By now you’ve probably heard that the makers of Draw Something, an iPhone/iPad version of Pictionary, sold their hit game to Zynga for $200 million.
From obscurity to millionaires in a matter of weeks.
With one simple idea.
So why not raid the old board game closet and find what’s next? Words with Friends and Draw Something didn’t invent some crazy new game like Angry Birds did. They just adapted old favorites to a new medium.
Here are some games to get your wheels turning.
- Sorry!
- Clue
- Monopoly
- Life
- Chess
- Risk
- Connect Four
- Yahtzee
- Boggle
- Apples to Apples
Could any of these be adapted for iPhone play and go viral with popularity? Games where each player takes a turn seem to work best, but it doesn’t seem to matter whether the gameplay is competitive (Words) or cooperative (Draw).
Monetization
Smartphone games typically make money in 3 ways:
- Advertising. The free version of the game is supported by advertising, so you can collect revenue in this way.
- App sales. Sell a premium ad-free version and make 70% on every sale (Apple takes a 30% cut for running the app store).
- In-game sales. Many games create a virtual currency that can be used in the app to buy additional features or bonuses.
Don’t know how to code an iPhone app? Neither do I. But hundreds of freelancers on Elance and oDesk do, and they’re just waiting for your idea and leadership.