A lot of would-be software moguls have tried to strike it big with iPhone apps. A program that finds its way into Apple’s App Store finds a potential audience of millions of users. Developing a hit application can mean serious money.
Just ask Steve Demeter. He had a day job writing ATM software for a large bank. But in his spare time he developed an iPhone game called Trism. And then…. well, let’s let him tell the story.
Demeter created “Trism” in his spare time and pitched it to Apple last spring. The company made the game available for download with the July launch of its App Store, an online provider of applications for its iPods and iPhones.
Priced at $5, “Trism” earned Demeter $250,000 in profits the first two months.
“It’s done phenomenal business,” said Demeter, 29, who lives in the California’s San Francisco Bay area. “I’m very honored that so many people would enjoy my game. I get e-mails from 50-year-old ladies who say, “I don’t play games, but I love Trism.’ That’s the coolest thing.”
Steve Demeter
His success didn’t come as easy as it sounds.
Demeter took his shot after attending an iPhone conference in the summer of 2007. He spent months afterward brainstorming, by himself and with friends, about how to create an original game for the device. Once he got the idea for “Trism” in February he spent another four months coding the game on nights and weekends.
So figure nearly a year to conceive and develop the game. But earning $250,000 in two months is apparently a pretty satisfying payback:
Demeter quit his bank job two months ago and has launched a company, Demiforce, to develop more electronic games. Now he has a salaried staff, five games in development and two coming out by Christmas, including a spinoff to “Trism” called “Trismology.”
If you want to know more about Demeter and Trism, Apple has made a documentary about him.
