1M Downloads = NOT Rich? Shocking Truth!
45sChallenges the common assumption that millions of downloads equal big money, creating a curiosity gap.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
The video is a postmortem of the indie game 'Enderance', which surpassed 1 million downloads on Android. The creator breaks down the revenue generated from Android and other platforms, emphasizing the strategy of porting the game to multiple platforms as a key to financial success. The video provides a candid look at the game's flaws and the importance of perseverance and distribution.
Chapters
[00:02]
Milestone and Reality Check
The creator's game reached 1 million downloads on Android, but notes that download counts don't directly correlate with revenue; some games earn hundreds of thousands, others just a few thousand.
[00:18]
Game Overview and Flaws
The game 'Enderance' is a pixel art sci-fi top-down shooter released in June 2020. It was made in 4 months, mostly solo, with help from a pixel artist and a musician. The game had poor metrics: 15% day-one retention, average playtime of 19 minutes (game is 4 hours long), no mid-level saves, punishing difficulty, repetitive gameplay, and lame boss fights.
[03:05]
Android Revenue Breakdown
Android revenue totaled $85,447 from over 1 million downloads. This includes $26,626 from ads (via Yoda Mass Mediation), $12,000 from the free version's ads, $2,000 from AdMob Mediation (used initially), and the rest from the paid version. The game still earns a few hundred dollars monthly in 2025.
[04:05]
All Platforms Combined Revenue
Total lifetime revenue across all platforms is $119,179. Breakdown: Android $85,447; iOS $7,367 (ads) + $9,390 (IAP) = $16,757; Xbox ~$13,000; Nintendo Switch ~$3,000; Steam $625; HTML5 $150.
[05:03]
Why It Still Makes Money
The game continues to generate income because it was made with heart and ported to many platforms. The creator emphasizes that surviving as an indie dev isn't about one hit, but about making one decent thing available everywhere.
[05:48]
Smartest Decision: Porting
After release, the creator signed publisher offers and ported the game to multiple platforms. Steam was disappointing, but the combined revenue from all platforms added up. This strategy is recommended for all indie devs.
[06:17]
Confidence and Pride
The game didn't make the creator rich but paid bills, funded future projects, and gave confidence. The creator is still proud of the game despite its flaws.
The video concludes that even a flawed game can be financially successful if it's distributed widely and made with genuine care. The key takeaway for indie developers is to release, learn, and port their games to as many platforms as possible.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (6)
What was the day-one retention rate for Enderance?
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What was the day-one retention rate for Enderance?
easy
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Around 15%
02:03
What was the total Android revenue for Enderance?
easy
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What was the total Android revenue for Enderance?
easy
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$85,447
03:33
What was the total lifetime revenue across all platforms?
easy
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What was the total lifetime revenue across all platforms?
easy
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$119,179
04:48
Which platform brought the least revenue?
medium
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Which platform brought the least revenue?
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HTML5, with $150
04:35
What was the average playtime for Enderance?
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What was the average playtime for Enderance?
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Around 19 minutes
02:03
What was the smartest decision the creator made with the game?
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What was the smartest decision the creator made with the game?
medium
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Porting it to as many platforms as possible
05:48
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Downloads ≠ Money
Challenges the common assumption that high download counts automatically lead to high revenue.
00:18
📊
Android Revenue Breakdown
Provides concrete revenue figures from ads and paid versions, offering a realistic benchmark for indie devs.
03:05
🔧
Porting Strategy
Highlights the importance of multi-platform distribution as a key revenue strategy for indie games.
05:48
💡
Confidence as a Reward
Emphasizes that non-monetary outcomes like confidence can be as valuable as revenue.
06:17Full Transcript
[00:02] can a mobile game make with 1 million downloads on iOS or Android? I did because recently one of my games reached this milestone of 1 million downloads. Check this out. If you think tons of downloads equals tons of money, well,
[00:18] let me stop you right there. Some games with million downloads get hundred thousand of dollars, while others just a few grand. In my case, is more or less average. My game was well, it's pretty old. I made it in 2020 and overall it
[00:34] kind of sucks. Bad level design, boring mechanics, awful on boarding. But despite all of that, it actually made a pretty solid amount of money, especially for being my second ever project. So, what was the smart move I did with my
[00:48] stupid game? Porting it to as many platforms as I could. And honestly, I think that's something that every indie dev should do to be able to make living out of making games. So, in this video, I'll break down how much it made just on
[01:04] Android from more than 1 million downloads and then how much it earned in total across all other platform I ported to. And those are the major ones like Android, iOS, Xbox, Switch, Steam, and even HTML 5. But before that, I'll
[01:20] quickly introduce you the game I'm talking about. So the game is called Enderance and it's a pixel art sci-fi topown shooter and I released it in June topown shooter and I released it in June 2020 on Android and iOS. So I made this
[01:34] game within 4 months almost entirely solo. I was getting help from a pixel artist and very talented guy who handled the music and sound effects. The rest was on me. Story, design, code, marketing. By the way, about marketing
[01:48] this game and getting featured on iOS and Android, I talk in my video right here. And you may wonder what were the game metrics. They were totally bad. They are still totally bad. But at the time, I didn't know that. So, day one
[02:03] time, I didn't know that. So, day one retention was around 15% and that means that 85% of users were dropping the game just after installing it. And average play time was around 19 minutes. And the game is 4 hours long. And the game had
[02:18] very stupid design problems like no mid-level saves, long and punishing levels. And if you die, you have to start from scratch from the very very beginning of the level. Really hardcore. The repetitive game play, lame boss
[02:33] fights, and auto aim mechanic probably made things even worse. But the story and overall ambience, they were not bad. And a lot of players actually stuck around just to see how it ended. and that meant a lot. So, if you got bored
[02:47] with that introduction, let's get back to the main question. How much money did it with more than 1 million downloads on Android? Here's the breakdown. So, from ads, by the way, I'm using Yoda Mass Mediation for ads and it made $26,626.
[03:05] So, I have two versions of the game on Google Play, the premium one and the free one. So, the free one comes with ads. And from the free one, I got ads. And from the free one, I got $12,000. And from the paid one, I got
[03:19] In the very beginning, when I just released the game, I used ADM Mob Mediation, and it brought me almost $2,000. $2,000. So, the total Android revenue with more
[03:33] than 1 million downloads brought me $85,447. expenses but mostly organic downloads and even now in 2025 it still brings me
[03:47] few hundred bucks every month and that's more than some of my newer prototypes are making. So not bad at all. Now let's look at all platforms combined. So downloads from Android are more than 1 million and from iOS 229,000.
[04:05] So, the revenue from Android, as I said before, it's $85,000. before, it's $85,000. iOS one brought me from ads $7,367 iOS one brought me from ads $7,367 and from the inner purchases $9,390.
[04:20] Xbox over these years brought me more or less $13,000. Nintendo Switch tiny bit more than $3,000. Steam and HTML 5 were the weakest ones. Steam brought $625.
[04:35] Steam brought $625. and HTML 5 brought $150. So the total lifetime revenue is $119,179.
[04:48] years. And here's the thing, the game shouldn't be still making any money, but it does. And why? Because I made it with heart and I put it everywhere. When I look back, yeah, there are million things I would change, but when I boot
[05:03] it up, it still makes me proud. It may be rough around the edges, but it's real. I didn't just prototype some gameplay loop and call it a day. I built a full experience as messy as it was. And all this before AI tools were a
[05:19] thing. There were moments I spent 3 4 days stuck on a bug that would take 30 seconds to solve with Chad GPT. Today, I Googled everything. I used Stack Overflow, Unity Forums. By the way, anyone still using those, but I pushed
[05:34] through. I released it and it mattered more than I expected. And then came the more than I expected. And then came the smartest decision I ever made. Ported to everything. Straight after releasing it, I started getting offers from publishers
[05:48] and I signed them. Steam didn't make much sadly and left me disappointed. So, I kind of gave up on Steam. But maybe one day I'll get back to it. But together, every platform earned just enough. And those tiny streams added up.
[06:03] Sometimes surviving as an indie game deaf isn't about making one hit. It's about making one decent thing and making it available everywhere. So no, endurance didn't change the world, but it got featured on App Store and Google
[06:17] Play. Though it didn't make me rich, but it paid some bills and it founded my future projects. and it gave me something no spreadsheet or KPI ever could. Confidence. And I'm still proud of this game when I return and play it
[06:31] sometimes. If you're a solid, don't wait for perfection. Make something you care about. Release it, learn, port it. Even if this game isn't great, if it's real, people will feel that. And who knows, 5 years from now, it might be still
[06:46] sending you money while you're working on something new. So, if you like the video, give it a like and subscribe. I share real indie dev stuff, numbers, postmortems, fails, and small wins. Comment below. Did you expect this game
[07:00] to earn that much or you thought it's going to be less? And have you ever released something that you're proud of, even if it's flopped? And thanks for even if it's flopped? And thanks for watching and see you in the next one.
