Monetizing Mobile Games

The mobile gaming industry is already a 10 billion dollar a year industry. Learn how independent game creators are generating their revenue, and learn how you can do the same thing. In this session you will learn all about mobile game monetization strategies including advertising options, in app purchases, and large scale user acquisition. Making money in today's mobile marketplace is a reality for those that put in the effort to create great mobile games. Learn how to step up your game and get a piece of the mobile game pie.

Talk given August 24th, 2013 by Roger Peters at the Atlanta Code Camp at SPSU in Marietta, GA.

Transcript

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

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

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3. LET’S TALK NUMBERS
   

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

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6. 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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7. 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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8. HOW DO YOU DO IT?
   

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9. 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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10. 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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11. 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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13. 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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14. 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. 15
    Full-screen interstitial ads
    HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS
    

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16. 16
    Pollfish
    HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS
    

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17. 17
    Kiip
    HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS
    

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18. HOW CAN I DO IT?
    

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19. SUCCESSFUL GAME TYPES TODAY
    Jumpers
    Runners
    Task-based games
    

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

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21. TIPS FOR SUCCESS
    

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22. 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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23. YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST A GAME
    

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24. YOU NEED MORE THAN JUST A GAME
    

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25. 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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26. 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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27. 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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28. 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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29. THE SILVER BULLET
    

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30. [REDACTED]
    You should’a been there man!
    

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31. THANK YOU!
    

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32. Q&A
    

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

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