Playing PC games is great, you don’t need us to tell you that, but one of the reasons this format is so universally popular is the access to great mods and apps to turn all your favorite games up a notch. Whether you’re an aspiring esports professional who wants guidance to improve your game, a streamer who wants to explore automatic capture, or an RPG fan who wants a detailed interactive map, using apps is always the answer.
There are apps out there for almost everything, you can find overlays for most mainstream game maps, or live statistic trackers for competitive games. The Overwolf app library, for example, is stacked to the brim with creative and intelligent apps that can enhance your gaming experience in a multitude of ways.
But what do you do if you have a burning desire for a certain solution but you can’t find what you want? Or if your favorite game isn’t currently supported by any app out there? The answer is to make your own apps, which – utilizing Overwolf’s extensive resources and guidance – isn’t as daunting as you might think.
Why use Overwolf to make my app?
You don’t have to use Overwolf to create your app, but unless you’re already a veteran app creator, you’d be missing out on an incredible range of support and free resources if you swerved their help.
Overwolf is able to support creators every step of the way, from concept through to creation and on to monetization and marketing. By creating your app with Overwolf Apps, you’ll be making the games you love even better, all while developing your skills and potentially even making a living.
How do I get started?
First off, you need an idea. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking or huge in scope – just think of something you feel would improve the games you play, or bring a new dimension to how they’re played. Apps can do pretty much anything, from collating statistics to fixing bugs, highlighting key moments of play or even integrating with other devices and services. In most cases, if you can dream it up, Overwolf will help you make it a reality.
During the planning stage, you’ll need to check that the Overwolf platform supports your chosen game, familiarize yourself with game events, and choose a name for your app.
Once you’ve got a concrete idea, and a reasonable concept of how you might facilitate development (will you develop it yourself? Will you have a team? Do you have any coding knowledge?), you’ll want to submit a proposal to Overwolf. Don’t panic, they have a step-by-step guide to doing this, where you can check that you’ve thought through every detail. If you remain unsure about any of the finer details, mention this in your submission and the team will do all they can to help.
Next steps
Once your idea has been approved – don’t worry if this takes a few tries – you’ll be given access to a huge selection of developer tools, including the dedicated Developers Discord server where you can collaborate and support other developers in the same boat. Any tech help or encouragement you might need during this time will be right there.
You’ll spend a good while developing your app, but the individual time frame varies depending on your level of experience and the size of your team. If it’s just you, and you’ve never made an app before, it might take a reasonable chunk of time. Keep going though, because once the app has been developed and you feel it’s ready, it’s time to submit it for review. Once again, Overwolf will support you every step of the way, providing a manual QA test to ensure the app is fit for release and assigning you a developer relations manager to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.
Releasing the app
Your developer relations manager will assist you from here, guiding you through the next stages and giving you the support you need to launch your app successfully. You’ll be given access to the Overwolf Developer Console, and together, you’ll set up the app’s brand new store page.
You’ll want to decide if and how to monetize your app, which can be done by including ads or requiring subscriptions. Ads are a fairly passive way of making income from your app as they don’t require anything from the user or compromise their experience. Subscriptions, on the other hand, give users the agency to directly support development of the apps they love, and opt in to more exciting features.
Once all of this has been completed, your app will officially go live – meaning anyone can download and use it alongside their favorite games. You’ll have given countless other people a valuable tool, and can now move into the post-launch stage. This is a period of time when you’ll still be receiving feedback and doing maintenance on the app, you can even use this space to continually improve and grow the app, implementing as many features as you can imagine. Keep your users updated and supported as the app grows and develops, and perhaps even come up with an idea for your next creation.
If you’re interested in building your own app with the Overwolf program, head over to their developer homepage. Make sure to check out their vast library of existing apps too, as you’ll be sure to find something to level up your gaming experience.