Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Lessons learned moving from premium to freemium on iOS Giordano Bruno Contestabile, PopCap Games March 5th, 2011 Twitter: @giordanobc
business
But so do I Oh dear!
I suck!
Bejeweled Twist, Bejeweled Blitz, Bejeweled 3 Key platforms: PC/Mac, Facebook, iPhone, XBox360, DS Units: > 55 million Installs: > 200 million MAUs: > 25 million Users: 500 million+
Facebook: top 10 games by DAU (3M+) iPhone: top 10 top grossing games
Why Change?
From mode in a paid game to freemium game
Reach much wider audience Update more nimbly; follow Facebook closely
Feature set and game rules from Bejeweled 3 Lose the version number: an evergreen product that continues to evolve over time
Launch Goals
Top 10 Premium Title Top 10 Freemium Title Rating of 4.5 stars or more 6M Freemium downloads in 1 month
Downloads Highest App Store Rankings 2nd Free / 3rd Grossing 1st Paid Current App Store Rating
Did It Work?
9X 5X 5X
and still growing (every week has been bigger than previous one)
Weekly Average DARPU Games played / day 7-day retention % of paying users
Contributing factors:
Bejeweled Blitz
Bejeweled
Approximately 20% of Blitz iOS downloads have activated Facebook Connect, unlocking full game content
Opportunity to leverage the same social graph Cross-promotion and higher awareness Big part of what makes the game fun Drawbacks: Only 20% of iOS users connect with Facebook Extremely complex to maintain and operate Conclusions: Worth it if it improves the game Try to make FB Connect optional on mobile
Reacting to feedback
Action Taken
Directly responded to customer comments with the message: we are listening to you and making changes Stopped requiring players on old Bej2+Blitz app to transition to new app Able to resubmit and launch new version with faster speed within three days
Results
Initial app store ratings were impacted by customer complaints about speed
Rating reached a low of 2 stars
buoyed overall rating of app Stabilized App Store ranking Additional updates planned to address remaining and ongoing feedback
Lessons Learned
Dont mess with everyones favorite game!
Listen to feedback and address it
Make sure the team is ready! Make sure that updating the game is easy Anything that can be server-side, should be!
Lessons Learned
Be proactive
Happy users are less likely to rate your app A rate our game interstitial works well
Dont try to force them Be honest in your messaging (if you like us...)
Business Model
Boosts
Low-priced in-game effects meant to be used regularly Balanced not to grant excessive advantages
Rare Gems
Higher-impact bonuses
Daily Spins
Slot machine mechanic granting in-game currency 1 free daily spin every day
Key tenets
Play forever: no pay walls or limitations for non-paying users Game is fun and balanced also without paying Pay to have fun, not because the games forces or punishes you
A simple equation
Marketing Efforts
Marketing Mix
Ads on Bejeweled Blitz Facebook Apple Love Mobile Ads Free App Of The Day programs
Result analysis
Vast majority of downloads from:
Apple love Chart position Organic searches Existing Blitz players Free app programs didnt drive significant installs Encouraging conversion from paid advertising Very high CPI in December ($0.50 / $1) Organic growth more valuable than paid growth Sustained efforts more effective than burst actions
Whats Next?
Bejeweled Premium
Updates every 2-3 months with additional game modes and content iPad
Monthly updates Add new features close to FB updates Continue to address customer feedback Encourage and incent players to unlock full features by activating FB Connect Android
5 (key resolutions) 4 (2.2, 2.3, 3, 4) 100+ 25% 250M 10+ Fragmented Open (?)
Android
Gree
DeNA
Thanks!
Questions?
@giordanobc