If You have a million-dollar idea for making a potential Game. Then, Do you know how to gain money from making Games? Do you know what the techniques game developers use to monetize their games? Do you know which game monetizing technique best suits your game?
Most game developers focus their interest on the Idea behind the Game. However, they take most of the time to implement the game mechanics and like so. But Monetizing the game is equally important because making a potential game needs a lot of hours, lines of codes, logic, calculations, high-end graphics, strong math skills, art and animations, sounds,..etc which needs a lot of money to implement. So from the early stages of game development itself, the developer should focus interest on Game monetization also.
In this blog, I discuss Mobile Games(Android Games,iPhone Games ) and HTML5 Games Monetization techniques, Details of Ad Network Providers for Mobile Game Monetization.
Android Game Monetization Techniques:
1. Free Version:
Most of the games in the Google Play Store are free to play Games. The developers earn money from their free version of the game by displaying ads and in-app purchases. Here are some more techniques to earn money from free to play games.
Banner Ads: Banners are rectangular ads that appear in specified areas of the players’ screens during gameplay. We can set them at the top or bottom of the Player’s Screen.
Full-Screen Ads: These ads take up the entire screen of your game. It lasts for only a short period and disappears soon.
Native Ads: These ads are more naturally integrated within your app content, making them blend in with the rest of the page with the matching designs and layout.
Interstitial Ads: These ads typically appear where the gameplay naturally pauses. For example, in between levels or stages. It is a video Ad that comes with a close button.
Playable Video Ads: Playable ads are an interactive ad format that allows users to play the advertised game.
Rewarded Ads: Players are given a “reward button” that fits the Game Play to click on it and watch the full video Ad so that they can get a reward in turn.
Service providers: www.adcolony.com
Incentivized Downloads/Offerwall: Offerwalls are another opt-in ad format. In an offerwall, players get a “wall” of actions they can complete to earn in-game rewards. The actions may be complete the survey, install another game, or make an in-app purchase in another game.
Service providers: www.tapjoy.com
Game Exit: Once the player finishes playing your game, you can present him one last full-sized ad.
More Games:We can have a “more games button “ display other Game Publisher games and Get money from great gaming vendors.
Subscription: Subscriptions are a set amount of money players pay on a regular basis to access special in-game features and additional content.It is best suited for news and entertainment apps.
Icon Drop: Your game is authorized to send push messages to the user and these can be used to promote other games.Service provider: www.airpush.com
Branded Virtual GoodsIf games have virtual goods like currency, fashion(clothing, jewelry, powers, tools, collectibles…etc), you can offer a branded versions of them and get paid by advertisers by making them watch videos.
Search:we can ger $12 per 1000 downloads.User gets a search app installed along with your game.
Service providers:www.Startapp.com
Call only Ads:Call ads are designed to encourage people to call your business, and can appear only on devices that make phone calls. When a potential customer clicks your ad, the ad places a call to you from their device.
2.In-app Purchases:
In-App Purchases (IAPs) are the leading monetization model for mobile games which are free games. According to Business of Apps and Games, 79% of mobile games monetize with in-app purchases.
In-app purchases are in-game purchases where the player pays the real money to purchase extra lives, coins, weapons, moves, boosters, etc. We can provide the player an in-game store on the home screen to buy what he wants.
3.Paid Version:
Charge the user for downloading the app or game
Premium versions:First release light version and allow them to upgrade to full version via In-App purchases
Level Packs:Advanced version of above one . Break the game in to few level packs and sell each one independently.
Worlds and Skins:Sell the Player the existing game having different worlds and Game Skins which allows the player to customize the look and feel of the game.
4.Limitation Removal:
Remove Ads Option: Offer the player with Ads-free game version. Usually for $0.99
More (Energy/Life/Turns/Time): Implement Energy mechanics like life points, and timers in-game limits in the gameplay for around 5–10 short sessions. So sell more life points and increase the timer to let the player finish the level.
5. Merchandising:
Sell t-shirts/lunch boxes/branded cases if the player wishes to purchase them. It increases your brand also.
Ex: Angry Birds t-shirts, lunch boxes…etc
6. Social Games:
Duels: Let users compete for prizes against each other.
Service provider: Nextpeer
Tournaments: Suits for Real-world Games like Cricket…
Gifting: Give options to give coins and virtual goods to other users as a gift.
7. Blended InGame Ads (Sponsors):
Find some Sponsors and display their ads in your apps or games.
Top Ad-Networks for Mobile Games:
Priority List based on Google Trends….
- facebook Ads (link)
- AdMob (link)
- AppLovin (link)
- Iron Source (link)
- Mintegral (link)
- Unity Ads (link)
- ChartBoost (link)
- InMobi (link)
- Revu (link)-specialized inOfferwalls Monetization
- Bango
- smartlink
- Launchpad
- Moloco (link)
- InMobi (link)
- Start.io (link)
- TapZoy (link)
- Vungle.com
- Smaato (link)
- Smarty Ads (link)
- Adcolony (link)
- Mookomedia (link)
Ad-network providers more details:Link
Billing InApp Purchase providers:
Service providers:Google
Conclusion:
As there are many techniques to monetize mobile games,choose better combination methods to maximize your profits and choose better AdProviders that give better ROI. Also, keep in mind don’t overload the games with too many ads that make the player frustrated and leads to deletion of the game on their mobile phones. I made this research for my gaming company Gameroost. Hoping this data helps other Game developers too…..
If you have a potential game idea,developed a wonderful game and know the strategies of earning money from games ,It brings you money even when you sleep.
