Overview of what we've learning during 6 years of running a mobile games studio with self-publishing.

1. Building a GooglePlay App
Business from Scratch

2. 2
The Company
Education:
Game Design & 3D Art, Games Academy
www. ABM-Game.com
Work:
Game Design & 3D Art, northworks Software
Head of Publisher Relations, Balao/GratisPay
Producer, Bigpoint
Sr. Product Manager, MondiaMedia

3. Who we are
• Age: 3
• Games: 2
• Small budget
• Low UA spend
• Live: March 2013
• 1,01 mio installs (6 versions)
• Platforms:
• Languages:

4. 4
The Company
• Built a mobile social games incubator
• Focus on a pragmatic approach, no film business!
Minimize production costs &
user acquisition costs
Address a broad audience
Encourage socializing
Increase monetization
The Monster Vision

5. Products
• Live: March 2013
• >1 mio installs
• Platforms:
• Languages:

6. Art Style LOOK & FEEL
Products

7. Art Style In-Game
Products
Level 1
Level 30
Level 40
„Cabine“ „Guard
Tower“
„Watch
Tower“
„Chapel“

8. Mobile: Market & Business

9. Market
Go Mobile
• Android: 1.3 m vs. iOS: 515k
device activations/day
• 65% US citizens own a smartphone
(44% in 2011)
• US spend 34hrs/month using mobile
apps or browsing the mobile web
• Worldwide spending on mobile game-
apps tripled in 2013 to 16 billion-USD
• 79% revenues on iOS and GooglePlay
 free2play

10. 10
Business Model
Free-to-Play
• Customization/Vanity-Items
(Rooms, pets, cloth, …)
• Advantages
(Bigger cannons, better ships,…)
• Features
(Instant action, comfort …)
• Probabilities
(Drop rates, safety …)
Everything that has a need!

11. 11
Business Model
Social Needs & Bragging Rights
(unique, individual, rich$ …)
Drive to Collect
(I want it all!)
Advantages
(bigger, better, faster, stronger
…)
Instinct to Play
(Let‘s have fun!)
Improved Experience
(Winning is fun!)
Also see: Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs and the concept of flow
Rewards
(Success, acceptance,
recognition …)
Balance!
How to create a need (Bragging Approach)

12. 12
Business Model
• Faster development ! (MM: 6-8 month = 1 game)
• Cross-platform with Unity or Xamarin etc.
• Deep insides & understanding (KPIs)
• Great game = great chance (Google & Apple push)
• Entrepreneurial ground = more control with selfpublishing
Upsides Free-to-Play & Mobile

13. 13
Business Model
• Key factors of success for a mobile free to play game
Free-to-Play Operations
quickly lead to
another product

14. 14
Production Keys
Vision
&
scope
Target
audience
Product &
quality
Monetization
& tracking
(BI)
Productions
costs
User
acquisition
costs
the unkown
Operations

15. The Channel Landscape

16. Now that you’re mobile …
• Device fragmentation
• SDK Terror
• Small screen confusion
• Ratings & Comments =
Costumer is King
• Forums on mobile ?
• Users jump ship fast
• Lifetime-value lower
• Shares + Tax = ~40%
+ Partner Shares
• Lower ARPPU Vs. high UA
15$ vs. 2-3$ (and up…)
= First week cash out (depends on
game)

17. Synced a Problem?
• If you have one, you have one for real
– GP: 6-24 hours (max. 48+)
– AZ & iOS: review 1-2 w. (sometimes even more)
– Partners? (QA comes on top)
• How do you know you have one?
– User feedback takes way longer
– Users rather quit than ask
The Channel Landscape

18. Building a Business

19. We …
Building a Business
… but we are still waiting for that feature!

20. Solving (some) Problems
• GP first  then rollout
– sync as you go
– Beta & %-rollout (c.mass)
– Basic analytics
• User Feedback
– Comments live n‘ …
– … direct comm. back
• Store test & optimize
– Names / Promo Header /
Text / Icons / Screenshots
– For every country
Free users for
everyone !
… as long as
you …
Building a Business

21. Have a plan!
• Tracking
• Art works & Icons
• Costumer care
• Localization
• Update Schedule
• Event Schedule
• Content, content,
content …
Building a Business

22. Icons, Art Works, Store Texts
Building a Business

23. Costumer Care
• Give a good feeling
– TAT is key !
– Answer every request
– Comment-back on comments
• Use tools & macros
• Find communication channels
• Always have a solutions (ACP)
– Even if it means giving “cash”
Building a Business

24. Tracking
• KPI Introduction
– Installs/Downloads vs. MAU & DAU
– ARPPU & ARPI vs. CPI
– Reg2Pay & MAU2Pay
– Rolling Retention: Day1|Day7|Day30
– If possible: Ingame-Economy Analysis
• Tools (discrepancies)
Flurry | Game Analytics | MAT | Adjust iOS | AppAnnie |
Selftracking
Building a Business

25. Ranking & Updates
vs.
Or: “why all store rankings are broken”

26. Ranking Bullshit (Burst)
„[insertgamename] is #1 in 100.000
countries on 5 different planets and its
all thanks to … ah, the … product!”
Ranking & Updates
• Ranking can be bought
• Only top grossing counts
• Staying in the ranking is the hard part
• At least on GP it’s harder to manipulate + effect lasts
150k
3-6k
7-12 days
~250k

27. Burst works
• If you have the right game
– ARPPU & ARPI
– Reg2Pay & MAU2Pay
– Rolling retention
– K-Faktor
Ranking & Updates

28. Burst UA-Mix
$ Offer Based Payment (Fyber)
$$ Daily App Adv. Services (AppTurbo; AppGratis)
$$$ Chartboost – barta deal platform
$$$$ facebook – self vs. agencies
$Free: K-Faktor (get players to get their friends)
?-$ “Grey-area” services (bot-networks & exploits)
Ranking & Updates

29. Slow Growth
• Free installs: The Google Radar
– 200-300 free installs/day = normal
– Day/2k< possible
Ranking & Updates

30. Learnings Kingdoms & Monsters
• Don’t sync too much!  Patch Day
• GP Radar & Active/Retention are connected
Installs / Day
Retention & New-User Boost
Stable
Up & Down
Turning Point Killer
DAU Growth
Ranking & Updates

31. Event Schedule

32. How Events Work
• Drive engagement & retention (Activity- /Login Rate)
• Can be
– Refreshing & new
– Easy & entertaining
– Hard & rewarding
• Rewards
– Type & amount = important
Event Schedule
Result: users buy X and immediately
reuse it, event engages to come back
X
Z
Y

33. Google loves Events
Event & Update Schedule
• Plan event-schedule ahead
– QA & review time
New Users
1 2 3 4

34. Users love Events
Event & Update Schedule
1# Event
2# EventDAU 3# Event
4# Event
Revenues: Winter Event +33% | Easter Event +21%

35. Balancing & Game-Economy
(Monetization)

36. Pre update
Very high retention
No money
Target Group Result
* Rebalancing
* More complexity
* Increase difficulty
Post update (2-3 m.)
Retention -20%
Revenue +400%
Target Group
• Target group analysis
• Fast iteration cycles
• F2P: Fair(?) vs. profitable
• “Jugendschutz” (COPA, GF judgment etc.)
Balancing & Game-Economy

37. Soft Payment Break
• Clash of Clans (mid game)
– Saving gold vs. storage & upgrade
vs. getting attacked
– Builder no.3 for crystals
 Slow down = progression break
• Candy Crush (early/mid game)
– Lives are limited
 Flow interruption = gameplay break
Balancing & Game-Economy

38. Retention, Retention, Retention
• Very low entrance barrier
– At least 1 hour straight through playing
– K&M = for days no real break (risky)
• User guidance
– Tutorial!
– Many non-gamer
– Explain everything
– Make the game easy
• New stuff every other session
– Themeparks (story events)
Balancing & Game-Economy

39. Advertisement
• Offer Based Payment
– Integrated into the game flow
• Rewarded Video Ads
– Easily accessable
• Banners (?)
– Depends on your game, audience, aim
– If yes, do it from start on
Balancing & Game-Economy

40. Q & A
Balancing & Game-Economy
julian.h@mobile-monsters.com