Android Distribution of Game Currency - VS - Monetization

[RyanC]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to start a topic about finding the right balance between giving users enough free gems to enjoy the game whilst ensuring the user will buy gems or watch ads so that the app will earn sufficient revenue.

My game has gems to collect in each level and a system in the shop where they can share or watch ads to earn extra gems or purchase them instead.

The thing is I don't want the user downloading the game and thinking they have to start watching lot's of ads straight away before they even know if they like the game.

 

[derpy_turtle]

Using an analytics platform post release can be a great way to gauge retention and engagement metrics. Tweaking premium reward rates and marketplace costs while maintaining a fixed premium conversion value (IAP price to currency quantity) is often a safe route.

I would imagine a more liberal reward rate will increase retention while potentially lowering revenue. The game mechanics will determine the value of the premium currency to the player. Playing with those values and analyzing quality data can help you understand your market when deploying effective monetization techniques.

 

[sitebender]

Incentivize ads. Every ad gives you X amount of currency. Some games even allow users to watch ads without playing the game. Up to 6 ads an hour because that's all Google or whomever will pay you for.

My only game triggers ads after 10 minutes of play. Then after that its every 5 minutes and if they've watched 6 per hour it stops for that hour.

With that said, since its marked as "containing ads" chances are people expect to get smacked in the face with an ad as soon as it starts. As for ads, I question to even have them as I don't have the user base, so I've never received money.

 

[Thelap]

Rewarded video ads tend to be great for user experience and generating high revenues. I think because it's user initiated and incentivised rather than a surprising interruption that makes them more acceptable.

I think when an app is bombarded unexpectedly with interstitials/video interstitials that pushes users to uninstall an app.

With regards to balancing this out, think about, how much of the users time on the app is actually gameplay. If half of the time is spent watching an ad, then I doubt the user will keep the game for long. I'd say 90% gameplay and 10% ads is good. Maybe you can stretch 80/20.

This is rare, but I've seen some very addicting hyper casual games push this to 60/40. They're able to get away with it because the game is that good.

You can also try introducing ads after 24 hours from download. Theres quite a few things you can do. I suppose the best strategy will depend on the game.