Indie Developer Arnold Rauers’s Revenue Increased by 41% After Adopting Free-to-Play Model

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Indie developer Arnold Rauers (Tinytouchtales) saw a 41% increase in total revenue on the App Store after transitioning his portfolio of six mobile games to a free-to-play model in August 2021.
02
The transition to free-to-play resulted in a 280% increase in total iOS downloads for the studio's titles.
03
Performance varied by title: while Card Crawl revenue grew by 168%, Card Thief revenue experienced a slight decline of 1% despite maintaining the highest download volume.
04
Following the model shift, the studio's titles generated a combined 104,000 downloads and $8,600 in revenue.
05
Rauers monetizes his games exclusively through in-app purchases—such as content, feature, and timer-gate unlocks—while opting not to use in-app advertisements.
06
A significant, unverified spike in both revenue and downloads occurred at the end of August, attributed by the developer to an external feature of the game Gnomitaire.

Summary

The transition to a free-to-play (F2P) model significantly impacted the financial performance of mobile games developed by Arnold Rauers, the founder of the indie studio Tinytouchtales. By shifting his portfolio of six titles to a free-to-play structure on the Apple App Store in August 2021, the developer achieved a 41% increase in total revenue. This strategic pivot highlights the potential for indie developers to leverage F2P mechanics to expand their user base and optimize earnings.

The shift resulted in a substantial surge in engagement, with total iOS downloads increasing by 280%. While performance varied across individual titles, the results were largely positive; for instance, revenue for the game Card Crawl rose by 168%, though Card Thief saw a marginal decline of 1%. In total, the studio generated $8,600 in revenue and 104,000 downloads following the transition. A notable spike in these metrics was also attributed to external featuring of the title Gnomitaire.

To maintain profitability without relying on in-app advertisements, the studio implemented various in-app purchase (IAP) strategies. These include options for full content unlocks, the removal of ad or timer gates, and the purchase of specific feature unlocks. While the primary focus of this data is the iOS ecosystem, the developer maintains a presence on other platforms, including Google Play, Steam, and itch.io. The findings underscore the efficacy of diversified IAP monetization for independent mobile developers seeking to scale their reach and revenue.