Optimizing Mobile Gaming Platformsfor Free-to-Play Games
Tomi HuttulaSenior Director, Kabam
Free-to-play model works great, but is still new…
Source: Distimo Publication March 2013, How the most successful apps monetize their user base
…platforms and tools have not fully caught
up, yet.
Total Product Offering: Developers
Performance Marketing
EXTENDED PRODUCT
CORE PRODUCT
Cross Promotion
Rewards solutions
Social Gaming solutions
Monetization solutions
User behavior tracking
Monetization Consultation
Distribution & Payments
Ad Networks
Offers
Development Tools
Developers need multiple solutions.
Build internally or use available solutions?
FREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Analytics
• BI solutions• Game and monetization loop iteration• Acquisition funnel data
A: Good BI tools are must, and should be built in-house
B: Good BI tools are must, and should be external dedicated solutions
C: Analytics is for wimps and amateurs
Which of these statements is most true?
AnalyticsFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Performance Marketing
• User Acquisition agencies and Ad networks• Minimizing CPI• Personalizing to user segments
A: Developer should learn to do user acquisition in-house
B: Using a publisher/UA agency gets the best results
C: Everyone will know my game is super - why should I pay for marketing?
Which of these statements is most true?
Performance MarketingFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Cross Promotion
• Leverage the network effect• Balancing Donators and Receivers• Payers and non-payers
A: Players should be XPd only between developer’s own games
B: Opening to wider XP network gets more biz in the end
C: My players should not play anything else - ever
Which of these statements is most true?
Cross PromotionFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Service Ops
• Content updates and events• Drives game lifecycle• Event management as a service?
A: Service Ops is very game specific and cannot be externalized
B: Externalizing Service Ops frees resources for new game creation
C: Hah, my game was launched ready
Which of these statements is most true?
Service OpsFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Social Gaming
• “XBOX Live concept” still de facto• High scores on free-to-play???
ACHIEVEMENTSLEADERBOARDSFRIENDS LIST…
A: Integrating with current social network features is all I need
B: New F2P optimized solutions would significantly help
C: My players play alone
Which of these statements is most true?
Social GamingFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Rewards
• In-game incentives• Cross game rewards
A: There are enough incentivization options with in-game currency and items
B: Ready-made rewards solution would boost sales and save effort
C: I don't believe in discounts - neither did my grandma
Which of these statements is most true?
RewardsFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Messaging/Chat
• Success of Kakao (and Facebook…) as a game discovery network
• In-game or social network messaging?
A: Messaging should be limited to in-game
B: Gamers should have ways to be connected across games to the gaming community
C: Not needed, as my players have an email account.
Which of these statements is most true?
Messaging/ChatFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
Monetization Solutions
• Dynamic paywall?• Game context specific upsell?
A: Monetization is too game specific to benefit from external solutions
B: Good platform solutions would definitely help
C: Paying is overrated – it’s free-to-play, right?
Which of these statements is most true?
Monetization SolutionsFREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE
FREE-TO-PLAY
MILLIONAIRE