There are always certain basic things you can and should do, but I don't think there's ever any way to "know" truly what that is. Why are certain TV shows hits? Why are certain movies hits? Songs? Books? Viral videos? etc. It often just comes down to chance, really. Who knew that something with a stupid name of "Google" would catch on? Does that mean the answer to Web success is to come up with a stupid name? How many sites with compelling tech and equally stupid names didn't even make a blip? I think when it comes to media and mass market tastes, there is no formula, plain and simple. Something either catches on or it doesn't. With that said, again, there are basic things you have to take into account, otherwise you're not reaching the minimum where there's a CHANCE of something taking off. As long as you have the basics covered, it's nothing more than a fingers crossed, wait and see approach. Of course things like throwing lots of money at the problem *might* work, but it only increases your chances, it doesn't guarantee anything. You can never increase your chances to the point where something is guaranteed. That's why it's best to do as much as possible in this regard because you want to do it, not because you have an expectation of a particular type of success. Why? Because some things are simply out of our control.

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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.