Comments on: How Casual Game Startups Can Survive Recession

By: Social Gaming in 2009: Challenges and Opportunities

Social Gaming in 2009: Challenges and Opportunities — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:50:18 +0000

[...] in October.) And though executives with casual game startups recently told me they’re confident they’ll survive this recession, the challenges and opportunities for social games, which still primarily exist on major social [...]

By: How Sonny Became 2008’s Big Flash Game Hit

How Sonny Became 2008’s Big Flash Game Hit — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:09:50 +0000

[...] but difficult to master. As casual game startups struggle to stand out among their competitors in these recessionary times, it’s the kind of franchise we’re more likely to [...]

By: Casual Games Trends In 2008 | Product Management Meets Pop Culture

Casual Games Trends In 2008 | Product Management Meets Pop Culture — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:27:14 +0000

[...] How Casual Game Startups Can Survive Recession [...]

By: Mochi Network: 10 Most Popular Flash Games of 2008

Mochi Network: 10 Most Popular Flash Games of 2008 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:00:45 +0000

[...] James Au | Monday, December 15, 2008 | 7:00 PM PT | 0 comments One reason casual game startups are still confident in these recessionary times is that the top titles attract millions of players. Our friends at [...]

By: Kathy Johnson

Kathy Johnson — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:20:36 +0000

Last week, “Hunted Forever” was named by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 video games of 2008 (ranking above Spore) and the only PC-game on the list (others included GTA4, RockBand2, etc.). Many of those games required $20+ million development budgets. Meanwhile, consumers had to spend $60 on the game (plus the console and subscription fees). That’s a lot of money in these recessionary times. Evan Miller knocked out Hunted Forever in six weeks, King.com discovered him, and the game was played over 2 million times in October on over 1,000 sites. So, for 2009, perhaps big budget + big brand ≠ big success; and gaming companies will become more like studios – discovering, financing, marketing and distributing indie developers to create the biggest video games you’ve never heard of.

By: Gadget Sleuth

Gadget Sleuth — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:22:06 +0000

I agree with and understand much of this. The fact is, though, a starting game company can only monetize so many ways, because its unknown and games cost money to put together, at least on a level that will sell well. I learned this first hand with my own company.

By: TechLang

TechLang — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:27:50 +0000

Startups should find more creative to monetize in addition to advertising.

By: Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:50 +0000

Agreed. While advertising budgets typically are the first to get squashed, the gaming industry is in a very unique position. In rough economic circumstances, free-to-play titles only become more and more attractive to the average consumer. Toss a casual free-to-play in the mix, and you’ve practically omitted the barrier to entry.