Monetizing Mobile Games

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MONETIZING Presented by Roger Peters Atlanta Code Camp August 24th, 2013 MOBILE GAMES

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ALL MOBILE Roger Peters (@SmartyP) Independent Mobile Developer AllMobileEverything.com SmartyPantsCoding.com SmartyP.net EVERYTHING

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LET’S TALK NUMBERS

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5 * Infographic from Forbes’ “How Mobile Games Are a Big Business”

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CRUSHING IT • Currently takes in over $600,000/day • 48 million players each month • Roughly 30% pay for in app purchases • Roughly 65-70% are females age 25-45 References: hBp://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-‐and-‐features/candy-‐crush-‐saga-‐studio-‐behind-‐game-‐with-‐over-‐44m-‐monthly-‐users-‐promises-‐more-‐hits-‐8755414.html hBp://now.msn.com/candy-‐crush-‐now-‐making-‐an-‐esNmated-‐dollar633000-‐a-‐day hBp://www.vg247.com/2013/03/27/candy-‐crush-‐saga-‐gets-‐50-‐million-‐players-‐a-‐day-‐dev-‐announces-‐two-‐new-‐games/ Candy Crush Saga -‐ KING

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ZOMBIE DOMINATION • Brings in ~$1+ million a year • Built by husband and wife team References: hBp://www.talkandroid.com/99644-‐mika-‐mobile-‐update-‐why-‐they-‐really-‐quit-‐android/ Zombieville USA -‐ Mika Mobile

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HOW DO YOU DO IT?

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DON’T BE A ONE HIT WONDER Angry Birds was Rovio’s 52nd game • Focus on longer-term goals • Being a game developer takes commitment • Some games are one-hit wonders, but the only certain route to success is growing your user base over time

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DON’T BE A ONE HIT WONDER • Create an app network • Look at every new game release as an opportunity to build your overall user base • Cross-promote across your app network • Use your app network to help launch your new titles

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MASTER SOCIAL MARKETING • 25% of adults hear about games through social media • 50% of mobile game players learn about games from friends and family • Increase your game’s virility • Free games are much more likely to get installed • Social sharing goes further the more platforms you are on

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REDUCE GAME ATROPHY With so many games available, players get tired of a game quick, and are ready to move on. The longer you can keep your core users engaged, the longer you can capitalize on them. Expert examples of never-ending updates: Jetpack Joyride and Fish Out of Water by Halfbrick Studios How long can you make your long-tail?

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HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS There are a growing number of ways to monetize your apps. Here is a brief listing: • Banner ads (ex: iAD, Admob, Amazon, etc.) • Full-screen interstitial ads (ex: Chartboost, RevMob, etc.) • In-app-purchases • Surveys (ex: Pollfish) • Real-world rewards (ex: Kiip) • Physical goods (ex: Angry Birds plushies) • Affiliate programs • Subscriptions • Shady practices (Android exclusive)

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15 Full-screen interstitial ads HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS

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16 Pollfish HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS

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17 Kiip HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS

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HOW CAN I DO IT?

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SUCCESSFUL GAME TYPES TODAY Jumpers Runners Task-based games

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A SUCCESSFUL, SIMPLE, GAME What’s the Word? #2 in all free games

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TIPS FOR SUCCESS

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IMPORTANT FACTORS OF SUCCESS • Games which are monetizing the best are using a ‘freemium’ model. Users are cheap, don’t be stingy. • Industry leaders focus on RPI (return-per- install), ASO (app-store-optimization), and large scale user acquisition. • Cross-platform games have a larger potential user base, have their word-of-mouth and social marketing go further, and are less affected by market shifts.

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YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST A GAME

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YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST A GAME

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GENERAL TIPS • Reward users • Leaving reviews • Sharing with friends • Must go-wide for ‘freemium’ to work • Paid apps account for only 10% of downloads • Don’t annoy your users (limit ad frequency, etc.) • Spend time analyzing marketplace top charts • Read other games’ post-mortems

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MONETIZATION TIPS • Get familiar with in app purchases (IAP) • Consumables • Unlockables • Get familiar with IAP methods • Virtual currency • Virtual items • Sell, sell, sell • Via multiple revenue streams • Via in-app stores, pause screens, and popups

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DESIGN TIPS • Never design for fixed screen sizes • Design for a higher resolution than necessary • Create assets in vector formats when possible (most important for 2D games) • Invest time in your marketplace assets • Don’t reinvent the wheel (utilize Humster3D, and other asset libraries)

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APP DISCOVERY IS INVALUABLE “Flashlight” earns $1400+/day today on iOS – not because it was revolutionary, but because it was established in the market before it was over saturated.

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THE SILVER BULLET

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[REDACTED] You should’a been there man!

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THANK YOU!

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Q&A

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ALL MOBILE Roger Peters (@SmartyP) Independent Mobile Developer AllMobileEverything.com SmartyPantsCoding.com SmartyP.net EVERYTHING