To be honest, any game can make profit. As long as you have ways to keep players coming back (Daily rewards, challenges, etc), then you can make profit. Like Fm_Trick said, focus on how to keep players entertained and let them enjoy their time in the game. Try to figure out ways to keep them coming back to play more.
8 Likes
All games are profitable except for games that are clearly made stictly as cash-grabs. Those die faster than any other game.
3 Likes
That isn’t actually true. I know some people who made games strictly as cash grabs and they worked…
6 Likes
Could you provide examples of a zero-progression roleplaying game? (I’m assuming you add zero-progression here to exclude games like Dungeon Quest)
I’m not familiar with this subset of games so some examples would be helpful
2 Likes
Adopt Me and Royale High are two examples.
2 Likes
Any game that you play a role but do not progress in any way. Wolve’s Life is a good example.
2 Likes
Games that allow players to craft their own experience are the ones that will last in the long term. The category doesn’t matter much here, it comes down more so to how the game is designed. Any top earning game you will play on Roblox has a fun loop that allows players to be who they want to be.
6 Likes
I would honestly have to say that most likely roleplay games like Frappe because not only do you pay for gamepasses, In-game products, clothes and stuff like that. You then also sometimes have to pay it twice or even three times each time the roleplay game comes out with a new version, though I’m not saying other games can’t be as profitable because some simulators can gain a lot of robux too due to the high amount of gamepasses and in-game products that are actually available to the player. I love this question and it’s interesting with how many different responses there can be to this question.
2 Likes
Adopt Me has progression. The progress is through your house as opposed to your standard level up/gear system.
2 Likes
Wouldn’t no progression hurt retention?
1 Like
Based on personal experience, it depends on the actual quality of the game, not just the genre. My simulator ranks average in monetization, others rank very highly, others rank very low.
That being said, I know owners of roleplay games such as hospitals, prisons, etc. These type of games can have very high ARPUs because there is not a lot to do without paying, and the gamepasses are generally expensive.
I’d suggest that you focus on a game you want to make that could be fun for players. If your game is fun, people will spend money on it. If you only focus on making as much money as possible chances are you’re going to make a game that isn’t as enjoyable for the players.
TLDR: Simulators and roleplay/non-progessional games generally do well, but any game can make a lot of money if players enjoy it and you monetize it correctly.
2 Likes
A simulator is indeed a cash-grab in my opinion, I’d say the most profitable category of games are simulators, they get robux very quickly and as long as you make it good with great art, UI’s, and a great game, all that great stuff you’ll have a successful simulator.
3 Likes
In a purely time allotted (making the game) vs profits gained; I would have to say simulators. They are quick to make, and with some money invested in ads they can get to the front page and make hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. Your best bet is to make a simulator game, release it from a group, and give some sort of reward for being in the group. Your ground will get a following, and the next game you release (most likely another simulator) will do so well just from players in the group, you almost won’t have to pay for ads. One example of a group that did this is Scriptbloxian Studios
1 Like
Most will probably say simulators but simulators do well for a very short amount of time.
You’ll make a simulator, run ads and sponsors and yes it might do well for a few days or a few weeks, but after that it will be stale and dead. I’d say your average simulator is a lot less work than other kind of games that stay around a lot longer but in the long run not a good idea.
If you look at the games that are staying around the longest they are the games that are quite hard to really categorise. In other words they are more original. Even if you take a game like Jailbreak which uses a very common idea of escaping jail and living a life in the city robbing shops and stuff, it is unoriginal idea done in a very original style and way that makes it do well.
If you’re not a very experienced developer and are looking for your first game(s) to do decently then I would recommend a simulator.
Profit is important, but if you want to get up there more, you need to make sure the game you’re making is challenging to you as a developer so that you can grow and then make a better game next time around. (=
2 Likes
If everyone makes simulators guess what, not only is yours most likely to fail based on basic supply and demand, but any audience you’re gaining won’t be as interested in your new non simulator games when you inevitably try to pivot away from simulators when people realize the market saturation is grossly overstated by now.
Games that are successful are differentiated from the crowd, and yes some simulators fit this description, they’ve done a main mechanic differently than most other ‘simulators’. Find something no one else can do that you’re passionate about, and monetize off of that. Anyone can make a generic clicking simulator now days, steer clear.
5 Likes
I don’t really agree with this. Is the market for simulators extremely saturated? Definitely. But just because a market is saturated does not mean a product will fail. I think simulators will always be popular with younger players, I’ve seen my younger siblings play them for hours. If you were to actually create a good clicking game that brings something new to the table, there is a decent chance it will still do well.
I agree with this sentiment (don’t make simulators!)
Making a simulator doesn’t mean you will “fail”, but consider the fact that roblox simulators have
- Almost no barrier to entry (very easy to make)
- A lot of firms (devs) and customers (players)
Therefore, the simulator market seems to be competitive and in a long run equilibrium.
Which means on average, you can turn in positive accounting profits, but won’t make more than you could have working on any other type of game. As making simulators is mostly a mechanical task with very little design and skill involved, you’re basically working a minimum wage job exploiting young children with little hope for advancement and no job security — yikes.
3 Likes
I can tell just from the word-choice, hello fellow econ enthusiast!
1 Like
I think horror story games, simulators, tycoons and obbies are some of the most profitable game types.
I believe if you’re attempting to make money, Simulators.
If you’re trying to get a lot of concurrent players, zero progression roleplay games.
If you’re trying to go genre wide, a survival game.
Just the new meta in 2019.
3 Likes