Game Refinery Fact Snippets Vol. 2: In-app Purchases

Key insights

6 slides

Market Reality

Sensomotoric games face greater monetization and retention challenges.

Games focused on aiming and reaction mechanics struggle more in the current free-to-play market. This contrasts with slower-paced cognitive games.

Player Choice

Non-linear level progression boosts commercial potential.

Players increasingly favor freedom in choosing their path through game content. Offering special side stages alongside a main path improves a game's chances of success.

It's like choosing your own adventure book instead of a single story path.

Engagement Boost. Incorporating non-linear level progression improves a game's chances of success by providing players with a sense of choice and freedom.

Genre Evolution

Modern sensomotoric titles require specific engagement features to succeed.

While simple games like Angry Birds and Subway Surfers established the genre, modern titles like Crossy Road demonstrate the need to stand out. Success requires more than just core mechanics.

Success Factor. Modern titles like Crossy Road demonstrate that success in a crowded market requires standing out through specific engagement features rather than relying on core mechanics alone.

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Summary

Mobile game design in the free-to-play era demands a more flexible way of classifying titles, and this 2015 installment of GameRefinery's series applies that framework to sensomotoric games in the US iOS market. Games are positioned along two spectrums: sensomotoric versus cognitive (fast, reaction-based play versus slower, deliberate play) and single-dimensional versus multi-dimensional (one core layer versus several). A competitive heat map of the US App Store, with the top-grossing 50 titles overlaid, shows where games cluster and helps developers understand their competitive environment and target audience.

The analysis notes that sensomotoric games, especially single-dimensional ones such as Angry Birds and Subway Surfers, dominated top-grossing lists four or five years earlier but have since lost ground. They offer fewer elements to monetize and struggle to hold fickle players, whereas slower cognitive games handle both better. Even so, the market still has demand for the category, as shown by Crossy Road's success and by the more frequent appearance of such games just below the top 50.

Four data-backed guidelines are offered to improve commercial prospects, drawn from the US iOS Top Grossing 200. First, developers should not hoard hard currency; granting small amounts for leveling up, clearing tough stages, or joining tournaments improves chart performance, as King of Thieves illustrates. Second, non-linear level progression, such as side stages branching from the main path, is more common among top-grossing games, and its positive effect is trending upward. Third, visual cues for progression, like recolored card corners or upgraded vehicles in CSR Classics, give players a visible reward. Fourth, a dynamic pool of items and characters, through rotating merchant inventories or new collectibles, supports retention in a crowded store.

The author stresses that no single feature makes or breaks a game. A third installment is planned to cover cognitive games.