Buildbox Review: Exposing the Mobile Video Game Creator

When I first got started with apps, I thought that you had to drop a ton of cashola to make a mobile game. So I maxed out my credit card and built my first game.
I talk about the process in my BC Select monthly videos for members. I was so nervous because I didn’t know if I would make my money back.
My first game cost so much money because I hired a developer and built it from scratch. Since I didn’t know how to code (and still don’t), I had to rely on people who had those skills.
There is nothing wrong with that, and that is one of the core principles that we teach here at Bluecloud. You don’t currently have to have all of the skills required to make an app.
You can either learn them, or you can outsource the parts of the process that you can’t do…
…or don’t want to do.
But soon after the nail-biter with my first game, I discovered reskinning and that changed the game for me. It significantly lowered my development cost and allowed me to build my app income to over $70K per month, on my best months.
In this post, I’m going to show you how mobile game development has evolved since I started and highlight one software solution that can be a game changer if you want to design your own game…especially if you don’t want to learn to code. 

The Market is Evolving and so Should You

 
If you are fairly new to making mobile apps, here the deal yo…
Reskinning worked great for awhile, but people started catching on…including Apple. App publishers put out a ton of games..some of them great, but many of substandard quality and player benefit. Apple noticed this and started rejecting blatant reskins.
That was the “easy money” period in mobile games and we will never see it again.
But that is a good thing.
Yes, it will be harder to make money. But that means that you will have to setup up your game and create awesome shit that people really want to play.
Using source code as the building block to creating an app will always have it’s place in app development. In fact, I would argue that it will become even more important, as we move forward.
But again, you really have to bring your A-Game. This progress in technology has also brought some awesome app building software to the market.
A lot of it still needs some work, but one of the very best software solutions I have seen is Buildbox. It is made by my buddy Trey Smith and is one of the sickest app making software solutions on the market today.
…and I would still say that, even if he wasn’t my friend and I wasn’t an affiliate.
But I’m grateful that I’m both! You will see why in a minute.
So let’s get into how this can be a game changer for people who are looking to greatly simplify the process of developing mobile games.

Top Games Created with Buildbox

Before we get started, let’s talk about the purple elephant in the room. Is it really possible to create a successful game with Buildbox, or is this just some fancy, overpriced software?
Valid question. 
Not only have Buildbox games been on the Top Charts, they have also been featured by Apple. If you aren’t familiar with how this works, Apple editors hand-pick avpps that they love, for the Features App section of the App Store.
Of course, using Buildbox will not guarantee your success. You still have to do your research and understand your target market.
But if you know what people are looking to download, it greatly increases your chances of success. Also remember that you have to create a business plan and learn how others have succeeded.
As of today, Buildbox users currently have 12 top 100 games.
…and those are just the ones that Buildbox knows about. There may be more, but those are only the ones that developers have told Trey about.

Their users have also created over a dozen games that have been featured by Apple. So yes, if you know what you are doing, you can build successful games with the Buildbox game creator.
Now that we answered that question, let’s take a real quick look at how it was created, because I think it is a great entrepreneur success story…

How the Software was Built

I think it is worth mentioning that creating software that is that is this easy to use was a friggin’ huge undertaking.
I heard some stories directly from Trey and they put a crazy amount of time into this.
Here is a really cool videos that they created to tell the story of how the platform was created. It is really inspiring to see what you can build, when you put your mind to it.
To see more videos, be sure to visit the Buildbox website.

 
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No Coding Needed

Now let’s jump into this Buildbox review. As you saw from that video, it looks pretty easy to create your own game. But let’s dig into the major features of the software.
If you don’t like videos, the text version is provided below.

 

Drag and Drop Functionality

They wanted to make the software as easy to use as making a Powerpoint presentation. That’s a tall order, but I think they totally delivered.
Just take an image from your computer and drag it into Buildbox. Drop it into one of the areas in the circle to make it a character, background, object or powerup.
Code that would have previously taken hours, or even days to write, is generated in a few seconds.

Easy Object Manipulation

From there, you can easily move, duplicate and resize the graphics. Here is an example of how one element of the game as been duplicated three times and resized.

Creating Menus Has Never Been Easier

The menu generator engine is crazy simple to use. You can create menu flowcharts and drag and drop button graphics. There is also a way to make invisible buttons for touchscreens.

Monetize Your Games

Integrating ads into your games can be a whole separate project in itself. Builbox makes it super easy to implement ads, with just a few clicks.

Live Preview

If you have ever worked with application building software before, one of the most annoying things that you have to do is generate the live code, then test for bugs. To fix a bug, you have to close the app, make the change, then regenerate the app again.
Trust me, it’s a pain in the ass. I don’t code, but I have watched the process.
Sometimes the changes don’t work and you may have to do this several times, before it works properly. But with the live preview feature, you can make changes as you see them, without recompiling the code. 

Game Play Presets

Buildbox currently has 17 gameplay presets. These are templates, based on successful games.
For example, you can create a jumping game, a shooting runner or a motocross game…just by selecting a menu item. The software loads the framework for each type, so you don’t have to set it up manually.

Really sweet.
You can also suggest new gameplay types and they might add it to the software.
There are a lot more killer features, but this post is getting pretty long as it is, so I’ll let you discover them for yourself. These features are great, but it is always helpful to look at a real world example.

Another Flappy Bird Clone?

Flappy Bird was a crazy phenomenon that caught the game world off guard. But the last thing the world needs is another Flappy clone.
However, like we have mentioned before, starting with the Flappy Bird concept is not a bad thing. In fact, it can be a great jumping off point for your next game.
This video will show you what I mean. Trey shows you how to expand on the idea and make a much better game. 

 
One thing that Buildbox can help you do is add some physics and moving obstacles to the game. What else would you add?
You are only limited by your imagination. 

Build Once, Play Anywhere

Before we end this post, I also have to mention how hard it used to be to build a game for separate app stores. Sometimes we had to hire an entirely different developer to make an Android version of our games.
Buildbox will allow you to export your game to any platform or store, and not just mobile. You can also launch on Mac, Windows and TV platforms.
This one feature alone can save you thousands on development costs. 

Conclusion

As you can see, building an app with Buildbox is pretty simple and fun. It is also important to remember that when you sign up for Buildbox, you aren’t just signing up for a software product, you are joining a community of users who have experience building top 100 apps.
That is huge.
Depending on your situation, the software may seem like a steal or it might not be cheap for you. Keep in mind that Trey wants to make this as accessible as possible, so they also offer a payment plan.
This is an amazing opportunity to streamline the development process and something every game developer should consider using. I think it is totally worthwhile, if you are dedicated to making top notch games.
Check out Buildbox by clicking here.
 
 
Go rock it,
Carter