20% of Flash devs earn over $1,000 per month

Over a third of indie Flash game developers are building games full-time, a study has found.

In a comprehensive survey of over 1,1000 developers, around one fifth of all respondents said they were earning over $1000 per month – a considerable figure in light of the medium’s infancy.

Five percent of respondents claimed to be making more than $5,000 per month, and 2 per cent said they were enjoying over $120,000 each year.

Those earnings are being made in a number of ways, with 58 per cent of respondents claiming they earn through in-game ads. 48 per cent of Flash developers take cash via sponsorship deals, a quarter earn through licensing deals, while a fifth take revenues from ads on host websites.

However the results showed that Flash developers are using a combination of these revenue sources to get their ROI. Nearly a third said they are monetizing their games in four different ways, and around 50 per cent said there were using two methods.

The wide-ranging survey was conducted on behalf of online game firm Mochi Media. Flash firms such as Adobe, FlashGameLicense, JayIsGames and NewGrounds also partnered in the study.

The study also found that developers are facing a swell of competition. Almost two-thirds of respondents began making games within the last two years.

Flash dev salaries – Full study