作者：James Nouch

距离《涂鸦跳跃》首次入驻iPhone平台已有4年之久，这款出自Lima Sky之手的作品在此期间已经从游戏演变成一个品牌。

它在App Store上线后就一直是高下载量榜单的常客，截止本文撰稿，该游戏仍位居美国App Store付费游戏榜单第30名。

很显然，这款游戏总是不乏用户，那么它的盈利情况如何呢？《涂鸦跳跃》是发布于2009年的99美分游戏，当时免费增值游戏尚未主导App Store收益榜单。

让我们看看App Store榜单的情况吧。

doodle-jump(from pocketgamer)

平稳发展

需要指出的是，《涂鸦跳跃》自2009年7月以来从未跌出iPhone付费游戏榜单前50名，多数时间位居榜单前20名。

doodle-jump-downloads(from pocketgamer)

（以上图表显示了《涂鸦跳跃》在美国App Store付费下载量榜单的表现情况）

但相对而言，该游戏在营收榜单上的表现较不稳定。

虽然《涂鸦跳跃》在营收游戏榜单前50名逗留了18个月之外，过后排名开始下降，并且下滑速度甚于在下载量榜单的情况。

doodle-jump-grossing(from pocketgamer)

（以上图表显示了《涂鸦跳跃》在美国App Store收益榜单表现情况）

这表明99美分游戏已经无法再与势如破竹的免费游戏在收益榜单上一较高下了。

但至少与其他付费游戏相比，该游戏下载量仍然很可观，只是一茬又一茬新免费游戏所吸纳的ARPU远超过99美分，导致《涂鸦跳跃》在排行榜位置急剧下挫。

平板电脑版本

《涂鸦跳跃HD》的问世姗姗来迟，在iPhone版本上线18个月之后才露面。

也许正是因为这个原因，这个iPad版游戏一直无法获得与iPhone版本相同的榜单名次。下载量开始很强劲，但很快跌至比iPhone版本更低的水平。

并且由于《涂鸦跳跃HD》版本售价2.99美元，它在收益榜单的排名更不稳定，曾经一度跌出前500名游戏收益榜单。

doodle-jump-hd-grossing(from pocketgamer)

（图表分析显示《涂鸦跳跃HD》在美国App Store收益榜单的表现情况）

这也有可能是因为用户青睐加速计控制方式而更偏爱智能手机版本。

也有可能是因为，iPad版本迟迟未露面，导致人们误认为iPhone才是该游戏瞄准的第一平台。

两个移植版本

但值得注意的是，其开发商还推出了一个Android版本。为了庆祝该游戏诞生4周年，Lima Sky最终将这款iOS游戏移植到了Android版本。

虽然该游戏之前已经推了Android版本，但这并非出自Lima Sky之手的产品。该工作室将这一版本的开发任务移交给西雅图休闲游戏发行商GameHouse（Real Networks旗下公司）。

现在这款新版Android游戏上线仅数天时间，并未跻身Google Play免费游戏榜单前500名。根据该游戏在Google Play的页面显示，它收获了1万-5万次安装量。

但与iOS版本不同的是，这个版本采用广告赞助的免费下载模式。但已经为GameHouse的Android版《涂鸦跳跃》付费的玩家则不会受到广告干扰。

总结

现在还不宜过早判断《涂鸦跳跃》的新移植版本是否能够重燃Android游戏玩家的兴趣，但不可否认的是，iOS显然是该游戏更具盈利性的平台。

Distimo数据显示，从2013年3月4至3月10日，Android版本收益仅为2000美元，而iPad版本也仅为5000美元。

iPhone版本在这七天中的收益达2万美元。虽然这并非庞大的数额，但要记住，这是一款发布已4年之外的“老游戏”在7天内的收益。

《涂鸦跳跃》也推出了Java版本，并通过功能性手机玩家获得了可观的收益。但与其他Java游戏一样，我们很难得知其具体收益数据。

可以说，《涂鸦跳跃》已经成为App Store史上最成功的游戏之一，尽管它问世已久，却仍在为Lima Sky创造收益。只不过重新发布的Android版本，以及基于该品牌的授权产品究竟能否再度提升收益仍然有待观望。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The Charticle: 4 years on, Doodle Jump is still generating $20,000 a week on iPhone

by James Nouch

It’s been four years since Doodle Jump first bounced onto iPhone, and in that time, Lima Sky’s simple endless platformer has transformed from a game into a brand.

It’s been a staple of the App Store download rankings since its release, and at the time of writing, Doodle Jump is still placed at #30 in the US App Store’s top paid games chart.

So there’s clearly still an audience for Doodle Jump, but how is the game monetising? After all, Doodle Jump is a 99c game that launched in 2009, before freemium came to dominate the top grossing charts.

We turned to the app store charts for answers.

Steady as she goes

Remarkably, Doodle Jump has not left the top 50 paid games chart for iPhone since July 2009, spending the clear majority of its time in the top 20 since last launch.

Analytics graph showing Doodle Jump’s performance in the US App Store’s top paid downloads charts. Analytics courtesy of App Annie.

But, comparatively speaking, the game’s performance on the grossing charts has been much less stable.

Although Doodle Jump enjoyed an 18 month stretch in the top 50 grossing games chart, its position in the rankings has been dropping off lately, and at a much faster rate than the drop in its downloads.

Analytics graph showing Doodle Jump’s performance on the US App Store’s top grossing charts.

It just goes to show that 99c per user is no longer enough to compete on the grossing games charts now that freemium is the dominant model.

The game’s downloads may still be strong – compared to other paid releases, at least – but the new wave of free-to-play games are attracting ARPUs well in excess of 99c, causing Doodle Jump’s chart position to plummet.

A tough tablet to swallow

Doodle Jump HD, meanwhile, suffered somewhat from a substantially delayed launch, reaching the market roughly 18 months after the iPhone version.

Perhaps as a result of this, the iPad version of Doodle Jump has never managed to gain the same chart traction as its older sibling. Downloads started off strong, but soon drop to a lower level than we see for Doodle Jump on iPhone.

And since Doodle Jump HD carries a $2.99 price tag, the game’s position in the top grossing charts has been more erratic too, dropping out of top 500 grossing games chart entirely for a spell.

Analytics graph showing Doodle Jump HD’s performance on the US App Store’s top grossing charts.

It might be that consumers simply prefer the smartphone form factor for Doodle Jump’s accelerometer-based controls.

Or perhaps the lengthy delays to the iPad version simply means that players think of the iPhone as Doodle Jump’s natural platform.

Two porters

It’s worth noting, however, that there is an Android version of Doodle Jump too. In order to celebrate the four-year milestone, developer Lima Sky has finally ported its iOS classic to Google’s mobile OS.

Although an Android version was previously available, it wasn’t created by Lima Sky. Instead, development duties for the title were farmed out to Seattle-based casual publisher GameHouse (part of Real Networks).

At the time of writing, just two days after its re-launch, Doodle Jump for Android is not ranked in the top 500 free games for Google Play. It has, however, accumulated between 10,000 and 50,000 installs, according to the product’s store page.

But unlike its iOS counterparts, Doodle Jump for iOS is free to download, and monetised through in-game advertising. Those who already forked out for the GameHouse version of Doodle Jump will not be served ads, however.

Platform platformer

It’s too early to say whether a new port can rekindle the affections of Android gamers for Doodle Jump, but it’s clear that iOS has been the more lucrative platform for the game to date.

According to Distimo figures covering the period from 4 March – 10 March 2013, Doodle Jump for Android grossed just $2,000. The iPad version, meanwhile, took just over $5,000 in revenue.

The iPhone version is top dog, though, grossing $20,000 across the seven days in question. It may not be millions, but it’s important to bear in mind that these are the revenue figures of a four-year-old game.

Doodle Jump is also available as a Java game, and generated considerable revenue from feature phone owners. As with any Java game, though, hard numbers are hard to come by.

So it’s fair to say that Doodle Jump has been one of the most notable app store successes to date, albeit one from a different stage in the development of mobile gaming.

And despite its age, the game is still generating revenue for Lima Sky. Whether the newly re-launched Android version, and the increasing proliferation of Doodle-based merchandise will see revenues soar once again remains to be seen though.（source：pocketgamer）