Of course, this relationship between blockbuster movies and video games is nothing new; a few decades ago, movie tie-in games for consoles were a standard part of most film marketing strategies. However, costly development cycles and poor critical reception eventually led to these largely becoming a thing of the past.

Mobile, on the other hand, is a much better fit all around for movie promotion. Mobile games have much shorter development cycles, meaning they can easily flex to shifting cinema release dates and changes in production. Plus, developers are always looking for exciting new ways to drive engagement as part of their LiveOps strategies, and a tie-in with a blockbuster film ticks all the right boxes.

To demonstrate what we mean, we’ve analyzed the biggest and best movie mobile gaming crossovers this year to show how these collaborations can positively impact downloads and revenue.

Barbie collaborations in Stumble Guys and Rec Room

This toy-turned-feminist comedy has proven to be a smash box-office hit, grossing over $1.19 billion since its global release on the 21 July. Much of that success can be attributed to the film’s mega-marketing strategy, which painted everything from clothing and merchandise to cars, consoles, and video games in delicious shades of pink.

One of the biggest Barbie gaming collaborations took place in Scopely’s Stumble Guys with a special limited-time event. Barbie Malibu Mayhem saw players racing around the unique Barbie Dream Dash map to deliver some of the doll’s favorite items in elimination rounds. Players were rewarded with Barbie Tokens for participating in the event, which could be spent in an event shop to acquire unique Barbie-themed skins and emotes.

If players didn’t want to invest time into the event and just wanted the Barbie-themed items,  they could acquire additional Barbie Tokens through limited-time bundles and ad-monetized gacha. Special challenges, such as The Barbie Dream Challenge, boosted engagement by requiring players to acquire four specific Barbie-themed skins during the event to unlock a special fifth variant, causing daily revenue to double in the US.

Meanwhile, Rec Room’s Barbie collaboration kept things simple by introducing wardrobe options based on Barbie and Ken’s outfits for players to purchase, including cowboy hats, vests, belts, and even pink guns. Items ranged from 1000–6000 Tokens, the game’s main premium currency, which players can earn through gameplay or purchase directly with IAPs.

Lily’s Garden also got in on the Barbie hype with its Pink Sale. While this wasn’t an official collaboration, it was clearly inspired by the film with in-game avatars that were reminiscent of the toy brand’s two central characters, Barbie and Ken. The sale contained two separate limited-time time offers, rewarding coins, and various boosters.

Barbie and Candy Crush Saga 

Stumble Guys wasn’t the only mobile game that Barbie turned into candy floss. Candy Crush Saga’s Barbie-themed collection event tasked players with gathering purple B-candies to reach various reward milestones. The game also reskinned its Winding Road Tour to mirror the film’s plot, with Barbie and her friends venturing into the Candy Crush Universe.

In the event, players cleared regular levels on the map to reach four Tour Stops, where the Barbie crew can find some help getting home; some stops also reward the player with boosters. If the stop has a timer, players must reach the next Tour Stop before it runs out, with the distance between the stops increasing each time.

With Barbie being such a beloved brand, it should come as no surprise that there are nearly 70 video games based on the IP across PC, mobile, and console. One game that’s still very popular in the mobile world today is  Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, which was released back in 2018 and is based on the Barbie animated series of the same name. 

Despite being unrelated to the film, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures has seen a gradual rise in popularity in the run-up to the movie’s cinema release. Unsurprisingly, this peaked on the film’s opening weekend, when daily downloads were more than double what they were a few weeks prior, although revenue seemed largely unaffected.

Roblox also jumped on the hype with Barbie Dreamhouse Tycoon, a bespoke experience based on the film developed by Gamefam; best known for working on branded Roblox experiences such as the immensely successful Sonic the Hedgehog game. While this is a work in progress, Roblox has still managed to cash in on the excitement by launching an open beta for fans to experience while the film is in cinemas.

Marvel’s mobile cinematic universe

Comic book films have dominated cinemas for over a decade now, with Disney in particular doing a remarkable job of building their multi-billion dollar “Marvel Cinematic Universe.” That popularity has led to a surge in the number of video games licensed around the Marvel IP for consoles and mobile.

As you might expect, Marvel’s busy pipeline of constant film releases provides an excellent pool of inspiration for live events, especially for titles based entirely on the IP. Two such examples are the strategic card battler Marvel Snap and the action RPG Marvel Future Fight, which featured content to celebrate the theatrical releases of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (30 May) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (5 May).

Both films were featured similarly in Marvel Snap, headlined by a new season pass that included cards and variants based on each film’s characters. For example, by purchasing the Spider-Versus Season pass for $9.99, players could acquire the Ghost-Spider card featuring one of the film’s central protagonists. Each of these updates dramatically affected performance, causing daily revenue to more than triple at the beginning of May and June. 

Marvel Future Fight adopted a fairly similar strategy. While many of the heroes from the films were already featured in this eight-year-old RPG, they all received new costumes inspired by their respective movies. That said, the update did include one entirely new character: Spot, the main antagonist of Across the Spider-Verse. Spot could be unlocked using Biometrics, a unique resource acquired in-game or through IAP.

Of course, comic book crossovers aren’t limited to IP-based games. Between June 2 to June 18, Across the Spider-Verse swung into Free Fire with a large themed event, introducing co-branded collectibles, a movie character card collection event, and a time-limited Parkour mode featuring costumes from the film. Free Fire also hosted a special screening of the Across the Spider-Verse trailer in-game to help fans build anticipation. 

In a unique twist, Free Fire also features within the film, with an easter egg hidden in its runtime of the game’s “iconic” Cobra backpack. The event was primarily aimed at boosting user acquisition, with very little in the way of monetization, although it only boosted downloads by around 50% in the US.

Match Masters’ Collaboration with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles causes daily revenue to quadruple 

While Barbie, Spider-Verse, and Guardians of the Galaxy were especially well-represented in the mobile market, other blockbuster releases such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Masters also got a chance to shine. 

This animated flick was the basis of Match Masters’ first-ever collaboration, which tasked players with collecting pizza slices, the Turtle’s favorite snack, in the match3 game’s PvP modes. Once players collected enough slices, they reached one of many reward milestones, allowing them to progress in the TMNT-themed Boss Battle Collection event, where they would take on iconic villains from the franchise’s history. 

Multiple TMNT-themed limited-time time offers were also available during the collaboration, including progression and customizable bundles, which helped daily revenue to almost quadruple in the days following the update. The engagement was incentivized with a TMNT-themed daily log-in calendar featuring an avatar outfit skin as the main reward.

Super Mario Bros. Movie and Super Mario Run 

To celebrate the release of The Super Mario Bros Movie, Nintendo returned to its first-ever mobile game, Super Mario Run. Earlier this year, from the 20 March to the 30 May (around the time of the film’s theatrical release on 21 April), all players could permanently unlock one paid stage for free as a daily login bonus. Those who linked their Nintendo account got an even better offer, as they unlocked two paid stages each day.

It was possible to unlock up to 50% of the game for free this way. That’s a fairly generous giveaway, but the game did still experience a 200% rise in both daily revenue and downloads as a result. This waned shortly after, although it did climb again around the time of the film’s cinema release.

Other notable film-related updates included:

• Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, from DC’s The Flash, joined the mobile version of Injustice 2 on 14 June, just two days before the film’s theatrical release. Players could unlock her by purchasing the Last Daughter of Krypton pass. 
• A new strategy game based on the Transformers IP, Transformers: Tactical Arena, was released on 1 June. It was surely no coincidence that a new Transformers film, Rise of the Beasts, was due to be released in cinemas one week later.
• Fortnite has become a collaboration hotspot, and movie tie-ins are a significant part of that. Some of this year’s additions have included Optimus Prime (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). 
• Like Barbie, Roblox launched a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game to coincide with the release of Mutant Mayhem. 
• While it’s not exactly a film, characters from Amazon’s streaming series The Boys have appeared across several different video games in recent months. These include the Last Fortress: Underground on mobile, as well as Call of Duty and the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1 on PC and consoles. A new season of the show, as well as a spin-off called Gen V, are due to land on Amazon Prime in the near future.  

Our tips for integrating blockbuster films into your mobile game

Collaborating with major film releases as part of your live ops strategy is an excellent way to boost engagement. Many cinemagoers will be excited about playing as their favorite film characters and may be interested in downloading your game even if it’s not their usual genre. The film’s content can also form the basis for monetizing new content, such as additional costumes, abilities, characters, and currencies. 

But before you give it a go, here are a few key things to keep in mind to ensure everything goes smoothly:

Carefully plan your timing

Timing is almost everything when it comes to collaborating with blockbuster movies. Your update must land almost parallel to the film’s theatrical release, as this is when the hype is at its peak. If it isn’t ready until several weeks later, everyone may have moved on to the next big release by the time your update lands.

Is this film right for my game?

Think carefully when choosing which blockbuster film to incorporate into your game. Ideally, your target audience should correlate with that of the film. For example, Free Fire’s adaption with Across the Spider-Verse makes sense as that game and movie both predominantly target young adults. 

How will this collaboration boost monetization?

In-game collaborations can have a dramatic impact on revenue. Limited-time costumes, characters, and other items based on fan-favorite characters can be hard to resist, so think about how these would be best integrated into your game’s economy. As we mentioned, Stumble Guys opted to run a dedicated shop with Barbie tokens, whereas Marvel Snap uses cinema hype to help drive sales of its season pass. 

If you enjoyed reading this post, here are a few more you should check out:

• Drive-Up Your Revenues with Seasonal Events
• How Mobile Game Developers Are Using In-Game Collaboration Events to Boost Player Retention
• Best Practice and Strategies for Targeted IAP Offers in Mobile Games

The post BarbieOps: How Mobile Games Are Using Blockbuster Movies to Boost Engagement appeared first on GameRefinery.

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Are there benefits to merging gaming with sleep? Find out how Pokémon Sleep stacks up against other sleep-related apps. We’ll delve into the unique features that make Pokémon Sleep a standout experience and explore how it integrates into the broader Pokémon ecosystem. But that’s not all; we’ll discuss if there could be plans to extend its reach beyond sleep and venture into the realm of promoting other healthy habits.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. Understanding Pokémon Sleep Gameplay
3. Comparing Pokémon Sleep to other sleep-tracking apps
4. Pokémon brand strategy and wellness focus
5. Benefits and concerns of Pokémon Sleep
6. Pokémon GO Plus device and sleep tracking
7. Market reception and future potential
8. Future possibilities for the Pokémon brand

The post Episode 48: Pikachu, I Snooze You! Mastering the Dream World With Pokémon Sleep appeared first on GameRefinery.

As shooter games continued to grow in popularity and spin out into new subgenres, it was only a matter of time until developers turned their sights to the mobile market – but the biggest barrier was the lack of controllers. For a long time, shooter games on mobile were a niche genre, and the touch-screen controls were considered cumbersome compared to their console counterparts which use dedicated controllers. 

In recent years, however, mobile shooters such as Call of Duty, Free Fire, and PUBG: Mobile have soared to the top of the charts. Much of that success is owed to gaming’s ‘Battle Royale boom.’ Fortnite has become a worldwide phenomenon, and battle royale shooters such as Free Fire and PUBG: Mobile have established themselves as worthy competitors. Call of Duty has also established itself on smaller screens with a mobile iteration of its blockbuster franchise, complete with its own battle royale mode.   

But is the market becoming oversaturated? Below, we take a deeper dive into the highest-grossing and most downloaded shooters on the mobile market to see which subgenres developers should be focussing on if they want to make an impact in the shooter space. 

The most popular mobile shooters

Three titles dominate the US iOS shooter market: Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG MOBILE, and Free Fire. These three take up about 80% of the market share in the West, with the rest (20%) being evenly divided across other titles. These three titles heavily focus on cosmetic in-app purchases (IAP). For example, players can acquire decorative skins for their characters, companions, vehicles, and weapons through gacha mechanics, battle passes, or direct purchases. 

Free Fire differentiates from the other two top dogs as even though the main focus of its in-app purchases is cosmetic, the items for sale also provide character and weapon buffs. The top-end weapon skins, for instance, change the attributes of weapons slightly to give a slight edge in competitive play, while characters and pets can be upgraded with various skills that modify gameplay. 

Given that Free Fire doesn’t have the same IP recognition that PC and console powerhouses like Call of Duty and PUBG have, the developers likely felt the need to give players an extra incentive to buy into the game. The result speaks for itself; Free Fire has way higher revenue per download than its competitors, with around $29 ARPD compared to PUBG Mobile’s $12 ARPD and Call of Duty: Mobile’s $7.30 ARPD.

Regarding the broader market, most shooters among the top-grossing 500 focus their monetization on upgrades and other powerful in-app purchases—this can likely be attributed to the demands of fuelling a purely cosmetic business model. 

Players must regularly be provided with exciting new playable content alongside a raft of purchasable cosmetics to fuel the in-game economy. Titles like Call of Duty achieve this every month with new classes, maps, game modes, and more due to being based on a blockbuster franchise. Smaller studios would no doubt struggle to keep up, so they opt for power progression to gain a higher revenue per download and enable a more sustainable, less content-driven model.

However, this does come with certain downsides. Tying player progression to monetization is often criticized by players for being ‘pay-to-win,’ particularly in genres heavily focused on competitive multiplayer. If a delicate balance isn’t achieved, there can be backlash amongst players, which can lead to negative reviews flooding in for your game.

Which shooter subgenres should developers pursue? 

With Call of Duty, PUBG, and Free Fire dominating the mobile shooter market, many developers may wonder if competing in the shooter genre is worthwhile. 

While it is undoubtedly crowded, those who dig deeper will find a surprising amount of uncovered ground in this genre. In fact, roughly four categories could be explored more in the mobile game market: extraction shooters, RPG-like looter shooters, survival shooters, and tactical FPS games. Let’s take a deeper dive into these subgenres. 

Extraction shooters

Extraction shooters are one of the less crowded shooter subgenres and move slower than other titles. The aim is to go into a match, loot items, kill enemies within a time limit, and extract from the area before or when the time runs out. These games are usually PvPvE (player vs. player vs. enemy). Popular titles on the PC and console market include Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown.

One of the few extraction shooters to make headway on mobile platforms (particularly in the Chinese market) is Arena Breakout — a realistic-style FPS game with some survival elements, such as a highly complex health system. 

Players participate in PvPvE matches against NPCs and other players in two game modes, either with pre-equipped items or without owned items. During the match, players must consider their physical health level, find equipment and items to loot, kill off enemies and evacuate safely within the time limit.

Arena Breakout has a distinctive monetization model. Unlike other shooters, it does not focus on cosmetics or power progression but instead on collecting items that can be traded and lost in the battle. Pushing players towards purchasing safety boxes to save their most precious items from being stolen differentiates Arena Breakout from the more power-orientated progression shooters, as even if weapons can be somewhat upgraded, there is still a need to purchase a safety box to keep items secure. While in the match, if the player has not stored their items in the safety box and they die during the match, the player will drop all items they carried with them to the pre-equipped items game mode for other players to steal. 

There have not been too many similar examples in the mobile game market yet of extraction shooters, although PUBG Mobile has a similar mechanic in a recurring gameplay mode Metro Royale (which also draws inspiration from Escape from Tarkov).

Survival shooters 

These shooters revolve around a survival theme, often in a post-apocalyptic environment featuring zombies or other threats. These games usually feature detailed weather, hunger, and health mechanics (among others), which need to be considered during the game to survive. Exploration and resource-gathering play a big part in these games in addition to combat, with some survival games also implementing shooter mechanics. 

There are only a few mobile titles in the Western market that specifically focus on survival gameplay, and currently, there are no shooter survival games among the top-grossing ranks on the US iOS platform. However, some top-down survival games, such as The Last Day on Earth: Survival, have managed to gain popularity.

On the contrary, the PC and console market has a number of survival shooters, including the zombie-filled DayZ and post-apocalyptic Rust. Both titles feature a wide area to explore with other players, combining PvE and PvP elements. DayZ has enormous maps, with the main threat stemming from zombies, with occasional encounters with other players. In Rust, the main danger is other players, even though there are also some PvE elements. The biggest differentiator between the two is Rust’s base-building focus, which can be done solo or with others.

Arena Breakout, LifeAfter, and Undawn in the Chinese mobile game market incorporate some elements into their gameplay. Undawn is interesting because it’s a new survival title that recently hit the Chinese and Western mobile markets. 

Around its launch in the CN iOs market, the game peaked at the top-grossing position 6 but has since dropped outside the CN top-grossing 200, currently sitting at the top-grossing rank of 371 and sustained download rank of 183. In the US iOs market, the game is lingering in the sustained top-grossing rank 324 and the sustained download rank 260, but has not quite yet reached the top-grossing 200.

Undawn is a third-person survival shooter with MMO traits where the player is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. It is similar to the survival MMO LifeAfter, which has even been visiting the US top-grossing 200. 

In Undawn, players partner up to survive the punishing world to complete various tasks. There is a heavy storytelling aspect, with cutscenes regularly interspersed between gameplay featuring several main characters. The game also includes detailed survival mechanics. Players must consider their character’s physical health, hygiene, and sleep level, as well as prepare for changing weather conditions to survive.

Typical of a Chinese midcore game, Undawn has plenty of cosmetic items for the character and a home system, which can be decorated with various buildings. Upgrading the home system is a crucial part of progression, as the player can’t continue upgrading their character if their home level is too low. This, and many other aspects of the game, require a lot of resource collecting—such as collecting berries from the forest or shooting animals. Collected materials are then used to create many items needed in the game, including weapons and food.  

The game has two main focuses for monetization: cosmetic economy and material purchasing. Cosmetic items (for the character and their home system) can be purchased immediately or with gachas. Material items are needed for crafting equipment items, such as guns and armor, which are tied to power progression. These items can either be collected or purchased right away from the store. 

This type of monetization differs significantly from that of the top US iOS shooter games since the focus is on materials rather than upgrading or collecting characters and weapons. 

Looter shooters 

RPG-like looter shooters are another subgenre absent from the mobile game market. The idea of these games is to have some RPG elements (storytelling, character progression) combined with looting and shooting. There is usually a massive open area to explore, and the main aim is to kill off other players and AI-controlled enemies. In the PC and console sphere, these include titles such as Destiny and The Division, the latter of which has officially announced a mobile version.

This type of shooter could answer some of RPG players’ motivations. When looking at our motivation data, we generally find a few motivations that are being neglected by developers or don’t feature in high positions in the US iOS top-grossing shooter games. These include the exploration of new worlds, collecting treasure, role-playing and emotions.

Looking at the above picture, notice how these three motivational aspects are not highlighted in the most popular shooters:

• If the focus were shifted more towards storytelling, RPG players would find it easier to become immersed in the game through its narrative. 
• The motivation to collect treasure already has quite a high position in many top shooter games, but the open-world experience could enhance this aspect even further if the player could loot items on a larger scale. 
• The third motivation, exploring new worlds, needs to be added to most top-grossing shooter games. Having a larger area to explore would scratch that itch.

Tactical FPS games 

Another genre rarely seen on mobile is tactical FPS. Similar to extraction shooters, these focus more on tactical, slow-paced gameplay. Players usually form a team of five and compete against others in purely PvP gameplay. In the PC and console sphere, some of the most well-known titles include Counter-Strike and Valorant, the latter of which is rumored to be launching a mobile version soon. 

When looking again at our motivation data, we noticed that the top three shooter games are missing one aspect which features prominently in tactical FPS games: strategic planning.

Out of all the subgenres we’ve listed, tactical FPS is likely the most rarely encountered on mobile, although some examples remain. Critical Ops is a competitive FPS game similar to Counter-Strike with smooth gameplay and realistic graphics. The focus is on highly competitive, skill-based gameplay with a high learning curve, and the game also has eSports and live tournaments, which occasionally offer real-money prize pools. 

Despite being one of the most successful tactical FPS games on mobile, it has not appeared in the top-grossing ranks for a substantial period of time. This is likely down to the game being developed by a fairly small studio, which lacks the necessary resources to acquire new users and encourage growth. A larger studio with more capacity would likely fare better.

One to avoid: Battle Royale

The overwhelming popularity of Fortnite has meant that the battle royale subgenre has become a huge aspect of mobile gaming, and shooters are no exception—with each of the top-three shooters dominating the market. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult for new titles to establish themselves.

A prime example of this is Apex Legends Mobile. As a smartphone version of the popular PC and console game, Apex Legends Mobile launched with a breadth of exciting features and content owing to its big screen counterpart and featured unique ‘Legends’ characters that differentiated it from other battle royale games on the market. Despite this, the game could not gain a stable position in the market and was eventually shut down.

While we can only speculate the reasons behind this, we suspect it may have been down to the demands of maintaining the game’s LiveOps strategy (which ran separately from its console counterparts) mixed with the immense competition it faced from the three shooter giants. With that in mind, we’d recommend smaller studios to steer clear of this subgenre for now.

Summary

With an 80% share of the Western market, Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire, and PUBG Mobile share a firm hold on the mobile shooter throne. Their resource-heavy cosmetic monetization model, combined with their popularity on other platforms (at least in the case of Call of Duty and PUBG), will make it challenging to knock these three titans off their podium. 

Other shooters will have the best chance of breaking into the market if they can introduce some fresh core gameplay ideas. Given the strength of the power three and other mobile monoliths such as Fortnite, that will mean most developers should steer clear of the Battle Royale genre – or else risking a fate similar to Apex Legends. 

Looter shooters are a relatively untapped market on mobile and could tie into the motivations of many players by featuring narrative elements and exploration through a large open-world. That being said, Ubisoft plans to bring The Division to mobile, and Bungie looks set to follow with Destiny, meaning this space may soon become crowded.  

Survival and extraction shooters have a handful of popular titles in the Chinese market, but these subgenres are yet to make a big impact in Western markets despite their popularity on console and PC platforms, suggesting there are many gains to be had. 

Tactical shooters are also almost unheard of on mobile, suggesting it might be difficult to translate this type of gameplay onto a small screen successfully. Critical Ops has proven it can be done, although this title hasn’t made much impact in terms of revenue. We suspect a larger studio with the capacity to further push UA, and even perhaps collaborate with other IP to drum up interest, would fare better.

If you enjoyed this post and wish to explore this topic even further, then check out some of our other content:

• Episodes 25 and 44 of our podcast discuss the mobile shooter market in depth. 
• Delve into Liftoff’s 2023 Midcore Gaming Apps Report
• Use our new LiveOps tools to inspect the framework of the highest-grossing shooters

The post Is the Mobile Shooter Market Saturated? Top Tips on How to Innovate in a Crowded Genre appeared first on GameRefinery.

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Despite the proliferation of mobile games aimed at women, there remains a concern for more representation of women in various job roles within the gaming world. We will explore the reasons behind this disparity and examine how women gamers often find themselves confined to certain gaming genres, perpetuating limiting stereotypes. We will also tackle the pervasive issue of online harassment and its impact on the gaming experiences of women.

We also celebrate the strides made by the gaming industry to address these issues and promote inclusivity. Discover the emerging initiatives, programs, and opportunities to bridge the gender gap and create a more diverse and welcoming gaming landscape for everyone.

You can also watch the episode on YouTube:

Topics we will cover in this episode:

1. Introduction
2. Discussing women’s role in the games industry
3. Representation and gender in the industry
4. Diversity in roles and leadership
5. Gender in game design
6. Inclusive game development
7. Addressing toxicity and culture
8. Changing perceptions and empowerment

The post Episode 47: Breaking boundaries – How women can reshape the games industry with Zynga appeared first on GameRefinery.

Of course, Pokémon isn’t the only major franchise with a growing presence in mobile. Activision capitalized on the momentum of Diablo IV’s successful launch on PC and console by adding a new update to its mobile game Diablo Immortal, which released the franchise’s first new character class in almost a decade. Players turned up in droves to try out the Blood Knight, causing a 400% increase in daily downloads on iOS. 

Monopoly GO! is still dominating the charts and continues to build engagement through its first cooperative event, Baking Partners, where players had to help each other make a cake to win various in-game rewards.

There were also a significant number of IP collaborations in the most popular mobile titles during July, mainly with films and television shows. Some of our favorite crossovers included Match Masters and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Stumble Guys and Barbie, PUBG and Dragon Ball Z, and even Survivor!.io and Spongebob Squarepants. 

You can find more information about all these updates, as well as many others from across the US, China, and Japanese markets, in our July Mobile Game Market review.

US Market Overview

Following the success of its one-year anniversary update last month, a major update for Diablo Immortal added the franchise’s first new character class in almost ten years, the Blood Knight. This mid-range class specializes in polearms and combines long and ranged attacks into a hybrid combat style; it’s also capable of “feeding” on the life of its enemies to regenerate health. 

The new class can be played by creating a new character or changing an existing one using the game’s free ‘class change’ feature. Blizzard also released a special event designed to make the most of the new class, The Crimson Plane, featuring a limited-time roguelite PvE mode and a progressive reward track with an exclusive set of Blood Knight Armour. 

For now, the only way for Diablo fans to try out the Blood Knight is by playing Immortal, which resulted in a 400% spike in downloads on the day of the update. As the new class wasn’t monetized, the game didn’t experience a revenue spike similar to the month prior for its one-year anniversary.

Monopoly GO! added its first cooperative event, Baking Partners, which ran from 4–9 July and tasked players to partner up with each other and make a cake to unlock special rewards. The prizes include dice rolls, cash, stickers, and even a unique token representing the player on the board. While the event had no notable impact on downloads, daily revenue on iOS doubled around the start of the event, with the game continuing to build momentum after its conclusion as further updates are released.

In the week-long event, players had to collect a unique currency called “purple cookies” from the Monopoly board, which were spent on rolling a wheel to collect progression points for the “cake-making process.” Players and their partners unlocked special rewards once they collectively reached specific point milestones. 

July was also a big month for collaboration events, with a significant focus on popular film and television franchises. First up is Match Masters, which collaborated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to celebrate the release of the new film Mutant Madness. 

Players had to collect pizza slices from PvP modes to reach reward milestones in the Boss Battle Collection Event, allowing them to battle some of the franchise’s most iconic villains in exchange for exclusive skins and stickers. Multiple TMNT-themed limited time IAP-offers were also available during the collaboration, including progression and customizable bundles, which helped daily revenue almost quadruple in the days following the update.

Meanwhile, the Fall Guys clone, Stumble Guys, collaborated with the doll-turned-blockbuster-movie, Barbie. The Barbie Malibu Mayhem event added a unique Barbie Dream Dash map that saw players rushing around to deliver Barbie’s favorite items to various NPCs before they were eliminated. The Barbie Malibu Mayhem rewarded players with Barbie Tokens, which could be spent in an event shop to purchase exclusive Barbie-themed skins and an emote. 

Survivor!.io launched the Deepsea Survivor Event, which added Spongebob Squarepants and his neighbor Squidward as playable characters. ​To unlock Spongebob, players had to complete various sign-in tasks, while unlocking Squidward required taking part in daily battle stages. Players could also unlock Spongebob’s snail, Gary, as a new pet via IAP offers.

Finally, almost a year since it was first announced, PUBG Mobile released its long-awaited Dragon Ball Super collaboration, introducing two new modes, Dragon Ball character gachas, task events, and more.

The first new mode, Battle Royale: Dragon Ball Super, ditched almost all the traditional PUBG gameplay elements to transform the map into an anime-style battleground where players duke it out as their favorite Dragon Ball characters. The other mode, Dragon Ball Super, retains most of the core gameplay ideas but incorporates aspects of the anime, such as the ability to find Dragon Balls hidden across the map or fire an energy beam.

Other US market highlights include:

• Moonton released a new tower defense RPG called Watcher of Realms, which managed to hit the top 50 grossing. 
• Space Ape Games released an unusual match3 game themed around car restoration called Chrome Valley Customs, which has been scaling the past month towards the top grossing 100.  
• Jam City’s new puzzle RPG themed around DC Comics, DC Heroes & Villains, has struggled to break into top grossing 200, despite the popularity of characters such as Batman, Superman, and Harley Quinn.  
• After an initial strong launch, the card-collecting RPG Harry Potter: Magic Awakened has fallen radically in performance after last month’s US launch, despite performing relatively well in China. 
• Tencent finally released its extraction shooter Arena Breakout across the globe. However, despite its high production values and popularity in China for some time, it has yet to find a strong audience in other markets. 

Japan Market Overview

Following the successful release of Pokémon Go and Pokémon Smile, the Pokémon Company continued to expand its mobile ecosystem in July with the long-awaited release of Pokémon Sleep. This unique title combines sleep tracking and Pokémon collecting into one gamified wellness app. The unusual amalgamation seems to have struck a chord with mobile users, with the title ranking #1 in downloads since its launch. 

However, Pokemon Sleep didn’t achieve this all on its own. Pokémon Go also released a special themed event to celebrate the launch, Catching Some Zs, which featured an exclusive Snorlax wearing a nightcap for any player who linked a Pokémon GO Plus + (a new physical accessory used for both Pokémon Go and Pokémon Sleep) to the game. 

We’ll be discussing Pokémon Sleep in more detail soon as part of our Mobile Games Playbook podcast, as well as providing a detailed analysis on our platform.

The Dragon Ball franchise also made waves in Japan following the release of a new Ultra-tier character, Super Saiyan God SS Vegito, in Dragon Ball Legends. The character was anticipated to be a worthy challenger to the current meta and expected to dominate PvP modes, meaning many players were desperate to unlock them as soon as the update landed.

Super Saiyan God SS Vegito could only be unlocked through a step-up gacha consisting of four 10-character pulls, out of which the fourth was a free pull. To pull all four, a player needed 3,000 Chrono Crystals (worth just over $60). The actual drop rate of Super Saiyan God SS Vegito was 0.350%, which is very low, and players also required duplicate pulls to upgrade the character further.

Daily revenue spiked by more than 2000% after the character’s release.

Other Japan market highlights include:

• The realistic baseball game, MLB 9 Innings Rivals, has ranked #1 in downloads for several days and grossed between 20 and 50 for most of July. With baseball being a massively popular sport in Japan, it’s unsurprising that this new game managed to find its audience quickly.
• That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime launched its first collaboration event with the popular anime KonoSuba.
• Ensemble Stars!! Music launched a summer event with its own take on the Treasure Hunt/Hidden Temple event type.
• A new mecha RPG, Muv-Luv Dimensions, launched at #1 in the download charts and #18 grossing, but has since fallen down the ranks.

China market highlights include:

• Justice Mobile (逆水寒) is the mobile version of NetEase’s “flagship MMORPG” Justice Online, with high production values and a Chinese fantasy art style. It is currently ranking around top-grossing #3 and DL #2.
• Crystal of Atlan (晶核) is an anime cel-shading-style action RPG with flashy graphics and classic sword-swinging gameplay. The game describes itself as having an “aetherpunk” theme; a mix of magic and technology. The game has been hovering in the top five top-grossing and top 15 downloads.
• I’m Really Awesome At Martial Arts Competitions (我比武特牛) is a hybrid game with a hyper-casual beat-‘em-up style core and Archero style meta that has made it to the top-grossing ranks. The game currently ranks in the top-grossing 70-80 and the top 15 in downloads.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review July 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.

Statista’s Market Insights show that 48% of the revenue in casual games in 2022 came from in-game ads, with the share of IAA revenue increasing each year. This shows that careful planning and choosing the right ad formats are effective ways to monetize non-paying players. 

Non-paying players generate more costs for the developers, and growing the user base requires constant investment to attract new users through UA practices. This is why it’s crucial to plan the monetization model tailored to the game’s genre, which is where rewarded in-game ads can help! 

The most popular format in the US mobile game market is the rewarded video ads, with 74% of mobile players preferring the format over forced ads and banners. Opt-in incentivized ads have higher player engagement and completion rates. All parties benefit from providing rewards, earning revenue, and achieving higher click-through rates.

In this blog post, we will explore how game developers are incorporating unique in-game ad features into the game design or, in some cases, have made ads an integral part of the game to enhance the user experience and drive revenue. 

Progressive gachas

In Legend of Slime, everything is interconnected, including the ads. The game has several power progression vectors. Almost everything is upgradeable, from characters to gear, with the upgrading materials found in the side modes. Each side mode has specific upgrading materials, level progression, and replenishing Dungeon Keys per day. With this in mind, developers have taken a step ahead in monetizing the F2P player base with progressive gachas.

The progression mechanic is based on watching ads, with each ad increasing the number of rewards for the next pull. The gachas are upgradeable by watching ads, and players can improve the prize pool drop rates this way. 

Purposeful game mechanisms built around ads are a genius way to increase CTR rates and create a positive user experience that adds to retention. 

Permanent and temporary boosts

As a midcore idle RPG, Legend of Slime utilizes the standard temporary buff feature with rewarded video ads. By watching ads, the boost is triggered for a fixed time. However, the developers give a new spin to this feature; the ‘Blessings boosts’ have a progressive element that’s upgraded by doing nothing but watching ads to increase their effectiveness.

A permanent ‘Best Subscriber’ boost is activated when a certain number of ads have been watched as the game tracks the view count, increasing essential player stats in the game and making it the ultimate reward for players who watch ads. 

Legend of Slime uses a hybrid monetization model, and the IAA solely utilizes the rewarded video ad placements. The game primarily relies on a delayed feedback loop to create a greater impact. 

Legend of Slime has impressively included the ads as a part of the core game’s power progression vectors. Watching ads feels meaningful as players get increasingly better rewards with little progression iterations that aid the core gameplay. The game has also been steadily adding new power progression vectors (gear, upgrade types) and other features this year, with increased ad opportunities leading to higher revenue.

The hybrid casual idler game Build Car Manager Tycoon has also developed an innovative feature to incorporate ads using a hybrid monetization model. The game has idle yield rewards that generate over time and is the main resource used to progress in the game.

The Offline Income Ad Rewards is a boost upgraded with a special currency. This will raise the amount of the offline idle yield rewards by upwards of 20%. The other type of permanent upgradeable boost is called the Double Level Up Reward. This activates when players level up in the game and receive an incentivized ad prompt to double the level-up rewards. As the game requires growing amounts of generated resources to upgrade permanent buildings, the double reward boost becomes handy.

Occasional rewards in the game levels

A simple but interesting way to implement an ad feature is to place occasional rewards as prompts appearing in the game’s user interface or game levels. This ad implementation method is usually found in exploration games with tycoon core mechanics.

In Family Island and Klondike Adventures, these reward prompts are spread across the exploration map, which can only be claimed by watching an ad. Tapping the prompt triggers it; the rewards can be anything from stamina to premium currency.

Similarly, Dragonscapes Adventure utilizes this sort of ad mechanic, too, by having floating gift packages instead of static placements. The design behind the ad feature is well thought out, as it fits the tycoon exploration genre, and players can randomly find the reward prompts during the gameplay. Keeping the games’ genre and target audience in mind helps to strategize the rewarded ad placements for maximum impact.

Ad-related tasks and Other Special Mechanics

Dragonscapes Adventure and Dragon City Mobile use a task system with reward milestones unlocked exclusively by watching video ads. Each watched ad earns a small prize, such as stamina or food. Unlocking all milestones rewards players with minor valuable items regarding the games’ economies. 

The ad-related task system is a simple and great showcase for utilizing the delayed feedback loop, which requires engaging with the ads to receive a milestone reward. The rewards offered in the mobile game should contribute to the game’s progress and have greater value.

Why should I consider incorporating rewarded ad features into my mobile game?

A carefully crafted ad strategy is vital for UA and revenue, especially for freemium games. Researching the game audience also helps in this case as well; which player archetypes users likely identify with, what they need to keep them coming back to the game, and how ads could cater to their needs. When it comes to incentivized rewards, it’s important to consider both delayed and instant feedback loops to avoid cannibalizing in-app purchases.

Rewarded ads are favored because they lessen the negative impact of ads that are thought to disrupt the gameplay experience. Designing a rewarded ad feature that players will ultimately benefit from in both long and short-term progression drives user engagement and motivates players to spend more time watching ads. 

By providing a sense of gratification, rewarded ads improve the flow of the game by giving an option for all players, not just non-paying players, to overcome obstacles in the game. Lastly, ad features do not need to be complex; it all comes down to when and what is being offered.

Find out how developers use incentivized ad placements from hundreds of implementation examples in our service! Be sure also to check out some of our other articles to learn more about in-game ads:

• Rewarded Video Ad-placements – Interesting Implementations From Across The Market
• Masters of Ad-placements — Idle Restaurant Tycoon: Empire

The post How to Build Better Mechanics for Rewarded In-Game Ads appeared first on GameRefinery.

The halfway point of the year was a major milestone for several other popular games too, including Diablo Immortal, which celebrated its first anniversary by collaborating with Diablo 4. Harry Potter: Magic Awakened finally made its way over to the US and Japan after a strong reception in China, with initial figures suggesting a strong launch. It remains to be seen how the game will fare long-term, especially given that the game has been on a slow decline in China following its solid opening period.

Fans of IP-based games got plenty of treats, too. Marvel Snap added a new game mode for the first time since its launch last October, while Dragon Ball Legends celebrated iconic characters old and new with a five-year anniversary event which caused daily revenue to spike by almost 500% on iOS.

You can find more information about these games and updates, as well as many others from across the US, China, and Japanese markets, in our June Mobile Game Market review.

US Market Overview

Almost eight months after its full release, Marvel Snap added its first new game mode. Conquest lets players face off in a ruthless single-elimination tournament where they climb tiers by beating their opponents one at a time. If you lose to even one opponent, your run ends. Players who complete their conquest will earn medals, which can be spent in a new in-game store featuring various resources and rewards. Players can claim an exclusive card after they’ve bought nine items.

Conquest mode is split into four increasingly difficult tiers: Proving Grounds, Silver Conquest, Gold Conquest, and Infinity Conquest. The higher tiers provide better rewards but demand players build a longer win streak. Only the Proving Grounds are free to enter; the others require a specific Entrance Ticket or Gold for admission. Entrance Tickets can be acquired by winning the Proving Grounds Conquest or from the Medal Shop.

The highest-tier conquest, Infinity Conquest, is only available during the final week of the four-week conquest season. Players who win the Infinity Conquest get an Infinity-framed copy of the avatar they used when they won.

Candy Crush Soda Saga introduced tiers to its latest battle pass iteration, highlighting the growing focus from studios on the diversification of battle passes as a monetization mechanic. The Rewards Pass gives players three options to personalize their experience: the Big Pass, Medium Pass and Small Pass.

Players with limited time can choose a smaller pass that won’t take as long to progress through, while more dedicated players can opt for a larger pass that is more demanding but provides better rewards. These players can take this even further by purchasing an additional reward track for the pass, earning premium currency and boosters.

Royal Match put a new spin on the match3 genre with its Hidden Temple event, which saw players using pickaxes to dig out gems from grids. After finding all the gems in a grid, players are rewarded with a gift package (containing boosters, collections cards and coins), and are invited to take on a larger, tougher grid. Players can obtain pickaxes by completing levels or grabbing them through an IAP bundle.

Pride Month takes place in June, and there are plenty of examples of mobile games celebrating Pride with special events. One of the highlights is League of Legends: Wild Rift, whose free Pride event was split into two simple halves.

Players first had to complete a single match to win some Pride-themed decorative items, including rainbow footsteps. The second part saw players completing ten more games to win Pride emotes; all they had to do was wear their Pride decorative items as they took part, encouraging players to show their support for Pride by simply playing the game.

June also marked the start of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in the UK. Similar to how mobile games embraced the World Cup last year, several mobile games got into the sporting spirit by hosting events inspired by Wimbledon. These included Fortnite’s Race to Wimbledon, which sees players racing through London to reach Wimbledon, and a “Wimbleworld experience” in Roblox which has been visited more than 12 million times.

Tennis Clash has also launched a new season to coincide with the event, featuring a unique match kit players can use on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Last but not least, Diablo Immortal celebrated the hugely successful launch of Diablo 4 on PC and consoles, as well as its one-year anniversary, with a special crossover event consisting of a series of events.

The Merciless Monstrosity event had players teaming up against a world boss from Diablo 4, while the Dread Pilgrimage event consisted of several tasks, revealing an upcoming new class. The monetized content included exclusive Lilith-themed cosmetics and items through the Battle Pass, limited-time special gacha, and limited-time offers – including a subscription deal. The first anniversary celebrations of Diablo Immortal also started with events such as Justinian’s Favor. Combined, these events caused daily revenue and downloads in the mobile game to spike by over 500% on iOS (US).

Interesting top-200 grossing entrants on the market

• Wizarding fans in the US (and Japan) finally got their hands on Harry Potter: Magic Awakened at the end of June, which has been thriving in China for quite some time. The title has ranked high in the download charts (top three in the US) and is steadily rising to become of the highest-grossing titles on the market. The IP-based game combines MMO and RPG elements with a card-based Tactical Battler core gameplay.
• Chrome Valley Customs, a unique car-themed match3 decorating game from Space Ape, launched onto the market last month and has been slowly scaling in revenue, hovering around at the time of writing around 130 in the top grossing charts. It is currently one of the top 20 most downloaded games in the US.
• While not a new title on the market, Monopoly GO has cemented its pole position, consistently ranking as the most downloaded mobile game since launching three months ago.

China Market Overview

The panda-themed match3 puzzle game, Anipop(开心消消乐), added a new event, Medal of Honour Book, that saw players completing select tasks (such as completing levels a specific number of times, or with a particular grade) to acquire album stars. Players highly lauded these stars as they determined the likelihood of a player being selected to win real-life prizes, including an educational science experience at the Panda National Park.

During the event, players could also obtain a special currency known as “material items” used in an exclusive event shop to redeem in-game decorative items and other real-life prizes – including soft toys and clothing.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A new realistic driving game from NetEase, 巅峰极速 (Racing Master), is currently ranking fourth in revenue and downloads at the time of publication.
• The third-person shooter game T3 Arena (火力苏打) was published in China last month. It holds a top grossing 142 position, although it initially hit the top 50.

Japan Market Overview

Dragon Ball Legends celebrated its fifth anniversary by releasing a ton of new content, alongside the rerelease of older (but popular) content, to keep players engaged. For example, the update featured a new tag-team character, Goku and Final Form Frieza, acquired through gacha. It also featured four additional anniversary-themed gacha, which brought back some of the most popular and powerful characters released over the past five years.

Unlocking these gacha requires gacha tickets acquired through the main playable story event, A Miraculous Alliance: An Unbelievable Final Bout. The mode, featuring Goku and Final Form Frieza, sees players progressing through levels defeating various enemies to earn exclusive equipment items and anniversary currency, 5th Anniversary Medals. These medals can be used in an event shop that sells gacha tickets and other rewards.

With June marking the start of Japan’s Bride season, some of the highest-grossing mobile games launched events to celebrate. Uma Musume: Pretty Derby added a new story event that saw players helping a fashion designer in a slump to find her inspiration to create wedding dress-racing outfits for the Beauty Dream Cup. The event also introduced wedding dress-clad characters obtained from limited-time gachas.

Similarly, That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime launched a wedding-themed story event, which included two characters in wedding attire that could be collected by completing Panel Missions and collection milestones. The game also added two gachas featuring three characters in wedding dresses, with two of the characters gaining extra benefits when used as part of a team in the story event.

Puzzle & Dragons added a limited-time gacha highlighting characters dressed in wedding attire. It also introduced special bride-themed dungeons for players to explore and several IAP bundles with bridal gacha freebies.

Interesting top 200 grossing entrants on the market

• A new TBRPG title from the popular Square Enix series, DragonQuest Champions, has stayed within the top 50 since its launch on 12 June.
• Based on a popular anime series, Laid-Back Camp All-in-one!! is a casual 3D anime-style game which focuses on crafting and decorating a campsite, and interaction between chibi characters from the anime. It got off to a strong start after its launch on 15 June but has steadily declined.
• A new survival shooter from Level Infinite, Undawn, launched globally with different ID’s on 13 June. It has not been as successful elsewhere, but has since launch mostly stayed in the top 100 grossing in the JP market.

The post Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review June 2023 appeared first on GameRefinery.

There are many steps marketers can take to mitigate these issues, such as identifying the best time to request permission from users for ATT, although user acquisition will remain a difficult prospect in the coming months. With that in mind, mobile marketers should focus on identifying better ways to push monetization opportunities to their existing audiences. 

One way to do that is by designing an effective strategy for in-app purchase (IAP) offers. As we’ve written in some of our earlier blog posts, these offers are an integral part of F2P monetization, and there are several different approaches on the market. Some aim for well-rounded offers that appeal to a broad audience, while others zero in on players in specific situations to maximize the appeal and increase the likelihood of a successful conversion. 

However, the most effective targeted IAP offers work well across many genres. Below, we’ll go through four basic strategies for targeted IAP offers that do just that, with specific trigger timings and unique appeal, while looking at how these have been implemented in some of the top games on the market. 

Progression and milestone rewards

When players have achieved something great in the game, such as reaching a significant milestone or completing a tricky level, providing them with an opportunity to invest in the game is an excellent way to keep the momentum going. That’s why many of the top mobile games recognize the achievements of their players by rewarding them with exclusive offers.

Blizzard’s dungeon-crawling MMORPG, Diablo Immortal, does this to great effect. After completing different dungeons or unlocking high-difficulty versions of dungeons, players are presented with a specific one-time bundle offer of valuable materials with no time limit. Earlier achievements in the game are rewarded with bundle offers of better value than later ones, pushing players to become invested sooner.

The match3 puzzle game, Pet Rescue Saga, also has a good example of a reward-based IAP offer. Similarly to most match3 games, Pet Rescue Saga ramps up the difficulty level at regular intervals as players progress through the campaign. Users who clear one of these challenging levels receive a ‘missing toy’ for an in-game toy box. If they can collect enough toys, they can fill the box, triggering a low price point one-time bundle offer of boosters and gold. 

Another way to encourage users to take up a reward-based IAP offer is to make it a limited-time deal to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Better yet, by having the bundle’s content directly relate to the player’s achievement, marketers can help users with their current goals. 

The match3 puzzler Best Fiends demonstrates this well. When players unlock a new character, a limited-time ‘Welcome to the Family’ offer is triggered, containing valuable resources for upgrading said character topped off with 10 hours of VIP perks.

Likewise, Rise of Kingdoms’ 4x successor, Call of Dragons, rewards players with a tempting limited-time offer of Artifact upgrading resources right after managing to collect a total of six epic rarity Artifacts.

Enhancing crafting mechanics with IAP offers

Crafting mechanics are commonplace across the entire video game market, whether those mechanics involve creating precious resource items or forging powerful new weapons and armor. Players often have to spend hours ensuring they have all the necessary items to craft a recipe or upgrade an object, which can become tedious. 

Offering them the chance to boost their crafting gains through IAPs can effectively increase revenue, as users feel they ‘earned’ their rewards rather than purchased them. For example, when a player merges objects and manages to create higher-level objects in MergeDragons!, a purchasable Dimensional Jar will sometimes appear carrying a duplicate of the high-tier or otherwise rare merge result object. 

The same logic can also be applied to other in-app purchases. When players make their first IAP transaction in Coin Master, they are offered an Adventure Pack containing many essential resources for a special price, encouraging them to spend that little bit extra for even more rewards.

Using IAP offers to help players complete tasks

As we discussed above, players often feel more inclined to spend on IAP when it’s towards a goal they’ve already made substantial progress towards on their own – it feels less like cheating or taking a shortcut. That’s why offering players exclusive deals can be effective when they’re close to reaching special milestones or achievements. 

For example, in MergeDragons! and EverMerge, players can merge five (or six) items to get two ‘next-tier’ rewards – this means spending significant time hunting for five of a specific object. When players are close to a complete set, the games occasionally parachute in an IAP offer with the missing piece(s), making for an incredibly tempting deal.

EverMerge also features ‘Creature Completion’ offers that pop up when players are close to collecting an entire ‘creature chain’ – which unlocks a special area. The one-time offer contains premium currency and the missing creatures you need to complete the chain. The game also notices when players run out of energy, which replenishes over time, during task progression; this offer gives a small amount of extra play energy so users can complete the grind.

The match3 puzzle game, Project Makeover, also features these offers as part of its Timed Makeover Challenge. To progress in these challenges, which last one to two weeks at a time, players must collect event tokens by completing main levels. Those struggling to finish the makeover are targeted with an extension offer, which increases the length of the event so they can obtain the completion rewards. Players who purchase the offer also boost their Event Token earnings when they clear levels the first time.

Providing a second chance through IAP offers

Regardless of the game or genre, failing to complete a level or losing all their lives is designed to be frustrating. It’s also why being offered a second chance for a low price when things aren’t going to plan can be so appealing, especially if it means saving hard-earned experience points or a lengthy win streak. 

This is commonly encountered in Match3 games, which offer a soft currency payment users can make to continue playing after running out of moves in a level. Royal Match takes this further by offering a cheap bundle of premium currency (needed to continue) alongside a booster on top of the extra moves when players are about to fail. They’re given just 60 seconds to decide, leaving little room to hesitate. Lily’s Garden also utilizes a similar (albeit less urgency-inducing) tactic with the Moonlight Offer, a bundle paired with extra moves that occasionally appears.

These types of offers aren’t exclusive to just match3 games. Players who have missed a limited-time tournament in Golf Clash are offered a low-cost ‘5x value’ bundle that makes up for some of the rewards that would have been available had they played the event, allowing them to catch up with their friends quickly.

Bonus offers: randomly-generated IAP bundles

While they’re unlikely to be as effective as targeted bundles, as long as they’re not highly intrusive, there is no harm in throwing the odd, unexpected offer at players just to keep them interested. This might be in the form of a surprising offer after first logging into the game, which provides general resources to ensure they won’t run out during their play session, or a special deal to wake up a player who has been idling for an extended period. 

Here are a few examples of how these randomly-generated offers work in some of the highest-grossing mobile games:

• When logging in to Wordscapes, the game occasionaly makes a simple 24-hour offer. The Double Coin Sale offers a low price point and “2x VALUE!” for coins used to purchase in-game hints. 
• Candy Crush Saga occasionally starts random Levels Rush mini-events, where players are promised 25 premium currency for completing 25 levels by the following day. The offer is not monetized, but the player is more engaged, committed to clearing the levels, and using boosters when needed.
• EverMerge’s one-time offer Invigorating Pack sometimes appears upon login, offering a good amount of energy to keep the session length restrictions at bay.

Conclusion

Targeted in-app purchase (IAP) offers in mobile games present a valuable opportunity for monetization and player engagement. Despite the challenges posed by user acquisition in the era of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy, mobile marketers can shift their focus to implementing effective IAP strategies. By understanding player motivations and employing various tactics, developers can maximize the appeal and conversion rates of targeted IAP offers.

The following strategies can be employed to create compelling and successful targeted IAP offers:

• Progression and milestone rewards: Recognize player achievements by offering exclusive deals when they reach significant milestones or complete challenging levels. This keeps the momentum going and encourages further investment in the game.
• Enhancing crafting mechanics with IAP offers: Provide players with the opportunity to boost their crafting progress through purchases, offering a sense of earned rewards and enhancing their gameplay experience.
• Helping players complete tasks: Offer exclusive deals to players who are close to reaching special milestones or achievements, providing additional support and tempting them with valuable rewards.
• Providing a second chance through IAP offers: When players fail a level or run out of lives, offer affordable bundles or extra moves to give them a second chance and prevent frustration.
• Randomly-generated bonus offers: Surprise players with unexpected offers to maintain their interest and engagement, such as providing additional resources or limited-time events.

By implementing these strategies and tailoring IAP offers to individual player segments, developers can create targeted offers that resonate with their audience, increase player engagement, and drive revenue.

For more inspiration on integrating IAP offers into your game’s LiveOps strategy, make sure to check out our recently launched Live Events Tracker tool on the GameRefinery platform!

If you enjoyed reading this post, here are a few more you should definitely check out:

• Why Mobile Game Studios Are Increasing the Prices of IAPs
• How to Build Your Next IAP Offer?
• How to Build Your Next IAP Offer Part 2

The post Best Practice and Strategies for Targeted IAP Offers in Mobile Games appeared first on GameRefinery.