Groundskeeper2 is done! and will be, if all goes to plan, released on April 9th!
I got some questions from people asking my why I’m not releasing Groundskeeper2 yet, so I’ve put on my business-cap and hope to give a satisfying explanation!
So the Android version of Groundskeeper2 was completed last week, and the ChromeOS version is also ready to be played. I still had ports to do and iron out small things, like the Ouya and Gamestick builds (also running on Android) still need 1 or 2 days of work, and I had the iOS version that need porting.
Today the porting work on the iOS version of Groundskeeper2 was completed and the app is submitted to Apple. This usually takes about 7 days to pass and be accepted and then it will be ready to release.
All this time, the Android users are also waiting, and I can see how that could be frustrating from an end-user point of view, but this is where the all-mighty business cap comes in.
For you guys, Groundskeeper2, is just the next and new game from Orangepixel. You (hopefully) buy it, play it, enjoy it, and hopefully you’ll keep enjoying it for a few more weeks maybe even months (like with my previous games). That’s great and I honestly hope all you guys have a blast with the game cause that’s why I still create games: entertainment.
For me, however, the moment I release the game signals the end of about 4 – 5 months of full-time work. So altho games are supposed to be fun, and every indie developer says “it’s not about the money” ..it kinda IS about the money. I need to earn money with this game cause it’s also my job, simple as that.
In the mobile market there are like at least 100 games released each week, and it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. A great way to actually stand out is get a lot of mentions on websites, twitter, facebook and forums.
To accomplish that “chatter” in the fullest potential, I aim to release the game on every platform I can at once. Meaning that not just the iPhone/iPad websites and gamers will talk about the game, but also the Android gamers, forums and sites, and also the people playing on PC’s. The more people talk about the game on the day I release, the more chance that people who have never heard of my game will also suddenly start thinking “hmm, maybe I should check this out” and there it is, on the platform of their choice.
Besides having all the ports ready to go, I also need to invest time and money into marketing. Currently my trailer-specialist Denis Harris is hard at work on creating one of his masterpiece game trailers, and I will have to start sending out promo-codes, create a some press-release blabla and images, and start contacting websites and influential people.
So yes, Groundskeeper2 is done and coming! I plan to release on April 9th, only a few weeks after my original March-release target, but trust me, I have a lot of stuff to do before I can breath and sleep without being nervous about how my new child enters the world ;)
