Freelance Flash Games News

Microtransactions have been making big news this week, well at least in the world of flash games. Here’s what’s been going on.

Andrograde, one of the microtransaction sites I mentioned on the last microtransactions post, has released their first game to AddictingGames using their system of microtransactions. Called Beat Me Up Too, the game proves that the system can work. The owner of Andrograde, Will Perone, reports earnings of $1 for every 550 players. Compare that to Kongregate, GameJacket, and MochiAds which will take 1065, 2000, and 2500 plays to earn that same $1. Andrograde recently released a new demo showing off their system and how it works, so go check it out here.

Also noteworthy this week is Whirled, which I also talked about in the last article about microtransactions. Whirled has recently made it onto the opportunities section of flashgamelicense, getting it’s service out for numerous more developers to see.

Today’s news post is something you haven’t seen yet on this site. We’ve released our newest game, titled Whack a Mole: Revenge. In the game you play the role of humans, who are trying to avoid the wrath of an enraged Whack a Mole (how would you feel after years of being hit with hammers). I have to thank JackSmack for the sponsorship and the art of the game, which looks amazing. The game was released onto Newgrounds yesterday, and is available for you to play. Compete for awards and high scores in this twist on the classic game. Check out Whack a Mole: Revenge here. Or if you want to show support, vote 5.

Seen above is gameplay from our flash game Whack a Mole: Revenge. Characters seen are the fat man and the scientist.

A new site called Goofygamer will now let you submit to hundreds of sites from one easy submission form. All you have to do is fill out a form, and the game will be submitted to your list of sites. This list can be anywhere from one site to over 400. I believe the system can currently only submit to sites using the arcade script GameSiteScript. But, it still does take a lot of work out of the process.

The auto-submission form will allow you to specify the game name, description, category, developer’s name, and your site. The actual game file and thumbnail must be linked to. This is to make the process faster and have it consume less bandwidth. So if you’re interested in having a site do some of your game submission work for you, check out GoofyGamer. Keep in mind that you will have to have a registration key to register for the system.

I’m sure most of you out there are interested in making money right? Well, here’s another way for you to make money off your flash games: microtransactions. Microtransactions are basically payments that will enhance your gaming experience. Typically they are sold cheaply for upgrades like new armor, levels, characters, etc. Now, you can apply this system to flash games.

Granted, your flash game will have to be very good to even attract people to consider purchasing an unlockable from your game. But their are a couple new applications out there that will allow you to sell in-game content. Here’s two to consider.

1. Kongregate currently offers the microtransaction system to high level developers only. But, hopefully they will be able to pioneer the system so that it can become more widespread.
2. Andrograde also offers an API system for in-game transactions. The system seems pretty easy to implement. Not too many games are currently using the system, but more games are expected to release with it soon. It seems like it would be worth giving a try. The developer site split is 75/25.
3. Nonoba offers a microtransactions system as well. It has many features, such as letting you decide what and how much you are willing to sell. Also, you’re free to spread your game to any site. One drawback is that you have to spread the Nonoba version of the game (a bit like version control). Some people prefer it though, and there is a 70/30 split between Nonoba and developers which is a pretty good deal.
4. Fatfoogoo is a fairly advanced system of microtransactions. It has quite a few features that seem promising. It offers the ability for players to buy and sell in-game services from each other and has 50 different payment methods. There are multiple options, and the site seems pretty professional from what I saw.
5. Cafe also offers a microtransactions system, but unfortunately this system is only available for multiplayer games. It’s more of a social network than a microtransactions API, and has options like scores, avatars, items, and challenges.
6. Whirled is a bit different system of microtransactions. It will allow you to make games for their online world that use their system of microtransactions. You will be paid for depending on how many players play the game. The system uses online money called bling to track your earnings. Once you reach a 500 ‘bling’ balance, you can cash out for money. You can also spread your game across the net, since the system allows you to either embed or submit swfs to other sites.

I haven’t done a post on GameJacket in awhile, so I’m going to be going over what they’ve been doing lately. First of all, GameJacket has sent out their first newsletter. This is what inspired me to write this post, but it’s good to see them trying to build a community there. That’s one of the features that GameJacket seems to lack. Alright, now for the updates.

As I mentioned GameJacket’s community is a bit small, but they’ve hired a community manager to fix that; Matt Ibbs. This is a great start to catch up with MochiAds, which has had the community feel to it for awhile now.

Next comes business updates. GameJacket has recently aquired an office in London. It’s nice to see this relatively new player to in-game ads is expanding.

Lastly, the ads. GameJacket has announced two imporant things you’ll be happy to hear. They’ve introduced a new ad type, the interstitial (or inter-level ad as you may know it). This means more ad impressions for you. They’ll also be keeping their promise of a guarenteed $0.50 eCPM. The offer has been extended until further notice. So you’ll still have time to keep earning off of international impressions.

There you have it. A quick update of what’s been going on at their site.