PEGI revises ratings with loot boxes among key changes, and Angry Birds marketing strategies | Week in Views
The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can't let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we've created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Paige Cook
PEGI expands age ratings to cover loot boxes and in-game spending
PEGI, the age rating system used across European countries, is set to introduce significant changes to how games are rated.
These expand beyond just the game's actual content to include in-game mechanics and monetisation features. The new rules recognise that features such as loot boxes, time-limited offers, and daily rewards can affect the experience just as much as actual content, such as bad language or violence.
What stands out to me is the automatic rating that can be applied to games with paid random items. It seems that games with loot boxes, for example, will default to a PEGI 16 rating, and some could go as far as PEGI 18.
This could push many titles previously considered suitable for younger audiences into a much higher age demographic, changing how parents feel about their children playing them.
Other mechanics, like rewards for daily play, are to be rated PEGI 7, while those that penalise the player for inactivity could see a PEGI 12 rating, all features that can be found quite prominently in mobile games.
Games like Monopoly Go! Or FC Mobile springs to mind, with random purchases and rewards, could soon be facing higher age classifications. So the question now is whether studios will adjust any of the game design to maintain a lower rating or simply accept the new classification.
Aaron Astle
Angry Birds: "unfair advantage", marketing strategies, and competing in the UA auction
Few mobile IPs are better known - or have been around longer - than Angry Birds. Over nearly two decades, the series has evolved from one free-to-play title to a flock of spinoffs, sequels, animations, movies and more.
At PGC London this year, I had the chance to sit down with Rovio’s VP of marketing Luis de la Camara to discuss marketing such a broad range of products - a feat which takes a team of 50 to achieve.
Camara revealed how different genres of game are marketed to suit target audiences, and how one title might appeal to Gen Z more than another.
"An 18-year-old slingshot player might not be interested in a match-3 game, right? Cross-promoting Match World when it comes out to that user probably doesn't make too much sense," he said.
Advertising a new game also differs to an established one - and certain “red ocean” genres like a puzzle game have to contend with "the Playrixes and Dream Games and Kings of the world".
Clearly, there’s a lot to consider. And then there’s the transmedia side of things, too.