Shortly after NEW ORBIT was released on iOS I wrote to Desura as one possible way of distributing the PC/Mac version and got told that “The game play just doesn’t seem that interesting”. – Today I replied:
About that…
“The unique gameplay is difficult to master but so satisfying” –Jason Wadsworth, 148apps.com , read the review here
“New Orbit manages to accomplish something very rare in the increasingly all-encompassing video game industry: it does something new. I’ve never played anything quite like it.“ -Justin Davis, ign.com, read the review here
“We think you should give it a try. Our users raved about the game after its initial debut, and still seemed high on it even after finishing.” –Brad Nicholson, toucharcade.com, read the review here
But do the players like it? – Glad you asked, I’ll attach a screenshot of the most recent user reviews from the AppStore. (I can send you 25 pages of 4 and 5 star reviews from players in the US alone…)
Kindly awaiting your apology,
Markus Hofer
The mail ends here. – If you’d like to see the game on Desura or have any other favorite platform that you’d like to see it on, tell me – or even better – tell them! The best for me would of course be if you got the game straight from my site, but I won’t hold a grudge against you if you get it somewhere else… or will I?
2 Comments
It’s no secret that the game industry is stuck in some kind of void, one eye on declining sales and the other on seemingly successful times back when every ego shooter was an instant hit. They wish they had those times back and are terrified about trying something new that might hurt their declining sales even more. Your game is something new that’s actually never been done before, so there’s no precedence to refer to as to whether it will be liked or not. It’s hard to make an educated guess if it might mean a good business.
They demonstrated to you that they’re still stuck in the previous decade and they’re obviously not able or not planning to attract the right audience for your game. I guess you should keep an eye out for another publisher or platform for distribution. The Mac App Store is obviously one place, especially considering that it’s not (yet) completely overflowing with shitty games like it’s the case with the iOS App Store. As an added reason I think it’s important to keep in mind that the Mac App Store is used by all ages and kinds of Mac users, so you’ll be able to also reach older people or younger gamers who are looking for a more casual game, which yours clearly is.
It’s a shame that Microsoft isn’t done yet with deploying their own app store system, so that’s obviously not a solution for that platform.
You fight the good fight and don’t let them discourage you to pursue your goals. And you might ask yourself how important to you this opinion of that intern is that reviewed your game and thought it to be “uninteresting”. It’s just one guy (or gal) with obviously very narrowly defined boundaries of taste and without any distinguishable talent to think subjectively.
If you let that poor individual ruin your day, well – that’s your own fault. ;)
I bought New Orbit after reading the TouchArcade review. Sadly (for me anyway) it was so addictive and fun I played it right through practically there and then and am now suffering while waiting for the next (of manyI hope) episodes.
$0.99 isn’t much to pay per episode, but maybe its better to do a “lite” (i.e. free) version with enough content to get people hooked so they’ll pay 2.99 for the “full” game ??
I don’t have a magic bullet answer, suffice to say, I’m on the mailing list and ready to shell out some more cash for the next installment.
Hang in there man, your fans love you !!