Release Date Games - Still the Same?

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Release Date Games - Still the Same?

(15 posts) (8 voices)

Started 2 years ago by SmallMike
Latest reply from blackmouth

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SmallMike
Member

I know this is a well tread topic but I wanted to ask if there has been any change in how release dates on the App Store work in the 3 - 4 months. I was giving a friend advice on the topic and wanted to make sure I wasn't using outdated information.

For my last couple of releases I have been setting the Availability Date to the approval date, and that still seems to work the same in terms of getting on the new releases list. However, I was wondering if you still cannot set a future date and get on the new releases list? For example, in the past if you were approved on the 10th but set your availability date to the 15th your app would not show up in the store until the 15th, but would be listed in new releases based on a release date of the 10th. Is this still the case? I suspect so, but do not want to experiment with our precious few releases.

thanks
Mike

Posted 2 years ago #
jd
Member

Would be good to know. They guard an pertinent information like KFC guards the Colonel's secret recipe.

Posted 2 years ago #
gogokodo
Member

I'd like to know if anyone has more information on this as well because the state of one our new applications. We submitted a new game and it got reviewed and accepted but is now in a pending state because we haven't yet put in our bank account information since we are still getting that set up. We submitted early because we wanted to make sure that our game would be approved and we wouldn't have to wait too long.

Now once we set up our bank information the game will get released but will we have missed our chance to show up on the newly released games list?

Posted 2 years ago #
PhilM
Member

I mistakenly left our rls date as an older date (before the actual submission date!) when submitting.

When it got accepted, I changed the rls date to that day straight away. About 10-12 hours later it started to appear in the whats new listings.

Your mileage may vary though...

Posted 2 years ago #
exorcyze
Member

We had done the same thing as PhilM for an update and it did *not* show up on new releases like it used to - not sure if this was a fluke or if they changed that.

Posted 2 years ago #
PhilM
Member

updates don't show in that listing at all now do they? So that would be the 'correct' behavior? I think you only get one shot at that list now, and that's your initial release.

Posted 2 years ago #
zombie
Member

Its still not clear to me. When we submit our game today and set the release date to monday next week. In the case it will be approved earlier than Monday, will it be in the new releases list on that Monday, or do we have to change the date in iTunes Connect to the approval date?

Posted 1 year ago #
abitofcode
Moderator

It wasn't clear to me either. I'm planning on changing the date to the approval date once its approved. The following checklist came in handy as a double check when working through the process.

http://www.idev101.com/code/Distribution/checklist.html

Does this mean we're about to see Zombie Smash enter the app store? :)

Posted 1 year ago #
zombie
Member

Yep :)

But we want to time the release with reviews. Thats the reason why we want to hold it back some days.

... and thx for the link!

Posted 1 year ago #
PhilM
Member

I did the 'change the date as soon as it was approved' tactic in Jan, and we showed up in the listing after a few hours.

But after reading posts by other devs since then (sorry can't remember where), I 'think' you'd appear in the listing for the date you set. It would make sense thats how the big publishers time all the PR etc. Would be nice to know if thats actually the case (even if I'm unlikely to have a new rls any time soon).

Also seem to remember reading timing your release for a Friday can be quite a good idea, if your lucky you might catch some extra sales momentum over the weekend.

Good luck with the releases, some sweet cocos2d games coming out soon then!

Posted 1 year ago #
blackmouth
Member

Hi guys,

My game Bat Escapade was just approved a few minutes ago (8pm EST). Should I put it under today as the release date, even though today's games have been released? Or place the release date for tomorrow? Anyone with this experience kindly speak up. :)

Like others I do not want to screw this up.

Many thanks.

Posted 1 year ago #
abitofcode
Moderator

Our game was Approved 20 minutes to midnight 9th March, we changed the date soon after to release on Friday 12th. The Post date still shows as 9th March :s

Next time we'll set it 2 weeks ahead when we submit it.

Posted 1 year ago #
blackmouth
Member

Thanks for your words abitofcode, I have changed it to March 16th today, and it is now available for purchase in the US store. Although the release date shows March 17th 2010, which is tomorrow.

I'm assuming leaving my release date to March 16th should not matter at this point.

Posted 1 year ago #
abitofcode
Moderator

I'm completely in the dark as to how it works! @Mhussa suggested sacrificing a banana. This didn't get the date set forward but it may have helped us onto New and Noteworthy in the US so probably worth a try :)

Posted 1 year ago #
blackmouth
Member

I have confirmed it is now first under new releases for action in the US Store. This should help, but I am still buying the banana.

Posted 1 year ago #

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