How Much My Indie Game Made with 1 Million Android Downloads

A common assumption among observers is that achieving one million downloads on mobile platforms like iOS or Android automatically translates into substantial financial success. However, this belief often proves inaccurate, as revenue figures for million-download games can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars down to just a few thousand. In the case of this specific title, which was an older project developed in 2020, the earnings settled closer to the average, despite acknowledged flaws in level design, mechanics, and onboarding processes. The crucial strategic move that elevated the game's financial performance was porting it across as many platforms as technically feasible.

If you think tons of downloads equals tons of money, well, let me stop you right there.

The developer credits porting the game to nearly every available platform as the smart decision made regarding the initially flawed project. This approach is strongly recommended for independent developers aiming to establish a sustainable living from game creation. The subsequent breakdown details earnings specifically from over one million Android downloads, followed by a comprehensive look at the total revenue generated across all other ported systems.

The game under discussion is titled "Endurance," characterized as a pixel art sci-fi top-down shooter. Its initial release occurred in June 2020 on both Android and iOS platforms. The development timeline spanned approximately four months, executed almost entirely by a single developer, with external assistance secured only for pixel art creation and the composition of music and sound effects. Core responsibilities, including story development, design, coding, and marketing, rested solely on the primary creator.

The initial player metrics for the game were objectively poor and remain so, although this was not fully realized at launch. Day one retention hovered around only 15%, meaning a substantial 85% of users abandoned the game immediately after installation. Furthermore, the average play time was limited to about 19 minutes, despite the game offering roughly four hours of content.

Despite these technical and design shortcomings, the narrative quality and the overall ambience of the game were sufficiently strong to retain a dedicated segment of the audience who persisted just to see the story conclude.

Focusing strictly on the Android performance, the game achieved more than one million downloads, generating revenue through both paid purchases and advertisements. The developer utilized Yoda Mass Mediation for ad serving, which contributed $26,626 from ads across the platform. The revenue stream was divided between two versions available on Google Play: a free, ad-supported version and a premium, paid version.

When combining these figures with the initial earnings from ADM Mob Mediation, the total revenue generated solely from Android reached $85,447. This figure was achieved predominantly through organic downloads, with only minor marketing expenses incurred. Remarkably, even in 2025, this older title continues to generate several hundred dollars monthly, surpassing the earnings of some newer prototypes.

Examining the combined earnings across every platform reveals a much broader financial picture for the title. Android accounted for over 1 million downloads, while iOS contributed 229,000 downloads. The revenue generated from the Android ecosystem, as previously noted, stood at approximately $85,000 in this summary context. The remaining income streams from other ports accumulated over the years since launch.

The aggregation of these diverse income sources results in a grand total lifetime revenue of $119,179. While this revenue was spread out over several years, it demonstrates the compounding effect of making a single project accessible across multiple marketplaces.

The continued revenue generation from a game with such significant technical and design flaws is attributed to the genuine creative effort invested. Looking back, many aspects could be changed, yet the finished product still evokes pride because it represents a complete experience, not just a simple gameplay prototype. This was achieved entirely before modern generative AI tools became prevalent in development workflows.

It may be rough around the edges, but it's real. I didn't just prototype some gameplay loop and call it a day. I built a full experience as messy as it was.

Development involved substantial time sinks, with instances where the creator spent three or four days struggling with a bug that could now be resolved in seconds using tools like ChatGPT. Back then, troubleshooting relied entirely on searching through documentation and community resources such as Stack Overflow and the Unity Forums, yet the commitment to release the game remained strong.

The most intelligent decision made regarding the game involved porting it everywhere. Although initial publisher offers were received shortly after release, the Steam performance proved disappointing, leading to a temporary abandonment of that specific storefront. Nevertheless, the collective earnings across all platforms provided sufficient income to sustain the developer.

The core lesson for indie survival is often not about creating a single global hit, but rather producing one decent, authentic product and ensuring maximum availability across all potential distribution channels.

Solo developers are strongly encouraged not to wait for absolute perfection before launching a project. The emphasis should be placed on creating something meaningful, releasing it, learning from the process, and then porting it widely. If a creation possesses authenticity, players will recognize and connect with it, potentially resulting in passive income streams years down the line while working on subsequent endeavors.