The F2P game market is now estimated to be valued in the billions of dollars, and around 80% of mobile app store revenue is generated by F2P in-app purchases.
However, despite the headlines, it is still the case that the vast majority of F2P games fail.
While a game like Candy Crush Saga might have over 100 million monthly users, a ‘typical’ F2P game in the App store probably only has around ten thousand monthly users.
It’s not unusual for a game to lose half of its players after the first session, never to return, and in most F2P games fewer than 2% of players ever pay.
Small changes to these numbers through better player retention can make a big difference to the success of a game.
The margins between success and failure are very fine indeed. A one or two percent improvement to your payer fraction can make all the difference.
At deltaDNA, we work with hundreds of games, providing analytics, player engagement and consultancy. We frequently see the same game design features that adversely affect retention crop up in both F2P and premium games.
We’ve identified the main points below, primarily looking at F2P, but many of the lessons can be applied more widely:
The deltaDNA big data analytics platform allows game designers to maximize player retention and engagement, by using active segmentation and in delivering live in-game engagement campaigns that have been tested and proven to work.
To find out more, visit our website, www.deltaDNA.com
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