Do simple games sell?

[Infinite Element]

Hey,

The game I am making is simple (very simple), but it is a new idea, never done before. Do simple games sell, or do they need to have a bunch of fancy features and modes?

[Andy]

Hey,

The game I am making is simple (very simple), but it is a new idea, never done before. Do simple games sell, or do they need to have a bunch of fancy features and modes?

Yes. They sell.
No. You don't need a bunch of features but it's better to have some.

The rest depends from the game itself and how you've mastered to sell it.

[oldschool]

To piggy back on the OP.

Could a non themed game that was essentially endless mode sell? And what kind of sales are we talking a few dollars, a few hundred a month?

And what genres are we talking.

[moose6912]

How simple is simple?I doubt a highly polished version of single player tic-tac-toe would sell well or a very polished version of guess-the-number?

[Pkeod]

Just think of any of the games that only give you a few options to affect the outcome of the game. This would be both interface (array of buttons to press/ options to select) and actual game mechanics (the strategy involved with the pressing of buttons). I think simple games do sell, but simplicity would not be the only factor to consider when thinking if one game or another would sell well... Simple, fun (compelling/addictive), good looking, as well as a whole bunch of other things (like marketing) have an effect on how the game will sell.

Sure, games with endless modes can sell, but it depends on how each game is packed. (What other things are going to be included with the game that would compel the player to play more?)

[Infinite Element]

...I'm thinking it would be better to include a few modes, and I have ideas for them... And as for the type of game, it's a reinvention of the Breakout genre. (It's about time something like this happened!)

[mrkwang]

Simple games could be sold. But as usual, 'Sales' could depend on 'Marketting'.

[svero]

Well I've had discussions with experienced developers who feel that it's sometimes even a mistake to add too many features. Sometimes it's the simplicity itself that's the selling point. Sometimes more is less. But as always it depends on the game! Would Bejeweled 2 have sold better with 50 special gizmos and a map and a storyline or worse?

[bratkitty]

If simple games didn't sell, the Nintendo Wii wouldn't be dong nearly as well as it is. Tetris is another good example.
It all depends on marketing really. Simple games market really well to casual gamers.

[Polycount Productions]

Hey,

The game I am making is simple (very simple), but it is a new idea, never done before. Do simple games sell, or do they need to have a bunch of fancy features and modes?

Just think about "Sudoku" - all the sudoku games together amount to quite big $$$.

Simple CAN work... but then there's a catch. Simple can become boring too (if it's not fun)... it really *depends*.

[ZeHa]

A few years back, a game was released that was really VERY simple, but I don't know if it's well-known outside of Germany, it's called "Moorhuhn-Jagd", a promotional game for Johnny Walker.

Back then, it was a very nice contrast to the more advanced popular games (think of Quake 3 etc). It was freeware, but it got extremely popular very quickly. But the game itself is really simple, there's only one scenery and it's always the same gameplay, and it only lasts for 1:30 minutes. But it was fun as hell, and there was even a boxed version which got sold (together with a T-Shirt and a Poster, I think). Also, they expanded the Moorhuhn-franchise with two sequels and some spin-offs, e.g. a kart racing game and some point'n'click adventures. I never played those, but the original game (it was just bird shooting) was extremely simple, extremely fun, and got extremely popular.

[electronicStar]

Yeah Moorblahblah was very popular in the office at my dayjob :)

[Spore Man]

Think of the game in terms of VALUE for $

[Luis]

A few years back, a game was released that was really VERY simple, but I don't know if it's well-known outside of Germany, it's called "Moorhuhn-Jagd", a promotional game for Johnny Walker.

Back then, it was a very nice contrast to the more advanced popular games (think of Quake 3 etc). It was freeware, but it got extremely popular very quickly. But the game itself is really simple, there's only one scenery and it's always the same gameplay, and it only lasts for 1:30 minutes. But it was fun as hell, and there was even a boxed version which got sold (together with a T-Shirt and a Poster, I think). Also, they expanded the Moorhuhn-franchise with two sequels and some spin-offs, e.g. a kart racing game and some point'n'click adventures. I never played those, but the original game (it was just bird shooting) was extremely simple, extremely fun, and got extremely popular.

Yes, the game was a good example for a casual game, even if that category didn't exist in that days. I think it was the intuitive and simple game mechanic that made the game popular but Phenomedia didn't realize and concentrated on the new generated franchise and other games with "crazy animal characters" - "Moorhuhn Kart" is a good example. In the end they failed and got bankrupt. They missed the great chance to discover/defind a casual games market before "bejeweled" was released.