Optimizing Mobile Gaming Platforms for Free -to-Play Games

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