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Insider Strategies for Creating Successful Mobile Games

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Stephan Smith
Stephan Smith

This document provides an overview of strategies for successfully developing mobile games. It discusses focusing on compelling gameplay through addiction loops and monetizing through free-to-play models. Social sharing is also important to achieve virality. Data-driven development is key, using analytics to optimize retention, monetization, and user acquisition. Other tips include iterating on the game design, optimizing the app store listing, soft launching to test, and utilizing user acquisition and public relations. With the right formula of gameplay, monetization, and social features, along with polish and testing, developers can create hit mobile games.

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We create compelling gameplay experiences!
FreshGames • Based in Columbus, Ohio - Self-Funded • Est. 2002 - PC & Flash > 2011 Pivoted to Mobile • Employees - 8 • Development Studio - Poland - 3 • Publish/Develop • 15 PC/Mac/Flash • 10 iOS/Android
HOW TO NOT GET F*’D MAKING MOBILE GAMES
I N S I D E R S T R AT E G I E S F O R C R E AT I N G SUCCESSFUL MOBILE GAMES
WHY DO WE LIKE MAKING MOBILE GAMES?
MOBILE T H E # 1 G A M I N G P L AT F O R M IN THE WORLD
N E V E R B E F O R E H AV E YOU HAD SUCH MASSIVE REACH WOW took 10 years to scale to 10 Million Users. Draw Something - 6 weeks to scale to 50 Million Users.
GROWTH & REACH Mobile games market to double in size by 2016 - $24 Billion 3 6 7.2 BILLION BILLION BILLION Internet Users Mobile Phone Users Global Population
M O B I L E G A M E R S TAT S Player Profiles • 48% female / 52% male • 55% don’t spend money on games • 40% between 33-50 • YOY Highest growth 50+, 148% casual
A P P S T O R E S TAT S Apple and Google Play, 2013 By Download Games By Revenue Games By Revenue Games 38% 73% 88% Top 100 Grossing Top 100 Grossing 94% 98% FREE FREE
IT’S COMPETITIVE • Over 1.3 Million Apps - 38% games • 261,000 Publishers • 180/710 daily being uploaded • 80% don’t break even • 60% Zombie apps - No updates, less than 10 reviews
V E RY L U C R AT I V E • Candy Crush - $890,000 daily iOS • Puzzles & Dragons - $2M daily in Japan
Insider Strategies for Creating Successful Mobile Games
GETTING TO THE TOP Daily iOS Ranks for All Apps GROSSING TOP FREE installs installs 10 = $77K+ 50 = $15K+ 100 = $10K+ 10 = 75K+ 50 = 23K+ 100 = 15K+ 10 = 11K+ 50 = 2K 100 = 1.1K TOP TOP PAID
N O W T H AT Y O U ’ R E E X C I T E D … HERE’S REALITY…
If you have little or no experience making mobile games you WILL make $ mistakes!
SECRET F O R C R E AT I N G H I T G A M E S
SUCCESS FORMULA FOR MOBILE GAMES GAMEPLAY + Compulsion Loops = Retention MONETIZATION = Free2play $ SOCIAL = Virality
L E T ’ S S TA R T AT T H E B E G I N N I N G …
GAME IDEA
BE UN!QUE • Don’t just copy other games. Be inspired, but innovate. • Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make it rounder. • Surprise and delight users. !
KILLER THEME Who is your TARGET AUDIENCE? • Demographic determines design direction • Great theme & awesome art attract users to download • Play top-grossing games to see what ideas are working
M O N E T I Z AT I O N MAKIN’ MONEY • PAID: $.99 - Very hard to market unless it’s a brand, featured, or a non-game app.
M O N E T I Z AT I O N • FREE/ADS: Easy to release, very hard to make real money unless you’re driving millions of users, or doing direct deals with advertisers. • FREEMIUM: Great way to start. Lite version with pay wall for completion or additional levels.
M O N E T I Z AT I O N • F2P: Optimal way to make money. Open ended monetization. Consumables, Power-Ups.
GAME DESIGN
Establish a clear, welldefined path from the beginning. It’s hard to go back after you release.
GAME NAME W H AT I T I S , W H AT I T D O E S Candy Crush, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Infinity Blade • Search net for availability • USPTO Trademark search • Run ads on Facebook. Do AB testing to validate name. • Register it with App Store.
BITE-SIZED E N T E R TA I N M E N T • User must have a • CSR Racing • Candy Crush • Deer Hunter 2014 meaningful FUN experience within 1-3 minutes. • Engage and entertain
SOCIAL Understand the FB Open Graph API • Strong virality reduces paid user acquisition • Gifting, Sharing, Posting • Grinders never pay, but they will ask their friends for help. • 80-90% don’t pay, use them to make money > < Friends
USER EXPERIENCE • UI/UX - Simple Navigation • On boarding to the game intuitive with no instructions • Takes a lot of time polishing
COMPULSION LOOPS What keeps a user coming back day after day
CORE LOOPS The Psychology of Addictive Gameplay PHASE 1 • Challenging, not frustrating • Difficulty curve slowly ramps up • Slowly depletes hearts/energy - player feels good : ) PHASE 2 • Wait 1/2 hour for hearts/energy recharge - tire of waiting • Game gets progressively harder - need to buy
CORE LOOPS USE BUY PL E TE D Wait RE QU ES T Play DE EARN
OPTIMIZE WITH A N A LY T I C S The days of shipping and waving goodbye are OVER. • TOP games are data driven • Understand user funnels • Know key conversions - Flurry Acquisition Retention Monetization ARPU - $.05 - Retention - 35% Conversion rates - 2-5%
Insider Strategies for Creating Successful Mobile Games
ICON DESIGN • First impressions are important • May take 10 - 100 iterations to get it right • Test on iPhone to see how it looks
APP STORE User Flow > Icon, # Ratings, Screens, Reviews, Copy • Great copy grabs attention • 2 sentences above the fold important • Spend time crafting short, exciting copy • Screen caps tell the story Show gameplay screen first. Awesome screenshots Callout copy
APP STORE O P T I M I Z AT I O N ( A S O ) • Can increase sales 1-3% monthly at no cost • Research Competitors • Optimize each update • Can only change search Key search words are very important. words with each new update on iOS
SOFT RELEASE • Test before you broad release • Australia, New Zealand, Canada: 1-2 months • Small user acquisition of $500 - $1000
GO VIRAL • People talking about your Advertising Promos (web) 22% Online WoM 23% App Store 21% game is the cheapest way to get your game downloaded. • Create a sharable moment Traditional WoM 34% in-game. • Candy Crush: 1-3 minute cascades • 4 Pics One Word: Facebook post asking for help The Impact of word-of-mouth on game discovery
Need we say more?
G E T F E AT U R E D Make great games, feature tech from Apple, Google • Make contact and build relationships. Create short, compelling pitch kit. • 1-2 minute video showcasing the best of the gameplay • Sell sheet with screen caps, description and important features • DRAMATIC download lift - 1000%+/- Weekly feature valued at $100,000
PR Reach out to the top 6 sites Pocket Gamer, 148apps, GameZebo, SlidetoPlay, Touch Arcade, Inside Mobile Games Press Pitch: • Create 1-page, talking points, screen caps and video • Will not propel game sales, good for cred in iTunes copy + • Make a cool video 15-30 sec to post & have reposted • YouTube video reviewers with high views • Create Facebook Fan Page
USER ACQUISITION Acquiring users through mobile ad networks • Banner ads, video ads, interstitial, takeovers • CPC - $.01 - $.04 - banner / video • CPI - $.50 - $2.50+ banner / video • CPA - $1.50+ • Promotion networks for burst campaigns - 10k-50k dls • Cross-promotion = FREE, but need traffic to swap
BE READY TO ADAPT • Mobile moves fast, keep ahead of the curve. • Stay current with monetization tactics. • Smart ones who take intelligent risks are the ones who succeed!
G E T T I N G S TA R T E D B E S T 3 R D PA R T Y S E R V I C E S M O N E T I Z AT I O N A P P S T O R E D ATA A N A LY T I C S A P P I C O N A U T O M AT I O N VIDEO AD NETWORKS ASO VIDEO CAPTURE BANNER AD NETWORKS PROMOTION NETWORK Appoday A P P S T O R E L O C A L I Z AT I O N OneSky App translation made easy
Awesome GAME insight Blogs Deconstructor of Fun http://www.deconstructoroffun.com/ ! Dr. Serkan Toto Need help when designing a game? We’ve created a step by step form to guide you along. ! Download here! http://tinyurl.com/k49gura http://www.serkantoto.com/ ! QUARTERVIEW http://quarterview.com/ ! GameAnalytics http://www.gameanalytics.com/ ! GAMESbrief http://www.gamesbrief.com
S U M M A RY for success Addictive Compulsion Loops F2P Monetization Compelling Social Hooks + Polish, Polish, Polish
THANKS …and now you won’t get f*’d : )
QUESTIONS ? Stephan Smith email to steve www.freshgames.com

More Related Content

Insider Strategies for Creating Successful Mobile Games

  • 1. We create compelling gameplay experiences!
  • 2. FreshGames • Based in Columbus, Ohio - Self-Funded • Est. 2002 - PC & Flash > 2011 Pivoted to Mobile • Employees - 8 • Development Studio - Poland - 3 • Publish/Develop • 15 PC/Mac/Flash • 10 iOS/Android
  • 3. HOW TO NOT GET F*’D MAKING MOBILE GAMES
  • 4. I N S I D E R S T R AT E G I E S F O R C R E AT I N G SUCCESSFUL MOBILE GAMES
  • 5. WHY DO WE LIKE MAKING MOBILE GAMES?
  • 6. MOBILE T H E # 1 G A M I N G P L AT F O R M IN THE WORLD
  • 7. N E V E R B E F O R E H AV E YOU HAD SUCH MASSIVE REACH WOW took 10 years to scale to 10 Million Users. Draw Something - 6 weeks to scale to 50 Million Users.
  • 8. GROWTH & REACH Mobile games market to double in size by 2016 - $24 Billion 3 6 7.2 BILLION BILLION BILLION Internet Users Mobile Phone Users Global Population
  • 9. M O B I L E G A M E R S TAT S Player Profiles • 48% female / 52% male • 55% don’t spend money on games • 40% between 33-50 • YOY Highest growth 50+, 148% casual
  • 10. A P P S T O R E S TAT S Apple and Google Play, 2013 By Download Games By Revenue Games By Revenue Games 38% 73% 88% Top 100 Grossing Top 100 Grossing 94% 98% FREE FREE
  • 11. IT’S COMPETITIVE • Over 1.3 Million Apps - 38% games • 261,000 Publishers • 180/710 daily being uploaded • 80% don’t break even • 60% Zombie apps - No updates, less than 10 reviews
  • 12. V E RY L U C R AT I V E • Candy Crush - $890,000 daily iOS • Puzzles & Dragons - $2M daily in Japan
  • 14. GETTING TO THE TOP Daily iOS Ranks for All Apps GROSSING TOP FREE installs installs 10 = $77K+ 50 = $15K+ 100 = $10K+ 10 = 75K+ 50 = 23K+ 100 = 15K+ 10 = 11K+ 50 = 2K 100 = 1.1K TOP TOP PAID
  • 15. N O W T H AT Y O U ’ R E E X C I T E D … HERE’S REALITY…
  • 16. If you have little or no experience making mobile games you WILL make $ mistakes!
  • 17. SECRET F O R C R E AT I N G H I T G A M E S
  • 18. SUCCESS FORMULA FOR MOBILE GAMES GAMEPLAY + Compulsion Loops = Retention MONETIZATION = Free2play $ SOCIAL = Virality
  • 19. L E T ’ S S TA R T AT T H E B E G I N N I N G …
  • 21. BE UN!QUE • Don’t just copy other games. Be inspired, but innovate. • Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make it rounder. • Surprise and delight users. !
  • 22. KILLER THEME Who is your TARGET AUDIENCE? • Demographic determines design direction • Great theme & awesome art attract users to download • Play top-grossing games to see what ideas are working
  • 23. M O N E T I Z AT I O N MAKIN’ MONEY • PAID: $.99 - Very hard to market unless it’s a brand, featured, or a non-game app.
  • 24. M O N E T I Z AT I O N • FREE/ADS: Easy to release, very hard to make real money unless you’re driving millions of users, or doing direct deals with advertisers. • FREEMIUM: Great way to start. Lite version with pay wall for completion or additional levels.
  • 25. M O N E T I Z AT I O N • F2P: Optimal way to make money. Open ended monetization. Consumables, Power-Ups.
  • 27. Establish a clear, welldefined path from the beginning. It’s hard to go back after you release.
  • 28. GAME NAME W H AT I T I S , W H AT I T D O E S Candy Crush, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Infinity Blade • Search net for availability • USPTO Trademark search • Run ads on Facebook. Do AB testing to validate name. • Register it with App Store.
  • 29. BITE-SIZED E N T E R TA I N M E N T • User must have a • CSR Racing • Candy Crush • Deer Hunter 2014 meaningful FUN experience within 1-3 minutes. • Engage and entertain
  • 30. SOCIAL Understand the FB Open Graph API • Strong virality reduces paid user acquisition • Gifting, Sharing, Posting • Grinders never pay, but they will ask their friends for help. • 80-90% don’t pay, use them to make money > < Friends
  • 31. USER EXPERIENCE • UI/UX - Simple Navigation • On boarding to the game intuitive with no instructions • Takes a lot of time polishing
  • 32. COMPULSION LOOPS What keeps a user coming back day after day
  • 33. CORE LOOPS The Psychology of Addictive Gameplay PHASE 1 • Challenging, not frustrating • Difficulty curve slowly ramps up • Slowly depletes hearts/energy - player feels good : ) PHASE 2 • Wait 1/2 hour for hearts/energy recharge - tire of waiting • Game gets progressively harder - need to buy
  • 35. OPTIMIZE WITH A N A LY T I C S The days of shipping and waving goodbye are OVER. • TOP games are data driven • Understand user funnels • Know key conversions - Flurry Acquisition Retention Monetization ARPU - $.05 - Retention - 35% Conversion rates - 2-5%
  • 37. ICON DESIGN • First impressions are important • May take 10 - 100 iterations to get it right • Test on iPhone to see how it looks
  • 38. APP STORE User Flow > Icon, # Ratings, Screens, Reviews, Copy • Great copy grabs attention • 2 sentences above the fold important • Spend time crafting short, exciting copy • Screen caps tell the story Show gameplay screen first. Awesome screenshots Callout copy
  • 39. APP STORE O P T I M I Z AT I O N ( A S O ) • Can increase sales 1-3% monthly at no cost • Research Competitors • Optimize each update • Can only change search Key search words are very important. words with each new update on iOS
  • 40. SOFT RELEASE • Test before you broad release • Australia, New Zealand, Canada: 1-2 months • Small user acquisition of $500 - $1000
  • 41. GO VIRAL • People talking about your Advertising Promos (web) 22% Online WoM 23% App Store 21% game is the cheapest way to get your game downloaded. • Create a sharable moment Traditional WoM 34% in-game. • Candy Crush: 1-3 minute cascades • 4 Pics One Word: Facebook post asking for help The Impact of word-of-mouth on game discovery
  • 42. Need we say more?
  • 43. G E T F E AT U R E D Make great games, feature tech from Apple, Google • Make contact and build relationships. Create short, compelling pitch kit. • 1-2 minute video showcasing the best of the gameplay • Sell sheet with screen caps, description and important features • DRAMATIC download lift - 1000%+/- Weekly feature valued at $100,000
  • 44. PR Reach out to the top 6 sites Pocket Gamer, 148apps, GameZebo, SlidetoPlay, Touch Arcade, Inside Mobile Games Press Pitch: • Create 1-page, talking points, screen caps and video • Will not propel game sales, good for cred in iTunes copy + • Make a cool video 15-30 sec to post & have reposted • YouTube video reviewers with high views • Create Facebook Fan Page
  • 45. USER ACQUISITION Acquiring users through mobile ad networks • Banner ads, video ads, interstitial, takeovers • CPC - $.01 - $.04 - banner / video • CPI - $.50 - $2.50+ banner / video • CPA - $1.50+ • Promotion networks for burst campaigns - 10k-50k dls • Cross-promotion = FREE, but need traffic to swap
  • 46. BE READY TO ADAPT • Mobile moves fast, keep ahead of the curve. • Stay current with monetization tactics. • Smart ones who take intelligent risks are the ones who succeed!
  • 47. G E T T I N G S TA R T E D B E S T 3 R D PA R T Y S E R V I C E S M O N E T I Z AT I O N A P P S T O R E D ATA A N A LY T I C S A P P I C O N A U T O M AT I O N VIDEO AD NETWORKS ASO VIDEO CAPTURE BANNER AD NETWORKS PROMOTION NETWORK Appoday A P P S T O R E L O C A L I Z AT I O N OneSky App translation made easy
  • 48. Awesome GAME insight Blogs Deconstructor of Fun http://www.deconstructoroffun.com/ ! Dr. Serkan Toto Need help when designing a game? We’ve created a step by step form to guide you along. ! Download here! http://tinyurl.com/k49gura http://www.serkantoto.com/ ! QUARTERVIEW http://quarterview.com/ ! GameAnalytics http://www.gameanalytics.com/ ! GAMESbrief http://www.gamesbrief.com
  • 49. S U M M A RY for success Addictive Compulsion Loops F2P Monetization Compelling Social Hooks + Polish, Polish, Polish
  • 50. THANKS …and now you won’t get f*’d : )
  • 51. QUESTIONS ? Stephan Smith email to steve www.freshgames.com