No Ads, No Paywalls — My Honest Approach to Monetizing Munch O Crunch Run (part 2)

The Indie Game Developer’s Crossroad — Passion vs Profit

As I get closer and closer to releasing Munch O Crunch Run, I’ve found myself at a few crossroads. My dream, my goal, is to make game development my full-time focus. I love making games. I love creating. I love exploring new ideas.

But if I want to turn this passion into a career that supports my family, I have to treat it like a business. And that means figuring out how to make it sustainable, how to make enough to keep going.

This idea often gets mixed reactions. Some people believe indie developers should make games purely for the love of it and not worry about money. But the reality is, making a game is like creating any other product. Someone has an idea, they make it, and they sell it.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that often expects creative work, like games, to be free (or dirt cheap). You wouldn’t expect to walk into a store and grab a physical product for free, so why do we expect that from games? Developers spend thousands of hours, and often thousands of dollars to create them. This is something I’ve wrestled with and talked about a lot: how do I, as an indie developer, approach this market?

The “Free Game” Trap

The idea that all mobile games should be free started years ago with the big studios. They changed the market. Instead of charging up front, they released games for free, filled them with ads, and added in-app purchases.

That model made them billions. Players might not pay to download, but they spend small amounts again and again, on skins, currency, or items that don’t even affect gameplay. Other developers followed, and now it’s almost impossible to charge anything for a mobile game because the audience has been trained to expect free.

So as an indie developer, I’ve had to ask myself: what’s the best way forward?

My Decision — No Ads in Munch O Crunch Run

This might end up being the worst business decision I’ll ever make… but I can’t stand ads in games. Earlier this year, I tested ads in Munch O Crunch Run. I tried a few different setups: interstitials, rewards, banners and I hated all of them. They broke the game’s flow and ruined the experience. Even skippable ads were annoying. So I made the call: no ads.

That means if the game takes off, I’ll make zero ad revenue. Whenever someone asks how I plan to earn income from the game, I get a bit of anxiety, because my approach goes completely against what everyone else in the industry is doing. But this is the kind of game I want to play.

My Monetization Strategy

So here’s my plan to (hopefully) make Munch O Crunch Run sustainable, while keeping it player-friendly:

1️⃣ No ads. None during gameplay, no reward ads, nothing. The game is completely ad-free.

2️⃣ No paywalls. You can finish the entire game without spending a cent.

3️⃣ Earn extras. Extra characters can be unlocked using in-game currency, not real money.

4️⃣ No “lose your progress” traps. You’ll never be forced to pay to keep playing.

5️⃣ Optional in-app purchases. For players who want to progress faster or support my work.

Why This Approach

You might be thinking, “How on earth will this make any revenue?”And honestly, you might be right.

But I want to make a game that feels good to play. No ads. No pressure to buy anything. Just a fun experience.

In an ideal world, I’d charge a small one-time fee for the game, but without a big brand or reputation, I can’t realistically expect people to pay upfront.

Instead, Munch O Crunch Run includes optional in-app purchases, small packs with Gems and Goat Coins. These can help you unlock levels or characters faster. There are also support options for players who simply want to contribute to future development without receiving any in-game items.

My hope, my prayer, is that enough people appreciate the game, see the love I’ve put into it, and want to help me make more in the future. If someone can spare the price of a coffee, I’m incredibly grateful.

What Comes Next

While my approach is different, my passion for making games hasn’t changed. I love creating them, and I want to keep doing it long-term. If this one doesn’t succeed financially, that’s okay, I’ll learn from it and make the next one even better.

Because at the end of the day, this is what I love doing.

Andy Cox