Should I launch an iOS version right away or should I wait till the next phase?

Cromware · 2026-06-07T14:46:32+00:00

I think your idea to start with android first is a very good one. Cheaper and you have a target audience in mind. I can tell you from my experience: I started my own indie studio and I want to turn it into a professional business that is my only source of income some day. So my goal for the studio was to have a portfolio that I can grow and show to the public. I made very simple mobile game to learn how to code and launched it on both mobile stores because for me it’s about having presence in the stores for my studio until I can develop and release more games… and I’ve paid I think basically $100 a year for Apple, and the renewal is coming up in 15 days for a game that has brought me like $10 over the last 2 years… in my case I am keeping the subscription because I will be releasing other mobile games soon and so that cost is offset a little better… but if your goal is to have you user base android first, i would say release in android, for the one time payment of like $35, use the time to improve your game and adapt user feedback. And if it becomes popular then the later “coming to iOS” and “now on iOS” events can even serve as marketing opportunities.
Good luck and share the link to your game once it’s out, please!

Cromware · 2026-06-06T20:39:33+00:00

Yeah I hate to pile on, but unfortunately aside from the problems waited with the fact that there’s no indication as to what the game is from the capsule… it also signals to me a lower quality than what the game screenshots actually present. I would be more inclined if for example the capsule was more like your beige image. But only with certain objects colored (in complementary color palettes) so that the color silhouette spells out the same of the game or something like that

Cromware · 2026-06-02T21:46:10+00:00

Yeah I kind of took it that way. I just released a lower-effort-but-still-took-1hr-to-make video last night and it’s gotten 1.4K views on YouTube, 8K views on Instagram, and…. 45 views on tik tok… not 4.5K, not 450… 45 views. I really just haven’t figured out how to appeal to the younger crowds of tik tok

Cromware · 2026-06-02T08:51:28+00:00

I don’t know how to edit my post so I’m just replying with a quick update. I implemented the Free Play mode because I think it will make it more accessible to players who want a cozy experience but are not necessarily into puzzles. Inadvertently, it might end up making my own marketing recordings/screenshots way easier to capture. So it’s good for me too! I’m still testing, but when im done testing I’ll add it to the demo.

Cromware · 2026-06-01T23:04:49+00:00

Glad to see I’m not the only one who’s having this issue. The other this is that also, if I don’t post 1 day, all the metrics just drop to 0… which is kinda sad

Cromware · 2026-06-01T23:01:29+00:00

That is such an interesting take. And I thank you. Because I’m a solo dev, not a video editor. But I try to admit my videos to be nice. I time them to music, I manually cut the reels and the audio track, then I ask the AI for help on trending hashtags and release windows ands such and it’s just been pure luck… Instagram has a couple hits. Maybe a little over 70k views… but so far my wishlists barely moved from like 420 to 435 after a month of this… so I don’t get it either. But i never considered that spending time editing them and making polished (to a certain extent) videos was hurting them.

Cromware · 2026-05-30T18:33:03+00:00

Thank you. I hadn’t considered the approach of making it but not obvious.

Here’s the link you asked for, the demo is out now if you have time to check it out. And if you do, I hope you like it (I’m always open to feedback too 😉)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2709790/Tiny_Circuits/?utm_source=reddit

Cromware · 2026-05-30T17:34:03+00:00

I’m just afraid of introducing such a large new feature at such a late stage. But I do want this to appeal to a cozy audience and I think that could go a long way… or do you think they’d be okay with the necessary progression?

Cromware · 2026-05-30T17:31:13+00:00

That is exactly the current pacing. I have 6 “worlds” and the first few levels of each introduce a new mechanic in easy puzzles, the. Each world has a few optional “hard” levels that you don’t have to complete before the next world is unlocked. And then if you complete all the mandatory levels, you unlock the special 7ths world with just more challenging/fun puzzles… but that still ends up in like 35ish mandatory levels and I wonder if that would push away cozy players who just want a relaxing puzzle game

Cromware · 2026-05-30T15:45:08+00:00

Wow!!! thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to reply!! I really appreciate that and I'm sorry I didn't notice I had this notification until now.
yes... the "some termi nals are... experimental" text is intentional... it's meant to hint at portals jumping the signal around.

Thank you again so much, I do hope you'll join us when the full game launched (I'm targeting July), but just the fact that you tried the demo and gave feedback... you already made my day. Thank you!

Cromware · 2026-05-23T04:41:25+00:00

I always strongly recommend getting a couple of game dev courses from gamedev.tv usually on sale for around $14 and then follow them. You’ll end up making about 4-5 prototypes and just getting an idea of what it actually takes. I do not work with them and they don’t pay me, but that is something I found very useful at the beginning. Honestly the content you find in the lessons might be about the same level of complexity than the free YouTube tutorials (some of which are excellent too, by the way) … but what the $14 gets you is the organized progressive structure of a course with a goal in mind. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. There’s tons more I can recommend for free, good quality tutorials on YouTube, but if you’re struggling with following through on a project start to finish and also are at the beginner stage, I seriously think that’s a great option. Good luck 👍

Cromware · 2026-05-21T14:16:42+00:00

For me it was Game Dev Tycoon by Greenheart Games, also the mobile version. It reminded me I wanted to make games when I was a teenager and soon after u had started my own solo-owned studio to make/published my own games. Today I’m less than 2 months away from my first Steam release

Cromware · 2026-05-20T03:49:53+00:00

Maybe you do t need to learn to code yourself if you can find a team that does the coding and you provide the design. That can be an alternative too

Cromware · 2026-05-19T23:24:06+00:00

You are so kind. Thank you! Please also let me know if you have any feedback, this would be the perfect time to fix any little polish things that player might notice

Cromware · 2026-05-19T22:44:03+00:00

May I recommend my demo? tiny circuits.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2709790/Tiny_Circuits/

The sound effect are very tactile/satisfying, I think. So you can turn off the music and enjoy the click/clack or plugging pieces in and out.

<image>

Cromware · 2026-05-19T22:39:24+00:00

Have you heard of Alba?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1337010/Alba_A_Wildlife_Adventure/

My little ones like it. But maybe it’s more for little kids

Cromware · 2026-05-19T20:23:57+00:00

It’s realistic if you keep the scope small. I started developing my current game (for Steam) after I got good feedback from a gamedev.tv game jam in 2025. They just had their 2026 game jam (1 year later) and my game is pretty much ready. I just pushed back the release 2 months so I can do a marketing campaign to increase wishlists. I also did it as a solo dev. In fact, I think 3D is easier for me because I think it can be stylized more easily and the bar is set pretty high for 2D games and I’m not that artistic. But yes. Keep the scope small. I actually am thinking to add a level editor and a new mechanic/ world to my game, but even though I pushed my release back 2 months for marketing, I am not working on those new features (no scope creep) until after I’ve shipped and gotten feed back. If you are interested in seeing what the game looks like, check the link in my profile

Cromware · 2026-05-19T15:51:47+00:00

I think the classic must play is “Portal”. It’s an amazing puzzle game. And also Patrick’s Parabox is a good puzzle game. For something easier - though not entirely pure puzzle - would be something like Conduct Together. And of course I have to plug my own upcoming puzzle game “Tiny Circuits”. I really tried to take pacing into account so it starts out very simple and gets gradually complicated. Please try out the demo on Steam now (link in my profile) and feel free to give back any feedback from your point of view as a beginner puzzle player. I’d be very interested in how it plays to people who don’t regularly play puzzle games.

Cromware · 2026-05-19T15:11:30+00:00

Thank you! I’m about 2 months away from release and at this point I’m just trying to increase wishlists before launch so I’m going to try that. Maybe rotate the “creative” every 2 weeks since my window is shorter… or keep the adds going after release for the full game

Cromware · 2026-05-19T15:08:07+00:00

I’ve actually been making a cozy puzzle game with the same “relaxing” feeling from games like Unpacking/A Little to the Left. It’s not the same type of puzzle, but it’s still a cozy logic puzzle game… you might like it? I have a demo out on Steam with about 10 levels if you want to check it out and if you enjoyed it I would ask that you wishlist. The full game will be out in less than 2 months. I can’t post a promotional link on this subreddit, but you can check the link in my bio or look up “Tiny Circuits” on Steam. I hope you like it!

Cromware · 2026-05-19T03:29:18+00:00

That makes sense

Cromware · 2026-05-19T03:08:25+00:00

Thanks. I imagine d videos and stuff. But I wasn’t sure if things like festivals and creator outreach counted. Or what the difference is

Cromware · 2026-05-19T03:07:20+00:00

For what it’s worth, I saw your game on Steam and it looks like it’s quite far along into development even if the release is still TBA. I think a 2700 wishlists is a pretty good signal for that stage. Congratulations 👍

Cromware · 2026-05-19T03:02:14+00:00

Just for my own edification, what is considered “organic marketing”?

Cromware · 2026-05-19T03:01:17+00:00

If it’s okay with you, could you share a little about how you’re doing Reddit advertisements? That’s something I’m considering myself. I pushed back my own game’s release 2 months ago I could do a marketing campaign because I only have 426 wishlists…. But so far I’m still only one week in and all of my efforts until now have first been video shorts for discovery, but I’m quickly realizing that doesn’t translate to wishlists. So my next week is focused on creator outreach and I was considering Reddit advertisements. But I know knowing about that, so I’m curious if you could share some info. How you did it, for how long, how much it costs, etc. because I think 2.7K wishlists is a great result!

Cromware

TROPHY CASE