It’s not all that often that publishers share sales figures, but Icon Games, on the back of a successful year, has been good enough to give us an insight into how a well-organised indie developer can expect to perform across the digital download platforms:
iOS
Bashi Blocks
iPhone 19,945
iPad 5,523
Family Games Fun
iPhone 18,203
iPad 24,591
TOTAL: 68,262
WiiWare
Soccer Bashi
2,512
Arcade Sports
11,282
Family Games
14,439
Stunt Cars
12,577
TOTAL: 40,810
PSP Minis/PSN
Bashi Blocks
83,595
Arcade Darts
16,069
Arcade Air Hockey & Bowling
24,818
Arcade Pool & Snooker
3,410
Arcade Bundle
5,998
Family Games
8,829
Pool Hall Pro
3,012
Vertigo
960
TOTAL: 146,691
GRAND TOTAL: 255,763
It’s important to note that at various times, games on some of the platforms have been free, but they do give us an indication of a few things: 1) With PS Plus support, an indie developer can shift serious numbers of Minis, and really get its name out there.
2) iOS is a solid platform for indie developers with a solid grasp for marketing and PR. Nearly 70,000 units over two games is decent numbers, given how often people bemoan how crowded the iOS marketplace is.
3) I don’t think we can be surprised that the developers who were had developed exclusive WiiWare games have moved to release iOS versions of their games. Of course, the likes of Lost Winds would have been a far bigger success on WiiWare than the games listed above, but that marketplace is a very small one to give just rewards to the talented indies.
