I built a web-based game that integrated into a popular MMO. The game was free to play but I monetized through an affiliate agreement with the MMO company.
Eventually they realized they could just copy the game and run it inside the MMO itself, so they terminated the partnership. At the end it was grossing 20k/month, but it literally consumed every moment of my free time so in some ways it was a relief to shut it down.
This was early in my career so I learned an incredible amount about scaling, catching, etc. that I was able to leverage at future jobs.
Eventually they realized they could just copy the game and run it inside the MMO itself, so they terminated the partnership. At the end it was grossing 20k/month, but it literally consumed every moment of my free time so in some ways it was a relief to shut it down.
This was early in my career so I learned an incredible amount about scaling, catching, etc. that I was able to leverage at future jobs.