November 16, 2011
The secret to a free-to-play game is not volume. It is not about getting millions of users and relying on only a tiny percentage of that enormous volume to cover your costs.
It is about understanding the power-law. You can read more about the concept in my post How much is your game worth? but the secret to success in free-to-play is this…
November 15, 2011
“Free-to-play” games have caused intense reactions in the gaming community, with strong views on whether it is an ethically sound way to design games or whether it is slot machines in disguise. When we designed Forever Drive, we saw the opportunity to experiment with this business model for the first time. More importantly, we took it upon ourselves as a challenge to create a game that was free of any unethical mechanisms.
November 9, 2011
As you move down the funnel, you need to start converting users into payers. Without conversion, you don’t have a business.
The key difference for a free-to-play game, though, is that conversion rates are very low compared to a traditional business model. After all, in a traditional business model, the only people who haven’t paid are the pirates.
November 2, 2011
Retention rate, churn and duration all measure the same thing: how effective are you at getting users to come back to your game.
October 31, 2011
Another of the games that I have worked on has just gone live.
Misfits Community Service is an free-to-play iOS game based on the world of Misfits, the Channel 4 asbo-kids-with-superpowers comedy drama. Play as a member of the Misfits gang, perform underground missions, keep your probation officer happy and upgrade those superpowers.
October 26, 2011
Across the online games world, engagement is a key objective. The more engaged a user is in your game, the more likely they are to spend. If they come back every day, they are more likely to spend. If they think about the game when they are not online, they are more likely to spend. Little wonder DAU/MAU has become so important.
October 21, 2011
Nic’s last post in the 50 Questions series was a mathematically dense explanation of how anti-dilution clauses work. This week he gives concise and clear advice on how to negotiate key terms, particularly focusing on valuation. He advises to follow standard practice as far as possible to avoid terms that disproportionately benefit the investor.
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