Comments on: The Power of Free (aka The Numbers Post #3) http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free Living the indie life Thu, 17 May 2012 17:38:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Noel http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7843 Noel Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:44:51 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7843 Hi Jerry, The reason I'm wondering what pricing strategy to use for my next project is that it's going to be very different from Flower Garden. Besides, Flower Garden stumbled into this free + paid + IAP strategy because of what was available at the time. I know I definitely want to do IAPs, but I'm not sure whether to go only with a free version (like LandFormer), or a paid version with IAPs and a lite (demo) version, or do just like Flower Garden and do paid + IAP and free + IAP (which would shoot my chances to getting on the top charts). So many choices... Hi Jerry,

The reason I’m wondering what pricing strategy to use for my next project is that it’s going to be very different from Flower Garden. Besides, Flower Garden stumbled into this free + paid + IAP strategy because of what was available at the time.

I know I definitely want to do IAPs, but I’m not sure whether to go only with a free version (like LandFormer), or a paid version with IAPs and a lite (demo) version, or do just like Flower Garden and do paid + IAP and free + IAP (which would shoot my chances to getting on the top charts). So many choices…

]]> By: Jerry http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7837 Jerry Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:44:02 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7837 Hello Noel, Looking at your post one more time, I am intrigued by your last paragraph, which said that you are not sure whether free + IAP is the way to go. I am just curious why you'd say so when you have a big success with the free + IAP model in flower garden. Cheers, Jerry Hello Noel,

Looking at your post one more time, I am intrigued by your last paragraph, which said that you are not sure whether free + IAP is the way to go.

I am just curious why you’d say so when you have a big success with the free + IAP model in flower garden.

Cheers,
Jerry

]]> By: Noel http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7781 Noel Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:40:53 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7781 To be fair, consumables are hard to do right in any app. Even in games, it's easy to make them seem like you're taking advantage of the player. But yes, a non-game app makes it harder. The closest thing would be charging for a subscription service every month (to maintain servers or other processing in your part). To be fair, consumables are hard to do right in any app. Even in games, it’s easy to make them seem like you’re taking advantage of the player. But yes, a non-game app makes it harder. The closest thing would be charging for a subscription service every month (to maintain servers or other processing in your part).

]]> By: Jerry http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7780 Jerry Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:44:02 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7780 Thanks Noel for the great post. I've been reading your posts and am encouraged by you. I am a developer who develops non-game app. The idea of IAP with consumables is so attracting but sadly it is difficult to implement in a non-game app. I wonder if there's any non-game (say productivity) developer here who has some experience implementing consumable/IAP into their apps? Thanks Noel for the great post.
I’ve been reading your posts and am encouraged by you.
I am a developer who develops non-game app.
The idea of IAP with consumables is so attracting but sadly it is difficult to implement in a non-game app. I wonder if there’s any non-game (say productivity) developer here who has some experience implementing consumable/IAP into their apps?

]]> By: Shane http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7643 Shane Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:13:57 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7643 Congrats on the great success of Flower Garden! I know it hasn't been without enormous effort put forward on your part. I think you do a great job within the app of putting IAP upfront and very visible. For example, the Flower Store is a first class citizen right there on the tab bar. Also, continuing to show fertilizer when the user is out so that they get a friendly nudge to go get more when they go to use it. I've added IAP to my app and have seen only moderate success. Certainly nowhere near 70% of my sales. But, 1) I have no consumables and 2) IAP is tucked away and probably way too difficult to find. Based on your success I plan to elevate the IAP visibility in my app. As with many things AppStore, it's not just one thing but how each and every piece of an app/marketing plan/etc fit together. For instance, would the free run have been as successful without IAP already being well established within your app? What if you had no consumables? All stuff to ponder when planning out your AppStore take over :) Congrats on the great success of Flower Garden! I know it hasn’t been without enormous effort put forward on your part. I think you do a great job within the app of putting IAP upfront and very visible. For example, the Flower Store is a first class citizen right there on the tab bar. Also, continuing to show fertilizer when the user is out so that they get a friendly nudge to go get more when they go to use it.

I’ve added IAP to my app and have seen only moderate success. Certainly nowhere near 70% of my sales. But, 1) I have no consumables and 2) IAP is tucked away and probably way too difficult to find. Based on your success I plan to elevate the IAP visibility in my app.

As with many things AppStore, it’s not just one thing but how each and every piece of an app/marketing plan/etc fit together. For instance, would the free run have been as successful without IAP already being well established within your app? What if you had no consumables? All stuff to ponder when planning out your AppStore take over :)

]]> By: Ken Carpenter http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7639 Ken Carpenter Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:10:49 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7639 Full disclosure, I am the founder of freeAppCalendar.com, the site that featured Flower Garden for Noel. If you plan to go free permanently, an effective method is to release at $0.99 or $1.99 for a few days, and then switch to free on your promo day on freeAppCalendar.com. People would rather get something for free that used cost money than if you give it to them for free right away. If you are planning on doing a "free day" or know anyone that is, get in touch with me at ken@mindjuice.net. I'd be happy to work with you on promoting your game. While we do continue to offer a free service where your app goes into a voting pool in order to get selected, we also offer a Flex Feature service which you can read about on the Developers page of www.freeAppCalendar.com. There is also information there on some of the better ways to take advantage of your free day. Cheers! Full disclosure, I am the founder of freeAppCalendar.com, the site that featured Flower Garden for Noel.

If you plan to go free permanently, an effective method is to release at $0.99 or $1.99 for a few days, and then switch to free on your promo day on freeAppCalendar.com. People would rather get something for free that used cost money than if you give it to them for free right away.

If you are planning on doing a “free day” or know anyone that is, get in touch with me at ken@mindjuice.net. I’d be happy to work with you on promoting your game.

While we do continue to offer a free service where your app goes into a voting pool in order to get selected, we also offer a Flex Feature service which you can read about on the Developers page of http://www.freeAppCalendar.com. There is also information there on some of the better ways to take advantage of your free day.

Cheers!

]]> By: Garrett http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7620 Garrett Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:02:51 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7620 Thanks for the great post Noel! I always enjoy reading them. For my next game, I am going to try the "Freemium" model; I think that giving away an app that is fun and does have a decent amount of game play along with an IAP would result in better revenues. I am interested to test it out. Best of luck! Thanks for the great post Noel! I always enjoy reading them.

For my next game, I am going to try the “Freemium” model; I think that giving away an app that is fun and does have a decent amount of game play along with an IAP would result in better revenues. I am interested to test it out.

Best of luck!

]]> By: Darko http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7566 Darko Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:56:08 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7566 @Waite The freemium model (could) work because of the larger userbase . someone (maybe not you) would do IAP. I would do that Sad...that a free game tends to get lower ratings. Strange iPhone world. @Waite

The freemium model (could) work because of the larger userbase . someone (maybe not you) would do IAP.
I would do that

Sad…that a free game tends to get lower ratings. Strange iPhone world.

]]> By: Christian Abildsø http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7565 Christian Abildsø Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:48:08 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7565 I don't have an answer to your question, but just wanted to say thanks a lot for these posts. For those of us on the outside, it's really awesome to see how these things might work behind the curtain, so to speak. I don’t have an answer to your question, but just wanted to say thanks a lot for these posts. For those of us on the outside, it’s really awesome to see how these things might work behind the curtain, so to speak.

]]> By: Paul http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7564 Paul Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:35:07 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7564 Oops. I guess I skimmed over that graph. Thanks, David (and Noel!) Oops. I guess I skimmed over that graph. Thanks, David (and Noel!)

]]> By: David McGraw http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7563 David McGraw Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:41:39 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7563 Hey Paul ~~v "As you can expect, as a result of giving it away for free, the ratings on the App Store went down quite a bit. While it was a paid application, the ratings were around 4 stars, but they dropped down to 2.5 stars after that week. It seems people love a free app, but are very quick to criticize it and give it a low rating (especially if it has in-app purchases)." Hey Paul ~~v

“As you can expect, as a result of giving it away for free, the ratings on the App Store went down quite a bit. While it was a paid application, the ratings were around 4 stars, but they dropped down to 2.5 stars after that week. It seems people love a free app, but are very quick to criticize it and give it a low rating (especially if it has in-app purchases).”

]]> By: Paul http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7562 Paul Fri, 09 Jul 2010 02:02:12 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7562 How did your ratings do? I have a non-game app (http://badnewsrobot.com) that had in-app purchases before Apple would allow free apps to have them. The day Apple changed the rule, I made it free and my uploads skyrocketed. I also noticed my Google Alerts lit up because some sites picked up on the price drop. But the 1-star reviews also poured in. Maybe my app really is crap, but most people dig it. :) How did your ratings do? I have a non-game app (http://badnewsrobot.com) that had in-app purchases before Apple would allow free apps to have them. The day Apple changed the rule, I made it free and my uploads skyrocketed. I also noticed my Google Alerts lit up because some sites picked up on the price drop. But the 1-star reviews also poured in. Maybe my app really is crap, but most people dig it. :)

]]> By: Christopher Waite http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7560 Christopher Waite Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:19:16 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7560 Great post. As an indie developer, it's so useful to see data like this. I'm really confused as to how I should price my next game. It seems there are so many options to consider in the app store today... Paid, free, free with advertising, in-app purchases, and whether to have a lite version (which can of course cannibalise sales of the paid version) I agree with Andrew that it depends somewhat on the game being marketed. However, as you've shown here, there's huge potential in a drop to free. I've personally never bought a full game after downloading the trial (it always seems like the taster is plenty) and i've never purchased anything through in-app purchases. I have however bought lots of games/apps. I guess I like the traditional model. Also there's definitely an increased perception of value when you're paying for something (hence the higher star ratings I guess) Great post. As an indie developer, it’s so useful to see data like this.

I’m really confused as to how I should price my next game. It seems there are so many options to consider in the app store today… Paid, free, free with advertising, in-app purchases, and whether to have a lite version (which can of course cannibalise sales of the paid version)

I agree with Andrew that it depends somewhat on the game being marketed. However, as you’ve shown here, there’s huge potential in a drop to free.

I’ve personally never bought a full game after downloading the trial (it always seems like the taster is plenty) and i’ve never purchased anything through in-app purchases. I have however bought lots of games/apps. I guess I like the traditional model. Also there’s definitely an increased perception of value when you’re paying for something (hence the higher star ratings I guess)

]]> By: Art Gillespie http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7559 Art Gillespie Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:23:54 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7559 Thanks for sharing this data, Noel, and congratulations on the continued sales growth! My .02 on free+IAP as a user is that it's great when I don't feel bait-and-switched. I *love* Landformer, and I was happy to purchase the 50-level pack, but I have to say that my first reaction after playing through the ten beginner levels in a couple minutes was to feel a misled by the "free" appellation. If your "free" app is really a tiny demo with the lion's share of content/features behind an IAP, just be forthright about it in your app video/website copy/tweets, etc. Thanks for sharing this data, Noel, and congratulations on the continued sales growth!

My .02 on free+IAP as a user is that it’s great when I don’t feel bait-and-switched. I *love* Landformer, and I was happy to purchase the 50-level pack, but I have to say that my first reaction after playing through the ten beginner levels in a couple minutes was to feel a misled by the “free” appellation. If your “free” app is really a tiny demo with the lion’s share of content/features behind an IAP, just be forthright about it in your app video/website copy/tweets, etc.

]]> By: Darko http://gamesfromwithin.com/the-power-of-free/comment-page-1#comment-7558 Darko Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:23:42 +0000 http://gamesfromwithin.com/?p=989#comment-7558 The freemium model free+IAP is a risky one. It depends what type of game you have. Make it sense to have IAP? I think.....a mix of free+IAP and paid+IAP would be the best . make it free...for some weeks...and then back to paid...and loop this scheme. What I see lately is this: Make an older game free! While launching a new one paid. The freemium model free+IAP is a risky one.

It depends what type of game you have. Make it sense to have IAP?

I think…..a mix of free+IAP and paid+IAP would be the best .

make it free…for some weeks…and then back to paid…and loop this scheme.

What I see lately is this:

Make an older game free! While launching a new one paid.

]]>