Absolutely - look at PapiJump as compared to Doodle Jump. I've heard on too many occasions to count that PapiJump is just a less polished clone of Angry Birds, despite the fact that is predates it by more than a decade.
People probably look at Farm Town and assume it's just another FarmVille ripoff...
First to market only makes a difference if you're huge, otherwise you might as well be doing market fit analysis for your competitors.
Then again, games are an area where success is particularly easy to track, so you gain very little by keeping sales figures private. In other areas, you might be giving away a lot more information by letting people know that your weekend project is selling 10k a day.
People probably look at Farm Town and assume it's just another FarmVille ripoff...
First to market only makes a difference if you're huge, otherwise you might as well be doing market fit analysis for your competitors.
Then again, games are an area where success is particularly easy to track, so you gain very little by keeping sales figures private. In other areas, you might be giving away a lot more information by letting people know that your weekend project is selling 10k a day.