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Entry posted by Josh ·
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The last few weeks have been interesting as we've been figuring out where Leadwerks 3 fits into the game development landscape.
The good:
- The feedback from the Leadwerks 3 users has been more positive than anything I've ever seen. People love using it. All the care and attention to the tools has really paid off. The return of constructive solid geometry is a huge win.
- At the upgrade pricing, we're doing a lot of sales. Leadwerks 3 makes more in a week than Leadwerks 2 made in a month, at its best. (Our best sales are typically in the middle of the product life cycle, not the beginning.)
- Leadwerks 3 has a much wider appeal than anything we've ever made. We're no longer trapped in a small niche, but we still have the expandability to reclaim the crown of high-end graphics.
The bad:
- Indie developers can't afford the full price we hoped to set. It doesn't matter what features we add to the product, there's a certain price threshold we can't cross without a multi-million dollar marketing budget.
- Although our documentation is excellent, people still need a full "how to make a game" series of tutorials. The "Darkness Awaits" example game isn't enough, without being put into a tutorial format.
My original idea for Leadwerks 3 was to make a premium product, with a premium price. I was counting on revenue to come primarily from existing Leadwerks users, because it's easier to sell to an existing customer than to attain a new one. However, it's clear that Leadwerks 3 has mass appeal like nothing we've ever done, and a lot of potential for growth if we price it right. Indie developers are happy to buy Leadwerks 3 at an affordable price point. I think there are enough indie developers out there to support us, so we're making the final price $199/199/199 across the board for new customers. Our other market segment are pro game studios, and for them we can offer source code licenses (at a much higher price). Selling a binary license that's too expensive for indies and too cheap for studios is an awkward positioning, and I don't think it works.
When we get back from the GDC, Chris is going to be taken off the core engine development and put exclusively on end user lessons. We are planning a series of weekly tutorials taking you through the steps to make a full first-person shooter game with Leadwerks 3. We chose this genre because we think the precision of the controls maximizes the potential for interactions, which is where Leadwerks 3 can really shine. I will be focused on core engine and editor fixes, and new features.
Leadwerks 3 has a wide enough appeal that I think we can count on growth to fuel the company, not high prices. Leadwerks 3.1 will be the next stop. I know graphical enhancements are a high priority for a lot of people, as well as gameplay features and editor enhancements.
It is an exciting time when the only limits you have are the size of your ideas and the degree of your dedication. We're already seeing some incredible stuff come from the community with Leadwerks 3.
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