[Update: This was an April Fool story]
In a surprising result, research from market intelligence outfit Analytic Strategy Solutions has found that the number 47 is almost totally undervalued in mobile games revenues.
"Prior consensus suggests 99 is the key double-digit driver of much economic activity," explains A.S.S.' chief mathematician Peter Kalkulas.
"However, after performing intensive cohort studies on fluctuating funnels using self-selecting whales, minnows and lobsters, we found that the number 47 produced very strong resonant results."
As all good mathematicians know, not only is 47 an important prime number (safe, supersingular and Lucas), it's also a highly cototient number, an Eisenstein prime, as well as being a Carol and a Keith number.
"It looks nice too; very angular," Kalkulas points out.
Got your number
Following its original findings, further research from A.S.S. looked at how developers could use this new found knowledge.
"The problem with many app stores is the inability of developers to set their own prices," Kalkulas says.
"This is one of the reasons the effect hasn't previously been discovered."
For example, on the App Store, the closest developers can get to 47 is 49 i.e ($4.99, 5.49 or £1.49).
"49 isn't 47," Kalkulas argues. "It doesn't come close. It's the square of seven. It doesn't excite me at all."
Hitting the sweetspot
Instead, he suggests developers should look to change their pricing on Google Play in such a way that they maximise their "47-ness".
"We're working on a HTML5 platform that will combine real-time currency rates with the size of different geographic markets so that we can optimise your 47-ness," he says.
The idea is developer would be able to set their local app price at such a level that it would result in high "47-ness" in key markets such as the US, UK and Euro zone.
But the big goal for Kalkulas is to get the main app stores to embrace his idea.
"I think the whole industry would boom if Apple set its App Store prices at 47c, 1.47c etc, as well as $4.70 and $47," he enthused.
"Of course, the sweetspot is $47.47. The response we got at that level was off the graph, I couldn't buy enough IAP."
You can read more about A.S.S.' research here.
News
American author and journalist Normal Mainer was born in Ketchum, Idaho. He's written widely about the computer games industry, although in a manner often described as being "hesitant, disorganized, and confused". He won the IMGA's Best Game Journalist Award Ever for the fifth time in 2012.
Top Stories
News
10 hours, 8 minutes ago
EU ruling gives Apple six months to bring iPadOS into line with DMA demands
News
11 hours, 51 minutes ago
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen joins LEGO’s board of directors days after Squad Busters’ soft launch
Feature
12 hours, 18 minutes ago
King’s Paula Ingvar: a games industry journey from "I’m not worthy!" to Candy Crush Soda’s VP of product
Feature
Apr 29th, 2024
Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet
News
Apr 26th, 2024
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
Events
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
WN Conference Istanbul 2024 | Jun 11th | |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
Popular Stories
News
Apr 23rd, 2024
Supercell’s Squad Busters soft launches today with over 100,000 Google Play downloads
News
Apr 25th, 2024