I can tell you now the answers you're going to get: It depends on exactly what you require. I'd guess $500 is the absolute bottom end though, for a very simple game. The more complex the game/art/sound the more money it will cost.
You can make a game for very little if you have assets like art, music and sounds already. If that is the situation then the time involved would be the expense.
tatiangMember, Sous Chef, PRO, Senior Sous-ChefPosts: 11,949
According to that article, a survey of 96 mobile app developers showed the average cost to develop an app was $6,453. An article on OS X Daily about iPhone Development Costs reported that the development cost range for “small apps” is $3,000 to $8,000 and that “more complex or recognized brand apps” can cost $50,000 to $150,000.
I thought those numbers actually seem pretty reasonable...
Indeed - before I discovered GameSalad, I was drawing up design documents on a few ideas and lamenting the fact that it would cost me many thousands to see them come to life.
For a u.s. based developer, these numbers are accurate. But outsourcing is also a great option for only a fraction of the cost. I have seen full fledged messaging apps built for $2000 while a us developer might cost $25000.
Anyway, it depends on the game. What is your time worth? Estimate the time to accomplish and multiply by hourly rate.
Those numbers sound about right I would say for the average game $5000 is a good baseline. If I remember @RP and I did an estimate on what puck it would have cost to develop. It cost us nothing as we do all of it but we were in the 10,000 range for hours worked.
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According to that article, a survey of 96 mobile app developers showed the average cost to develop an app was $6,453. An article on OS X Daily about iPhone Development Costs reported that the development cost range for “small apps” is $3,000 to $8,000 and that “more complex or recognized brand apps” can cost $50,000 to $150,000.
Now I just do it myself
QS =D
With the exception of sound/audio I'm able to do my own projects start to finish so it's mostly just a matter of my time for my own projects.
Darren.
Anyway, it depends on the game. What is your time worth? Estimate the time to accomplish and multiply by hourly rate.