game following a trend going around Roblox, for example, Su tart games, rather than making an original concept?

Trend games can sometimes get millions of visits in weeks, but then die out soon, so do original concept games have a steadier player-base, and would it result in more visits/revenue in the long term?

Sorry if this shouldn’t be in this category, I’m fairly new to the Devforums.

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You want a long term gain and not a short term one. So make an original concept game.

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Original game is really best idea. The problem with trending game is, many people will play, then in less than 2 month later, it died. All of us have these trend trap. This is the video about trend trap

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I think it’s what you want because you could keep on creating games that are on trend and keep earning about the same amount of R$. But a long term game could earn you more depending on what the game is and how people find out about it. And also a long term game could take longer to take off and get a steady fan base so really it’s up to you.

-Archie4lifeyodude

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I think I would prefer a steadier player-base. Thanks for the reply!

This is entirely dependent on your end goal. A lot of games on Roblox do well if they’re directly inspired by existing trends, such as Among Us currently or inspired by popular game modes and mechanics from other games.

If we take a look at popular games like Adopt Me, Adopt Me isn’t exactly original but their marketing strategies allow for them to maintain player retention and engagement accordingly. They can do this because they have created some form of originally with the content they put into their game even if their game loop isn’t original.

We also have a recent game called Impostor, which is heavily inspired by Among Us however, because this game is very identical to the original game it’s based off, there’s little room for creative freedom - the game was made with the pure intention to generate revenue for as long as the trend is alive and has no actual contingency plan.

You could also deviate from this entirely and design your own game loop and content but this requires substantial more research and development effort as well as marketing effort to create and maintain an active player base.

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Think long-term. While momentarily profiting of a game is nice, you goal should be to maintain your games for the long-run.

That isn’t to say you can’t make preferences dependent on trends, it’s to say to evaluate the whether the trend is worth pursuing. Trends are subjective, and influenced by it’s prosperity and coexisting success as well as primary structure/ idea. It’s also essential to recognise the main audience on such trends, and as @anon2793720 mentioned, to cleverly market for fit.

The “Su tart” trend provided is influenced by a youtuber, you should take the time to weigh up whether it’s plausible or not. Whilst it retains popularity, it’s dependent on what you want to achieve.

It may get a large amount of visits, but trends thrive off a root. Most of these trends earn a large amount of views due to the trend itself being relatively successful, short-term.

Originality can’t be really compared to something like a trend. Original concepts are a waiting game, sometimes they prosper, sometimes not. It’s important to realise the level of ordinary. A idea worth pursuing can be original, but keep in mind you’re and should not be limited to making it completely original.

This is well said. Originality is like putting your hand in a box containing marbles. You don’t know what you’re going to pick, but be confident. Marketing is a large aspect of pure games like this.

At the end of day, analyse whether the trend is plausible. Is it overdone? What does the public think of it? Do they actually enjoy it? It’s still thriving?

Your really can’t tell whether that trend you provided is short or long-term. You have to do your research since I’m not familiar with it myself.

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For all I know, making a game based on the trend will not only get popularity but alsoget yourself some good profit as well

If you look at all the popular games, besides the Piggy and Camping copy games, all the big games are original. I’d personally never make trend based games, as you said, they die off soon. But that’s just my opinion.

I have a game called “Blink.” and it’s all original. I had inspiration of Horizon Zero Dawn, The Mist, Death Stranding and a GTA 5 short film called “Zone.” I have a community built around it. The youtuber “Denis” managed to play the game and it got a bit of a following from that too.

Building a game based on an original concept has to be interesting enough for players to want to learn more about it. It is hard but don’t be afraid to get inspiration and use the inspiration to make your own ideas!

The reason why I said the things I said in the start is to prove that original concepts can succeed. It just requires time and effort.

I really hope you go far with the idea you end up going with. <3

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it is a horrible idea to make a game based on a trend. would you rather have a game that has 38k players for a couple weeks or would you want a couple thousand players to play and like your game long term? these games also arent good for the roblox reputation.

Thank you for the reply! That’s a very good tip and I’ll try it with a game I’m planning to make!