Planet of the apps means a world of opportunity for the right idea

WHETHER it's teams of worms battling against each other using sheep as weapons, or looking after a virtual homeless person, Yorkshire's developers have come up with innovative ways of cashing in on the application development market.

The digital economy that Apple created when it launched its App Store in July 2008 is on a meteoric rise and the region is taking advantage of the opportunity.

There are now about 300,000 apps available on Apple's store and more than 6.5bn have been downloaded altogether, earning their developers more than 1bn. Although Apple is the leading player, rival smartphone makers are catching up after launching similar online stores.

Making sure an app stands out from the crowd is a common problem for developers in the saturated market but well-established names, such as Team 17's Worms franchise, have a head start in the crowded arena.

Its game, which sees worms battling over a variety of terrains with ludicrious weaponry, was the UK's third best-selling iPhone games app of 2009.

The firm, which is based in Ossett, West Yorkshire, launched the app last year from the Worms series of games, which was originally made 15 years ago for the Amiga home computer system, and it has sold almost 1m to date.

The company, which employs a team of 70 staff, hopes to recreate that success after launching Worms 2: Armageddon last month. But with more than 300,000 apps on iTunes alone, competition is increasingly fierce.

"There is a massive amount of competition out there now but having something that is well known is a big advantage," said Martyn Brown, Team 17's business development director.

"It needs to be something that is accessible, fun and has a broad appeal. The price is also important. It needs to be affordable because people want to experiment with with entertainment."

One of the main attractions of producing apps for platforms such as the iPhone is that 70 per cent of game sales come back to the developer and companies can reinvest the money they make rather than paying publishers, distributors and marketing departments.

Charles Cecil, founder of Revolution Software in York, and designer of the Broken Sword series which is sold by Apple, said: "It means we can sell a game for a sixth of the price and make twice as much money. Self-publishing also means we have a direct relationship with our audience. It has totally changed the relationship and created some interesting dynamics."

Marketing and publicity is the biggest issue for many developers. Making sure a game is marketed properly and reviewed favourably is not easy for young companies.

Jamie Sefton, section manager at Game Republic, which promotes the Yorkshire games industry, said: "The app market is a wonderful thing and it has revolutionised the download market but it is a problem for companies to get noticed unless they put some serious thought into marketing a game and making sure it is reviewed."

Some organisations are using mobile phone apps as marketing tools themselves to raise awareness of issues.

Earlier this year, iHobo, an app that allows you to interact with a virtual homeless person, shot to the top of the iTunes download chart with 210,000 downloads in its first week. Made by Huddersfield-based Creative North for homelessness charity Depaul UK, the app is an attempt to attract a younger generation of supporters.

But for those who don't have a gimmick or a large marketing budget, one option is to link up with other developers in a cross-promotion, a method which is becoming increasingly popular and one that is used by Revolution Software.

"We are talking to companies with similar projects that we think our fans would also enjoy." said Mr Cecil. "Other companies have schemes where you can get points towards a game if you download something else, but we want people to come to us for the right reasons, not to earn points for another game."

The app market has also led to a rise in so-called bedroom entrepreneurs seeking their fortune with catchy ideas.

Earlier this year Paul Carter, 35, from Sheffield, developed Sand Slides, a simple but addictive puzzle game which involves putting sand into coloured slides. Although it has only sold 1,800 copies in the UK, it was a hit in Japan, becoming one of the top five puzzle games in the country, and is also doing well in France.

Mr Carter said: "Nobody really knows about it over here because the market is saturated. The game was picked up by chance by reviewers in Japan and France and is now doing really well over there."

He added: "There is no magic bullet for success but I am beginning to understand how it all works. I held back a bit too long with launching the game because it wasn't quite right, whereas I could have got it out there and refined it."

A good quality game that is popular and sells 30,000-40,000 copies will ensure a decent living for developers, according to Mr Sefton. He said: "It's not always about the big hits. You have to be realistic about sales and look at what genre you are working in.

"Don't expect to write a game in two weeks and be a millionaire by Christmas. There are stories about people becoming rich quickly but it is rare and only happens with the top apps.

"Quality is absolutely the be-all and end-all as far as apps are concerned. If you have got a cracking app that is the start, but if you've got an app that is just 'ok' you are going to suffer. A lot of the sales done by iPhone are done by personal recommendation and only a small percentage are top quality."

He added: "The biggest mistake developers make is not taking advantage of the device. If you just switch from another platform without changing the way a game is played, it is not going to be very good."

While Apple has the majority share of the app market, Google's Android, which has more than 100,000 apps, is catching up fast.

Mr Sefton said: "If you are a developer you can be at a disadvantage in the iPhone market. For example, if you want to develop a dice game, there are 450 of them out there at the moment.

"The Android format is becoming a serious contender against the iPhone in terms of delivering big sales but at the moment its app market isn't as crowded."

But while there are significant pros and cons to the app platform, digital entrepreneurs welcome the technological advances made in recent years.

Mr Cecil said: "I have been writing games for 30 years and this is the most exciting time I can ever remember to be an independent developer."

Attack app that helps you stay safe

A new iPhone app has been launched by a former Royal Marine to help increase personal safety.

Adam Whiteoak, now an electrician, came up with Attack Alarm SMS, which uses GPS maps and text messaging to raise the alarm if you are being attacked or threatened. When feeling vulnerable, unsafe or under threat, the user taps the screen of the application to raise the alarm.

Mr Whiteoak, from Skipton, said: "The concept of this app is to put the mind at ease knowing that there's an option available to alert family or friends if feeling vulnerable in any way."

The app has been developed and marketed by Francesco Consultancy.