How to develop a game app like UNO & how much does it costs?

The popularity of card games has skyrocketed in recent years. The App Store and Google Play Store have more than 5,000 card game apps. This growing number can only be attributed to the players’ interest in several traditional gaming cultures.

Card games are social game as it requires more than one player to play the cards games. Card games are great multiplayer games and one of the best sources of entertainment. However, among all the card games, there are but a few games that can be considered family games that are fun for all age groups and are also easy to understand.

One such game is the UNO game. In this article, we will look at what is UNO game in detail, the reason for its popularity, how much it costs to develop a UNO game, and which company you should consider to develop your UNO game.

Let’s get started!

What is UNO?

UNO is an American Shedding-type card game that is played with a specifically printed deck. Since it is derived only from altering the rules of the crazy eight card game, it falls into the crazy eights family of card games. Unlike normal cards, UNO has the same numbered cards, but instead of A, K, Q, and J cards, UNO has Draw Four, Draw Two, Skip, Reverse, and Wildcard.

It is a multiplayer card game, and the objective of the game is to get rid of all the cards that the player holds. One special rule of UNO is that the players have to shout UNO when before they play the second last card, as it announces that they have just one card left. The rule highlights the meaning of the word UNO as the word “UNO” is derived from Spanish & Italian and it means “one”.

Facts About UNO Cards

• Uno game was founded in the year 1971 by a barber named Merle Robbins.
• It is estimated that 80% of game-playing households have played the popular UNO card game.
• It is an easy-to-learn game that is suitable for players of all age groups.
• UNO ranks as one of the very few card games that target adults and children alike.

History of UNO

• As mentioned earlier, the game was invented by Merle Robbins in the year 1971.
• One of the best card games ever created was created by a mere accident and a stroke of great luck.
• Robbins family liked playing card games, and one of their favorite game was classic crazy eights.
• The rules of the game change during the entire course of the game and so it was hard for the children to remember and keep up with the changing rules.
• To make the game simple for the Children Merle Robbins decided to write the action of each card directly on the back with a marker pen.
• Also, they altered the rules a little, and now the rules will stay the same for the entirety of the game.
• It was then that the family realized that they have created something unique and it is how the UNO game came into existence.

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Rules of UNO Cards Game

• UNO can be played between 2-6 players.
• Every player will be dealt 7 cards.
• The remaining cards will be called the “draw pile” and will be placed face down in the middle of the table.
• The dealer will pick one card out and it starts the game.
• The objective of the game is to get rid of all the cards.
• Before you put the second last card, you have to shout UNO. If you fail to do so, you have to take 4 additional cards from the pile.

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How to Play UNO Card Game

• Every person will be dealt 7 cards.
• The rest of the cards will be placed at the center of the table
• One card from the “draw pile” will be placed face up, and it will start the game.
• The player has to play the card of the same color or same number. They can also play the Draw Four and Wild card.
• If they do not have any of these cards, or they do not wish to use the special card, they have to pick up a card from the “draw pile”.
• If even after picking the card they do not have a card that can be played, they will not play any card and the other player will play.
• Before playing the second last card, the player has to shoot “UNO”, declaring that they have just one card left.
• Play the card and win the game!

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UNO Components & Special Cards

Components

There will be a total of 112 Cards in a deck.

• 20 Blue Cards – Ranked 0 to 9
• 20 Red Cards – Ranked 0 to 9
• 20 Green Cards – Ranked 0 to 9
• 20 Yellow Cards – Ranked 0 to 9
• 4 Wild Cards
• 4 Draw Four Cards
• 8 Draw Two cards – 2 of each color
• 8 Skip cards – 2 of each color
• 8 Reverse cards – 2 of each color

Special Cards

Unlike normal card games, UNO has some special cards that give the players some special powers. If used at the right time, these cards can alter the results of the game. The special cards and their effects are:

Wild Card: This card can be used to change the color of the playing card in the game.

Skip Card: This card will skip the chance of the next person for this round.

Reverse Card: This card will altogether change the direction of the game. (Clockwise to Anti-clockwise when used and vice versa)

Draw Two Card: When used, the next person will have to pick two cards from the “draw pile”.

Draw Four Card: This is the best UNO Card. When used the player can change the color of the game, and the next person will also have to pick 4 additional cards from the “draw pile”.

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UNO Game Variations

Being one of the greeted card games, UNO has got a lot of variations. Although the rules of the game are the same in most of the variations, some variations also use their own rules. It is a family game that is played for fun, so altering the rules to increase the fun is quite all right. Here is the list of other UNO games:

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Tips & Tricks of UNO Card Game

1. Pay attention to the opponents:

The goal of UNO is to get rid of all your cards before anyone else does so, and the most effective way to ensure this is to make the other players take more cards.

Keep a close eye on the cards of the opponents, if they play a lot of cards of the same color, change the color.

If they do not have cards of a particular color, then keep playing that color.

Also, make sure to call them if they fail to say UNO, this way they will have to pick 4 additional cards.

2. Safe Draw 4 and Draw 2 for emergencies:

What to do when the other players have fewer cards? Make them pick more additional cards, and Draw two and Draw four are your most effective weapons here.

Do not use all these cards in the starting, but play strategically and save some of these cards for the end. This way, you can give yourself a second chance to win the game.

3. Change the color often:

Most players simply keep the color the same till they have the same colored card left. While this is a good strategy to get rid of your cards, it can come to bite you back when your one-colored cards are over and other player changes the color to that color.

In this case, you will have to pick the additional cards, and your game will be prolonged. A better strategy is to keep changing the color so that instead of getting rid of just the same colored cards, you can get rid of all the colored cards collectively.

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Why is the UNO Card Game So Popular?

1. UNO is a family game

The rules of the UNO game are simple, and they do not change throughout the entirety of the game. These rules are so easy that even small children can learn them and play the gem effectively.

The game is also fun at the same time and so even adults enjoy this game. The game is able to attract players of all age groups and so is one of the ultimate family games.

2. Provides hours of entertainment

The game is a family game and provides hours of fun and entertainment. Whether you have just 20 minutes or 2 hours, you can keep playing the game, and each round will be fun and refreshing. The special cards work as a bonus and whenever a special card is used, the fun of the game increases.

3. Enhances Strategic Thinking

While being a simple and easy-to-understand game, UNO is still a strategic game. The objective is to get rid of all your cards and to make sure that no one else does the same. A lot of strategy and planning come into play while playing UNO. When to use the special cards, what color to choose, etc, many strategies are to be formed. This is what makes UNO so fun!

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Business Model of UNO Card Mobile Game

There are various options for the business model that you can choose from to implement in your UNO card mobile game. The most effective ones for card games are advertising and in-app purchases. Paid apps have near to zero income for card games, so we will not include this strategy in the business models.

Let’s have a look at the revenue models that you can use:

1. Reward-Based Ads

This is a win-win advertisement strategy. The users will be provided with rewards when they watch the advertisement, and you will earn from the ads.

These players are not forced to watch the ad. In fact, they voluntarily watch the 30 seconds advertisement to gain rewards. The reward can be extra coins or various skins for cards and tables.

2. Banner Ads

When the player is not playing the game, banner advertisements can be an effective way of advertising without bothering them. The banner will be at the bottom of the screen, and therefore the player will not be frustrated by such ads.

3. Interstitial Ads

Interstitial Ads will take the whole screen to ensure that they have the player’s full attention. These ads can be static full-screen ads, video ads, store locators, and even playable ads.

Playable ads work far better than all the other ads as during the ad’s duration, the player can play the ad, unlike other ads in which the player just has to wait for the 30 seconds time limit patiently, or sometimes even more.

5. In-app coins / Purchases

The game offers various skins for the cards and the table or the background. The users can use the in-game coins to buy them.

The player can earn the coins by playing the game, however, the app also offers the players to buy the coins. The users can buy the coins at the mentioned rates.

6. Real Money Game

With this revenue model, you will earn with each game that is played on your app. The users will be able to play the game for real money, and a percentage of that money will be earned by you for providing a secure and amazing real money game to the users.

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Features of the UNO Card Game

Features that your game offers will have a huge impact on the performance of your game. We have created a list of much have features for the UNO Card Game.

Game Play Features

• Log In / Sign Up
• Play Game with Online / Offline Mode
• Practice Match
• Create a Private Table
• Invite Friends to Play at Private Table
• Play with Real Money
• Instant Play and Withdraw Money
• Refer and Earn
• In-App Wallet
• Smart Notifications
• Voice Chat & Group Chat Functionality
• Coins & Wallet Management
• Daily Bonus Coins

Admin Panel Features

• Admin Dashboard
• User Management
• Game Records
• Payment Transaction
• Payout Management
• Notification Management
• Role-Based Admin Panel
• Manage Sub Admins
• Reward Points
• View Earnings
• Revenue Management

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How much does UNO game app development?

Developing a UNO game would cost around $20,000 to $30,000 for a single platform (Android or iOS) with all the basic features only. By including advanced features and developing the game for multiple platforms, the price can rise up to $100,000.

Here are some factors that affect the cost of developing a game like UNO Card:

1. Game Platform

The price of developing a game for Android is more compared to iOS. If you go for a single platform, the cost will come down, but, if you wish to develop an app for both platforms, the price will obviously increase.

2. Game Design

The designers have to put a lot of effort while developing the UI/UX of the game to make it attractive and user-friendly. If you want a simple design, the price will be less, but, if you want a unique design and more creative work, the price will be more.

3. Development Team

If you want to develop the game in-house, you have to hire team members like developers, designers, testers, team leaders, etc. to ensure a perfect development process. In this case, you have to pay the salary of all the team members, and you also have to pay for the hiring process. This can be costly.

If you simply hire a game development company, you can outsource all the development work. This way, you just have to pay the determined fee. This is a pocket-friendly alternative.

4. Game Development Company

The cost also varies based on the mobile game development company that you choose.

• Small Company Cost: $10 – $40 / Hour
• Intermediate Company Cost: $40 – $100 / Hour
• Enterprise-level Company Cost: $100 – $250 / Hour

5. Features

Each feature requires time to be developed, and therefore each feature has its own cost. If you add more features, the cost will increase and vice-versa. Therefore the number of features that your game has, will have a direct effect on the development cost.

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How much time does it take to develop a UNO Card game?

Developing a UNO like card game will take time around 8-12 Weeks. The time can also increase depending on your requirements, the features that you choose, and the platform compatibility for UNO card game development.

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Which technologies will be used to develop the UNO Card Game?

• Unity Engine for Game Development (Hybrid Game – Supports Android, iOS & Web)
• Node.js for Back-end Development
• AWS or Azure for Cloud
• SQL or MongoDB or Cassandra for Database
• Socket.io for real-time communication
• Azure Stream Analytics for real-time analytics
• Google Cloud Messaging and Apple push notifications service for smart notifications
• Send Grid Mail Sender API
• Payment Integration
• SMS Gateway

Backend Team Required for UNO Card Game Development

• Business Analyst
• Project Manager
• Cross-Platform Mobile Game Developer
• Back-end Game Developer
• Game UI/UX Designer
• VFX Animation Artist
• Game Sound Designer
• QA Engineer

OR

You can hire a leading UNO card game development company, and you can outsource your UNO Card game development to the experts, this will save your time, energy, and money. Due to their knowledge and experience in this field, outsourcing your game app development work can be a better option.

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Why should you consider Capermint as your UNO like card game development company?

Capermint Technologies has a qualified team of game developers who have expertise in developing dynamic and diverse Card games that will attract a large audience.

We use the best mechanics of the game, and we merge them with 3D graphics to provide the best quality game experience. With various achievements, simple gameplay, and addictive experience, our games provide the ultimate mobile gaming experience to the users. Our developers believe in providing only the best-in-class solutions to our clients.