Some app developers are going further

Many think the app stores are the only way to monetize an app portfolio. Some app developers are going further and earning thousands a month by licensing their apps source code to other developers or appreneurs.

Dharambir Thakur is one of them. He begun his career as an indie developer 1 year ago and after a few months he began selling app source code through sourcecode.guru. Since then, he has earned thousands in sales and the title of Top sourcecode.guru Author.

We had the opportunity to talk with him about his journey in the app template selling business. This is his story:

: Hi Dharambir , thanks for being with us today! Let’s start with a brief self-introduction; tell us about yourself and your background in app development.

Dharambir: Hi Rehan. I’m glad I can talk with you. I started doing app development back in 2010 in a local game studio. I became an indie developer later, in 2013. I focus my efforts mainly on iOS, but I also work on web and Android apps as well.

Rehan: Super Casual Games are big right now  but when we look at your app template portfolio, we can see that you are mainly focused on word and puzzle games. Is there a reason that you gravitate towards the world and puzzle game genre?

Dharambir: The game apps from my portfolio were developed during 2013-2014. I have new games coming to the App Store; 2 of them are super casual games with unique gameplay.

Harry: I know it’s not easy to find the perfect app development idea but, somehow, you always manage to find them for your app templates! For example, how did you decide to start building Word Search? Was it already a part of your app portfolio on the App Store or did you develop it as a template?

Dharambir: Actually, Word Search was the first game I made as an indie developer. I liked the gameplay very much and it seemed to be a very good starting project. On the App Store there were only a few successful word search games so I gave it a try. My initial thought was to make it a successful App Store game, so it included a lot of features (some were unique) and 5 app monetization methods. A few months after launch, I decided to put it on sourcecode.guru. From that moment, based on the feedback from the buyers, the template received a lot of updates with new features like purchasable packages, internationalization, Ad network updates, words & packages management and many more.

Rehan: When did you start selling your app templates? Was it a planned business choice or did you just happen upon it?

Dharambir: I knew about sourcecode.guru since the beginning of 2015. At first, I was a little skeptical about the idea, so I started with small steps. After seeing the full potential, I uploaded all my templates on the sourcecode.guru platform.

Rehan: Since then, has your vision changed? How important is selling app templates for  your monthly revenue?

Dharambir: No, it hasn’t changed. My idea is to make good game apps and publish them on the App Store. Later, after validation, I publish the projects on sourcecode.guru.

The revenue from sourcecode.guru is important for me, that’s why I continue to make game apps. I also take freelance jobs.

Rehan: You are one of our most successful authors. You recently made a Flash Sale app promotion that generated $5k in only 48 hours. How does it feel to reach such a large number of app creators in such a short amount of time?

Dharambir : I want to thank you for this. Sure, this is in response to the fact that the templates are very popular. The clients know that they can make really nice and unique games that can attract a lot of users and revenues. I’m sure we can do better than this. 

Rehan: Would you recommend that other indie app developers like yourself enter the app template selling business? Why?

Dharambir: Of course. We, the developers, don’t enjoy game marketing and promotion. We are better at creating games. If we create good games that have more app monetization models included other people can continue the work with nice customization and efficient promotions. So, the game developers can focus on what they do best and earn good revenues from it.

Rehan: I’m sure you have new templates being released soon. Can you tell us about your upcoming app products on sourcecode.guru or you prefer to keep it secret for now? We are so curious to know!

Dharambir: I have a game like 1010! waiting to be published. More games are in the development and planning stages.

Rehan: Which software or framework do you use to develop your apps? Do you prefer native projects or multiplatform projects?

Dharambir: The highest grossing apps are coming from the App Store so I usually focus on native iOS apps and games. I have also some Unity works planned in the near future.

Rehan: Are you already familiar with the recent iOS 9 software release? What do you think about it as an app developer?

Dharambir: Yes, I am getting up to date with iOS 9. SpriteKit is getting more and more mature. Last year it was a very limited game engine, but it has more and more features. By the way, my new games are developed using SpriteKit.

Rehan: I’m sure the sourcecode.guru community would love to hear your suggestions on app development and app reskinning. What is the most valuable advice you could give to other people that want to develop apps or reskin apps? Would you share your motto on app development with us?

Dharambir: I think that developers need to focus on the latest technologies and create good templates that can be easily customized to create unique games. The re-skinning community should always keep an eye on the latest app releases and on the top charts from the app market. Also, they should not hesitate to address the app developers with any question they may have regarding the app’s code.

Rehan: Any other important comments you’d like to add are more than welcome!

Dharambir: I want to thank you for doing a great job and for being a trendsetter in this niche market.

Rehan: Thanks again for your time and availability. Keep up with the good work!

Dharambir's story is the proof that anyone can take this journey and follow their dreams. If you too are an app developer and want to monetize your app portfolio, get started today with sourcecode.guru