Promotions, packs and general business model.
February 26, 2016 4:12PM
edited February 2016
We all know freemium mobile games need both F2P and P2P populations to be successful.
The most popular freemium mobile games have business models that:
1 - Allow decent sense of progression and content access without spending money but simultaneously do offer a noticeable edge to paying costumers (but not enough crush F2P progression or competition).
2 - Provide cheap multiple microtransactions in the form of constant promotions or packs (while the standard shop is overpriced, there are usually nonstop daily or weekly "promotions" which is where they truly make their money, enticing people with non-permanent offers).
This game fails miserably in the second point.
And when they do add them, seasonal promotions are extremely overpriced. It's like they try hard dissuade us from buying it.
Jedi pack with shards for QGJ, Anakin, Ahsoka for 60€? I can buy a new console game for that, or 2 recent pc games. It's a stupid price for taking some semi-common characters to only 4-5 stars (+ one of them is a podium contender for the worst jedi in game).
Kylo Ren and Poe pack for 100€? Wow, this one was just insulting. On top of being a pathetic business offer, i had to look at it for many days in a row before it went away after christmas.
Seriously, I like your game. I want to spend more money on it, other than the 21 daily gem boosts. But give me SOMETHING worth buying.
Stop being greedy and atleast try out some more generous packs (or cheaper) and see how the customers react to them. I'm sure you'll make more money. And add weekly packs, not monthly.
The most popular freemium mobile games have business models that:
1 - Allow decent sense of progression and content access without spending money but simultaneously do offer a noticeable edge to paying costumers (but not enough crush F2P progression or competition).
2 - Provide cheap multiple microtransactions in the form of constant promotions or packs (while the standard shop is overpriced, there are usually nonstop daily or weekly "promotions" which is where they truly make their money, enticing people with non-permanent offers).
This game fails miserably in the second point.
- There are barely any packs (excluding the ones early on, that most people skip because they are still trying to decide if they like the game enough to spend money).
- There's a good, decent and fair daily gem boost. That was a step in the right direction.
- Then there are almost no seasonal or weekly packs.
And when they do add them, seasonal promotions are extremely overpriced. It's like they try hard dissuade us from buying it.
Jedi pack with shards for QGJ, Anakin, Ahsoka for 60€? I can buy a new console game for that, or 2 recent pc games. It's a stupid price for taking some semi-common characters to only 4-5 stars (+ one of them is a podium contender for the worst jedi in game).
Kylo Ren and Poe pack for 100€? Wow, this one was just insulting. On top of being a pathetic business offer, i had to look at it for many days in a row before it went away after christmas.
Seriously, I like your game. I want to spend more money on it, other than the 21 daily gem boosts. But give me SOMETHING worth buying.
Stop being greedy and atleast try out some more generous packs (or cheaper) and see how the customers react to them. I'm sure you'll make more money. And add weekly packs, not monthly.
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Replies
And isn't EA a business company? Why do I have to be the one teaching them common sense?
It isn't hard to look at the successful business freemium models and copy them. The average client isn't going to cough up 60€ on a pack with 2-3 4 star characters, which they still get to spend a couple of months worth of refreshes farming. People pay that for brand-new console/ pc games. Sometimes GOTY editions. In PC case, if you wait a couple of months, you get 2 recent games for that price.
If the same pack was 15€ maybe for every 5 they sell now, they'd sell 100. Maybe. They'll never know.
I agree you don't have to spend money to beat this game but you do have to, to get special heroes. So @Yarzahn your basically complaining because you can't get the heroes you want.
EA doesn't care about complaints about high prices, because they are extremely successful with them. As soon as they stop being successful with them, you will see change. The Rex pack is an example.
From the feedback, i guess I'm the crazy one and it's normal for people to accept paying 60-100€ for a pack containing 2 or 3 (half promoted) characters in a mobile collecting strategy game. I always considered myself a guy willing to spend more than average in video games, with 3 platforms pc, ps4, wii-u.
I'm new to more serious mobile gaming though and freemium games.
Clearly it's a different philosophy, although in my opinion not a healthy one. I still have a hard time believing they wouldnt get a lot more money by selling these few packs at much lower prices. Guess there are many more whales/ gambling addicts than i expected. I'll just stick to my gem packs and drop the subject. Bye.
you think them dropping in "profit ranks" for mobile apps in the past weeks made them offer this pack?
if so... might be a light at the end of the tunnel afterall!
Your last bit there is what drives freemium casino games. In the top 10 grossing apps there are slot machine games where the in app purchase is more spins on the virtual slot machine. Absolutely no utility.
The business model of this game isn't like clash of clans. It's a Star Wars slot machine. This game is trying to find people who like Star Wars and whose reward centres are triggered by getting lucky and opening things. I think it's quite successful at it