Optimizing your F2P Game for Monetization
With so many video game business models such as F2P (free-to-play), early adopter/beta (think Steam games), and traditional premium-play, it can be tough to choose whichone will work best for your game. The rise of F2P is undoubtedly the most popular choice for video game business models these days, and it’s a great place to start if you plan on making money.
Opening up your F2P game to a wider audience (think casual gaming vs hardcore) will allow you to reach a larger demographic of players, and including social/multiplayer features lets you hone in on the social value of your players.
Once you’ve reached an audience that works for your video game, it’s time to start thinking about monetization. In-app purchases are great for targeting your social whales and high-spending players, but if you want a truly free-to-play game, ads are the way to go. There are a few different types to start with - full screen interstitials, banner ads and native ads. Take a look at this article on Inside Social Games for a description of each ad format. Which type of ad has been most effective in your game?
Valuation of Mobile Apps Companies
There’s no doubt that mobile technology is on the rise - it’s the fastest growing technology in history. Mobile apps contribute to a huge part of mobile consumption, accounting for over 87% of total time spent on a smartphone or tablet.
With so much of the technology industry being invested in mobile, it’s no surprise that it’s expected to be worth over $700 billion by 2017. But what’s the current landscape look like? According to a recent report by Digi-Capital, there are now at least 25 mobile companies valued at over $1 billion, which is just a sliver of the overall mobile industry value.
Listed in the report are big-name companies like Yelp, Facebook and Zynga. You might be surprised to see some of the lesser-known companies like Airwatch and RocketFuel included in it also - you can take a look at the report with insight on VentureBeat here.
Final Fantasy Creator Sees Future in Mobile Game Design
The Final Fantasy series has had a long-lasting impact on the video game industry - withstanding over 25 years and countless generations of consoles. The man behind it all from the beginning, Hironobu Sakaguchi, was recently interviewed by Kotaku about his upcoming mobile game called Terra Battle.
In the interview, Sakaguchi talks about the future of mobile game design and where he thinks the industry is headed. It’s worth a read for anyone that wants to get a glimpse of Sakaguchi’s unique point of view - take a look at it here on Kotaku.
