Specialist tech company and game management partner SuperScale has released its latest ebook designed to support mobile game developers.
Building on its previous 'Good Games Don’t Die' white paper, the new ebook entitled 'From organic success to long-term revenue’ aims to provide devs with actionable insight and the knowledge to maximise organic strategies. These range from regional pricing strategies, through tailored in-app purchase segmentation, to optimisation of "waterfall zones".
A balancing act
SuperScale’s ebook suggests that when it comes to in-game ads, free-to-play mobile games benefit most from rewarded ads that incentivise players to watch for a small reward; said reward should "always be tied to the core loop or progression", bringing the player closer to their goal by watching. However, SuperScale warns devs against giving out too many rewards in this way as it could cannibalise future revenue.
Meanwhile, interstitial ads don’t have this balancing problem to navigate from a progression perspective, but do require a balance between churn and ad impressions; too many ads between levels could decrease a game’s retention rate, in turn leaving a game with fewer players to present ads to. "This can significantly decrease ad revenue and even hurt IAP revenue," the ebook warns.
Interestingly, SuperScale also suggests segmenting players, showing interstitial ads to non-paying players and those who don’t engage with rewarded ads.
Survival of the fittest
SuperScale’s Good Games Don’t Die report highlighted the sheer number of mobile games that fail to reach the three-year mark, with an overwhelming 83% hitting end of service before that time. In this tumultuous modern gaming landscape, getting monetisation right is essential, but not every monetisation tactic can be thrown successfully at every game.
"Start by finding the most valuable monetisation features that fit within the game design - then create a roadmap to implement them, one by one," the new ebook advises.
In-app purchases are the big one, of course, but there are strategies within that model to consider: pricing, special offers, presentation. Advertising offers can give a boost to earnings without greatly harming retention, and creating an enjoyable shopping "with animations, graphics, and sound effects" can also be an enhancing factor.
Instead of quick revenue surges from celebrity endorsements and streamer coverage, which often sees games hitting peak earnings in their first year and dwindling thereafter, organic strategies as explored in SuperScale’s full ebook aim to provide mobile games with survivability and longevity.
"The findings from the Good Games Don’t Die white paper have been read far and wide by the industry. We’ve delved into the data to deliver an ebook that addresses the opportunities some developers are not currently exploring," said SuperScale CEO and founder Ivan Trancik.
"In today’s mobile gaming landscape, every revenue-making opportunity counts, so we’re giving developers the insights to take their organic success to the next level."
