My First App Flop: 6 Months of Work, $5 Revenue, Depression

From Candy Crush Dreams to Burnout

On September 17, 2020, I released my first mobile game: City Blast Match 3. I was 19 years old and had worked on it almost around the clock for 6 months.

My dream was clear: I wanted to build the next Candy Crush. I was already imagining how the game would blow up – charts, millions of downloads, success stories.

The Harsh Reality

One month after launch, I had made exactly $5 in revenue. Probably from my mom who played the game.

In that moment, my world collapsed. I was so disappointed and exhausted that I impulsively deleted the entire project – no backup, no second thought. Just gone.

After that, I fell into a really dark phase. I was burned out, depressed, and had no energy left.

The Real Problem

The problem wasn't the game itself. The problem was that I had absolutely no clue about business. I knew how to build software – but not how to make a product successful.

My 3 Biggest Learnings

1. Never invest 6 months into a product without testing the market

I built blindly, without feedback, without knowing if anyone was even waiting for my game. Sure, you can never be 100% certain – but developing for 6 months in isolation is unthinkable to me today.

2. Without a marketing budget, no app business works

I had planned $0 for advertising. I thought: "If the game is good, people will find it." That's a dangerous illusion.

3. Only build MVPs and test quickly

Today, I prefer to launch small, fast prototypes and check early if there's even a product-market fit. Anything else is a direct path to burnout.

Conclusion

City Blast was a bitter but important lesson for me. I would never do it that way again – but without this experience, I would have never learned how important it is to start small, test, and honestly question whether the market even wants your product.

Fail early and fail fast, rather than investing 6 months into something nobody wants.