This week I read a postmortem for the game AI War. There are lots of interesting numbers and graphs, as per usual in a postmortem, but what really grabbed my attention was his discussion of game monetizing models. He talks about how traditionally someone will release a game, then maybe do a couple of add ons, but essentially they leave the game and move on. But with AI War he has continued to support the game with free content updates, as well as several paid expansions, incorporating player feedback. And the really interesting part is that he has continued to have strong sales over the last four years.
This is really encouraging to me. I really like the idea of releasing a game, and then continuing to develop it, especially with feedback from fans. The space strategy game that I’m working on could be expanded into a huge world, with lots of interesting things to do and interesting people to meet. But it doesn’t all have to be done right now. I can release a relatively small game, for a relatively small price, and continue to develop it and add to it. Hopefully the continual development will help keep it fresh and increase it’s exposure.
It’s just a great idea that a game can continue to improve and grow after release, and that just because it doesn’t immediately skyrocket on release, that doesn’t mean that it’s done for.