Kongregate david p. chiu-如何用免費遊戲留住玩家並從中獲利.(東西方比較)...
39
Maximizing Player Retention and Monetization in Free‐to‐Play Games: Comparative Stats for Asian & Western Games David P Chiu Director of Business Development & Developer Relations (Kongregate) Principal, Business Development (GameStop Digital Ventures) Emily Greer Co-Founder & COO (Kongregate) $ $ $ $ $ $ $
Kongregate david p. chiu-如何用免費遊戲留住玩家並從中獲利.(東西方比較) 演講簡報
Maximizing Player Retention and Monetization in Free‐to‐Play Games:
Comparative Stats for Asian & Western Games
David P ChiuDirector of Business Development & Developer Relations (Kongregate)Principal, Business Development (GameStop Digital Ventures)
Emily GreerCo-Founder & COO (Kongregate)
$$$$$$$
簡報者
簡報註解
This presentation builds on the series of talks by Kongregate co-founder and COO Emily Greer (who couldn’t be here but I must thank for doing the bulk of the hard work in this presentation!) The format will be familiar to those that have attended those talks in the past but are updated with new stats and content. As a platform for F2P games, Kongregate has a unique perspective on what types of mechanics and characteristics of F2P games are most effective at maximizing player retention, monetization and satisfaction. This talk will look at F2P trends and specific game metrics with a comparative analysis of free-to-play games by Asian & Western developers. We will examine the similarities and differences between games as it relates to retention/ monetization, share best practices and statistics to understand how to maximize your success with Western audiences.
What is Kongregate?• Open platform for browser-based games
– Flash, Unity, HTML5, Java, etc.
• 15M monthly uniques visitors worldwide• Core gamers – 85% male, average age of 21• MMOs, RPGs, CCGs/TCGs, TD, shooters, etc.• Platform level virtual currency “Kreds” for F2P games• Mobile publisher of F2P games for core gamers• Acquired by GameStop July 2010
簡報者
簡報註解
Hardcore gamers Driven by achievements (1M+ badges/wk) 93%+ of users already have Unity installed
Some of Kongregate’s Existing Developer Partners
Stats both reflect & shape mind‐ setSo what statistics does F2P focus on?
Daily Active Users, DAU$/DAU1‐
& 7‐Day Retention
To a lesser extent MAU & 30‐Day
30‐Day Retention is a good stat, but 30 days is not “long‐term”
retention, it’s the start.
簡報者
簡報註解
The statistics that most F2P developers look at DAU, $/DAU, D1, D7 and D30 retention. 30-day retention is usually used to measure to “long term” retention in the F2P industry. While it is a good stat, 30 days is not “long term”, it is just a start.
A little background• All stats are lifetime, min 6 weeks on platform• ARPU: average revenue per user• ARPPU: average rev per paying user• Player: a Kongregate registered user who loaded
the game page at least once• Plays = Sessions: our preferred method to measure
retention
簡報者
簡報註解
So let’s take a look at some of that data. Before I dive in I want to give a few definitions so that it’s clear what I’m talking about. Very important how you define a user as they can change ARPU dramatically We believe the # of play sessions does a better job of capturing the intensity of gameplay. For instance, with 30-day retention, a player that plays the game twice in 30 days and another player that plays the game 100 times in 30 days are not differentiated.
ARPU and ARPPU
簡報者
簡報註解
ARPU and ARPPUs for F2P games on Kongregate. X-axis is ARPPU, Y-axis is ARPU, size of bubble represents gross revenues ARPPUs for single-player games cluster around $5-$10 Multiplayer games range $20-$350
Big spenders matter
簡報者
簡報註解
Big spenders matters X-axis is % of buyers who have spent $300+ Strong correlation between ARPU and (R2 factor = 0.5) For the top multiplayer games 67% of revenue comes from those spending $300+. For the rest of the multiplayer games it’s 48%, still quite high.
Linear Growth x Many Years = Awesome Business
簡報者
簡報註解
We all tend to obsess over games/companies showing exponential growth but more often that not that’s followed by a crash. Linear may be less sexy and headline-catching, but the tortoise generally does win out. Top games still making as much or more as at launch as they hit 2- and 3-year anniversaries on Kong.
Asian F2P vs Western F2P
ARPU and ARPPU
簡報者
簡報註解
Average ARPPU for a multiplayer game from Asia: $181 Average for Western multiplayer game: $51 Only 9 Western games have an ARPPU above $100 ARPPU is the main factor in high ARPU for Asian games, important factor for all games
ARPU & ARPPU• ARPPUs for single-player games cluster around $5-$10• Multiplayer games range $20-$350
• Average ARPPU for a multiplayer game from Asia: $181• Average for Western multiplayer game: $51• Only 9 Western games have an ARPPU above $100• ARPPU is the main factor in high ARPU for Asian games,
important factor for all games
ARPU and % Buyers
簡報者
簡報註解
Asian games tend to have lower % buyers Western game tend to have higher conversion rates
ARPU and % Repeats
簡報者
簡報註解
Asian games also tend to have lower initial retention as you can see here Western games tend to have higher initial retention
ARPU and % 50+ gameplays
簡報者
簡報註解
And consequently also less players making it deep into the game since Asian games lose more players in the early game
Asian vs Western Style• Asian games: High ARPPU, tight player funnel
– Monetization caters well to big spenders• Western games: Lower ARPPU, wide player
funnel– Monetization focuses more on initial retention and
broad conversion to paid at lower prices– Pay 2 Win is not as accepted by Western devs
• Mixed games: can combine the best of both– High conversion, wide funnel, still create big spenders
簡報者
簡報註解
Let’s put the data in chart form You can see a strong correlation between long term retention and monetization- a player can only spend if they are still in the game! The more they plan, the more they are likely to buy, buy multiple times, spend more per transaction and overall. Revenue is dramatically weighted towards those who play a game very, very deeply – more than 80% of revenue comes from the 2% of players with more than 100 lifetime sessions Asian multiplayer games lose more players in the early part of the funnel, but more than make up for it by getting extremely deep investments from their most dedicated players.
F2P Best Practices
簡報者
簡報註解
Now that you have seen the data, you are wondering what the top games are doing in order to retain and monetize better than others. In this next part, we’ll look at best practices and give examples from games to help maximize player retention, monetization AND satisfaction. We work very closely with developers to help them optimize their metrics and success on Kongregate.
Best Practices for Optimizing Retention: Keeping players engaged
簡報者
簡報註解
Let’s start by looking at some ways to optimize retention
Daily Play Bonuses• Daily play bonuses are good to get users coming back regular• But improve on the typical 5‐7 day daily bonuses
• Reward playing game regularly in longer term
• Doesn’t reset after 5‐7 days • Doesn’t “punish”
players for
missing a day
簡報者
簡報註解
First of all, let’s look at daily bonuses. Daily bonuses are a good tool to get users to play a game regularly But there are ways to improve on the typical 5-7 day daily bonus you see out there Example from an Asian MMO called Wartune, a big hit in China by Seventh Road that has been brought to the west by R2 Games.
Daily Play Bonuses
• Add an element of chance ‐
make it exciting!
• Repeat logins opens up bigger potential rewards
簡報者
簡報註解
Here is another daily bonus example from a game called Card Monsters from a Western developer The daily play bonus here has ben turned into a roulette mini-game
Don’t punish people for taking a break• Psychologically, punishments or the possibility of punishment deters
de‐activated, etc. deter players from being away too long• But it can be a two‐edged sword• Players sometimes need to take a break (exams, vacation, illness)• Punishment may drive re‐activated users away again
“I just got back from vacation/work conference/being sick but my base is
completely destroyed, my resources are gone, troops are dead. No point in getting back in the game since I lost everything already.”
簡報者
簡報註解
Since we want people to keep playing, lots of game take the tack of punishing people (crops withering, troops dying, account deactivated) when they’re gone for too long. This is bad – we all have times (exams, vacations, work crunches, illnesses) when we need to take a break from a game. And the problem with punishing people is that the consequences are experienced not when they’re gone, but when they come back – the exact behavior you want to reward. If they feel like they’ve lost too much they’re likely to quit – why start again if you’ll just lose it?
Don’t punish people for taking a break• It can sting but it shouldn’t handicap
you permanently• Limit amount of resources that can
be looted or # times you can be attacked while gone
• Enable shield or protection time if you lose a significant amount
• Mix positive reinforcement with punishment
• Quick one‐button rebuild• Resources still available for
harvest• Gain XP or gold while away
簡報者
簡報註解
Since we want people to keep playing, lots of game take the tack of punishing people (crops withering, troops dying, account deactivated) when they’re gone for too long. This is bad – we all have times (exams, vacations, work crunches, illnesses) when we need to take a break from a game. And the problem with punishing people is that the consequences are experienced not when they’re gone, but when they come back – the exact behavior you want to reward. If they feel like they’ve lost too much they’re likely to quit – why start again if you’ll just lose it? Clash of Clans on mobile handles this well as well. Your base may have been looted but that shows just briefly before your base restores itself and you can fill up your resource bars. You may even have gained trophies… Wartune and Dawn of the Dragons actually reward you with gold and XP after an absence Asians MMO automatically have your character “meditate” while you are gone
Keep players busy!More things to do = more players staying
• Solo and team PvE• Solo and team PvP• Asynch raids• Guild battles• World boss raids• Farming• Town Building• Weapon/Gear
Synthesizing & Upgrading• Astral Collecting and
Combining• Etc.
It is important to pace the introduction of new features/gameplay modes to not overwhelm players with a long and intimidating tutorial.
簡報者
簡報註解
This is Wartune, a big hit in China by Seventh Road that has been brought to the west by R2 games. It has so many currencies, bars, buttons, etc that it’s almost hard to see the screen of an advanced player, though they do a good job of introducing them gradually. There’s synchronous solo & team PvP, solo & team PvE, asynchronous plundering, guild battles, farming, town building, weapon synthesizing & upgrading, astral collecting & combining, and I’ve definitely forgotten something. It is important to pace the introduction of new features/gameplay modes to not overwhelm players with a long and intimidating tutorial.
Without progress you have nothing• The foundations of a F2P game are a strong RPG elements and a
sense of progress over time• Building up account, leveling up, adding/improves skills and stats, etc• Surprisingly it’s more important than multiplayer
Type % 50+ Plays % Buyers ARPPU ARPU
Multiplayer RPG 2.6% 0.75% $69 $0.51
Multiplayer Non‐RPG 1.0% 0.45% $9 $0.05
Single‐player RPG 1.8% 1.29% $12 $0.10
Single‐Player Non‐RPG 0.2% 0.53% $4 $0.02
Deep RPG mechanics matter:•5x ARPU for single player game!•10x ARPU for multiplayer game!
簡報者
簡報註解
RPG is defined a bit loosely here, and really means that you’re building up your account over time, leveling up, adding skills, etc.
Asynchronous > Synchronous
Type % 50 Plays % Buyers ARPPU ARPU
Synchronous 1.4% 0.54% $43 $0.25
Asynchronous 3.6% 0.80% $88 $0.66
Both 2.9% 1.07% $51 $0.55
Single‐Player 0.8% 0.85% $7 $0.05
Multiplayer is a good way to keep players engaged and busy in the long run but not all types of multiplayer are created equal
• Top games have both synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer (more is better)
• Asynchronous is better than synchronous because it allows players to play at their own pace and convenience
簡報者
簡報註解
The very top games have both synchronous and asynchronous multiplayer because more things to do is better, but asynchronous generally the focus. Aysnchronous allows players to play and interact at their pace and convenience which leads to deeper engagement.
Best Practices for Optimizing Monetization: A happy customer is a paying customer
簡報者
簡報註解
Now let’s look at best practices and examples to optimize monetization
Shopping should be easy and frictionless
• Location, location, location – make the store easy to find!• Make it easy to find the right item
– Meaningful categories and item descriptions– No massive scroll bars
• Mix soft currency and hard currency items • BUT – don’t try to sell too hard, too fast. First few sessions should
focus on fun & giving players reasons to come back to play and get hooked.
簡報者
簡報註解
Shopping should be easy AND frictionless Example in which user could not find the shop because it was a hot air balloon floating above your town. You had to move your screen up there (and there is no reason to do that if you didn’t know there was a store up there). Make it easy for users to find the store Make it easy for them to shop and find what they are looking for (meaningful categories and descriptions, no massive scroll bars) Mix soft and hard currency items But don’t try to sell too hard, too fast. First few sessions should focus on fun and giving players reasons to come back and play and get hooked
Buy Screen
• Bonuses % or/and items provide incentives for buying larger hard
currency packages• Clearly call out bonuses of larger packages!• Make all packages visible in one page• Hide $100+ packages until after first purchase
簡報者
簡報註解
Provide bonuses % or/and items provide incentives for buying larger hard currency packages Clearly call out bonuses of larger packages! Decrease friction, do the math for the player and make shopping easier. Make all packages visible in one page Hide $100+ packages until after first purchase. Prevents sticker shock and users getting turned off by seeing $250, $500+ packages early on
Making the shopping experience interesting
• First time buyer/ Starter packages• Seed players with some paid/hard currency and guide “intro purchase”• Deals/events to get people into the habit of spending regularly• Offer items that enhance the gameplay experience (not just speedups)• Intro the right items at the right time
– Lvl 1 players should not be shown the lvl 100+ holy sword that’s on sale for $100)
• Keep them coming back – keep store fresh by adding new items, unlocking items as players level up and featuring seasonal and time‐limited items
Gamification of buying• VIP program – customer loyalty program like airlines and hotels• The more you buy, the more status points you earn which unlock more benefits/bonuses
Make sure players can spend as much as they want
• The longer someone plays your game the more likely they are to buy and the less price sensitive they become
• Give committed players the ability to spend at $1,000+ if they want• Have lots of items that are appealing and useful to a committed player
and price them higher (if possible) than items meant for early/mid‐game play. [Higher means $30‐100, not $1000]
• If you make a fun game, someone may want to spend an infinite amount.• Don’t create a situation where spending is capped by availability or
utility.
• Again, remember to make it easy for players to buy!
簡報者
簡報註解
Make sure players can spend $1k+ if they want to
Best Practices for Community Building: When you’re here, you’re family!
簡報者
簡報註解
Okay, so what do I need to do to build my awesome linear business? The first one seems sort of stupid but is actually both hard & complicated once you add that 6 month caveat. There’s lots of fun games that you enjoy for an hour or two, or even a week or two, but quickly run out of steam. Here are some ways to fight that.
Make it easy for community to buildChat, forums, player‐to‐player
messages are all great
Real relationships build when people interact. The more ways
they can do it, the better.
簡報者
簡報註解
We’ve got chat next to every game, and forums just below, and we think it’s a big contributor to games reporting significantly higher ARPUs (generally 2-3x ARPU over FB and other platforms, sometimes 5-10x) on Kongregate than on Facebook.
Guilds are awesome
100% of our top games have them.
Some reasons they make a difference•Social incentives to return I want to see my friends•Social pressures to return I don’t want to disappoint them•Improves the psychology of purchases I’m doing it for the
team, not me•Upends the dynamics of pay‐to‐win can set up a symbiotic
relationship between buyers and non‐buyers where both add value to the same group
簡報者
簡報註解
Revenue is generally 20x higher for guild members than non-guild members, though generally true of late-stage players it’s a bit hard to tease out causation. However the addition of guilds, especially competitive guilds, is often an inflection point for revenue for games. Upbends dynamics of pay-to-win – symbiotic relationship between time-rich and money-rich users
Community Management and Customer Service
If a player invests many hours into a game they begin to feel some
ownership. It may be YOUR game, but it’s THEIR experience
1.
Be visible – forums, chat, email2.
Listen to their concerns and acknowledge their emotions
3.
Be transparent, honest, and accurate4.
Give advance notice of changes and downtimes
5.
Don’t feed the trolls
簡報者
簡報註解
1) And ideally, fun – let the players see you’re human 2) You don’t have to agree. Players sometimes want things that are batshit crazy. But if they know you heard them, it immediately feels like a dialog and a partnership. 3) Explaining your “why” goes a very long way 4) Advance notice gives players time to adjust OR get excited 5) Engage the rational in calm discussion, but never let yourself get combative and disengage once 1-4 have been satisfied. This can be hard.
Opportunity Complains
Customer service is a chance to surprise and delight•Handle things quickly•Be generous with compensation•But don’t do something unless you’re willing to do it for
everybody
簡報者
簡報註解
This includes fixing bugs & exploits as well as answering emails In the face of a real problem/issue, how much does some virtual currency or items cost you? Token amounts are often enough to acknowledge the issue, and keeping the player = priceless Because news will spread and players will (correctly) think you’re unfair. So have rules for what you will and won’t do and why, so you can be consistent.
Surprise and delight• IGG rewards its players with some resources after each of its
weekly 30‐minute maintenance
Have fun with your community
簡報者
簡報註解
Example of an Asian developer turning a weakness into an opportunity to have fun with their community. Players appreciate the humor and the developer acknowledging the issue, explaining the situation and letting players know that they will work on it
THANK YOU
For a copy of the presentation or questions, email [email protected]
For more talks & data visit developers.kongregate.com
