Monetization reports and market data
Documents
From Head Ball 1 to Head Ball 2: How it Became a Multi-million Dollar Game PG Connects Digital #2
The transition from Head Ball 1 to Head Ball 2 represents a strategic evolution in mobile game design, shifting from a simple direct-purchase model to a sophisticated Gacha-based system.
- The transition from a direct-purchase model to a Gacha-based system in Head Ball 2 drove a fivefold increase in lifetime value (LTV) and a 45% improvement in the DAU/MAU ratio.
- Implementing an in-house LiveOps infrastructure allows for real-time adjustments to matchmaking, progression, and pricing without requiring client-side updates.
- The shift to a more complex core loop and character upgrade depth was specifically designed to overcome stagnant LTV and facilitate growth in competitive tier-one markets.
The Death of the IDFA | PocketGamer.biz RoundTables
The deprecation of the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) on iOS marks a fundamental transition in the mobile gaming industry, moving away from deterministic, granular user tracking toward a privacy-centric, probabilistic measurement landscape.
- The deprecation of IDFA has forced a permanent shift from deterministic, granular user tracking to a probabilistic measurement landscape, significantly reducing the precision of campaign attribution.
- Publishers must now rely on machine learning and predictive analytics to identify high-value users within the first 48 hours of gameplay to compensate for the loss of individual-level tracking data.
- The industry is pivoting toward the development of robust first-party data sets, such as email addresses and phone numbers, to maintain control over audience targeting without relying on third-party identifiers.
Economy of the Metaverse | Fortnite CEO Tim Sweeney (Exclusive)
The metaverse represents a critical evolution in digital interaction, transitioning from isolated, proprietary gaming environments toward a unified, participatory economy.
- The metaverse must transition from isolated, proprietary gaming environments to a unified, open architecture that supports technical interoperability for assets and code across diverse virtual spaces.
- Current mobile storefront commission models of 30 percent are significantly higher than the actual service provision costs, which are estimated to be between 5 and 7 percent.
- A sustainable and equitable economic framework for the metaverse requires platform fees to settle through market competition, ideally within the 7 to 12 percent range.
Monetisation & Skills as Motivation PG Connects Digital #2
Game design relies on a sophisticated interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic human motivations to foster engagement and long-term retention.
- Successful game design integrates intrinsic motivators like mastery and creativity with extrinsic rewards to ensure both routine tasks and complex gameplay remain engaging.
- Monetization strategies should be embedded into the core design process from the outset rather than added as disruptive, post-development features.
- Placing advertisements at the beginning of a session leverages the sunk-cost fallacy, encouraging players to invest more time to justify their initial commitment.
Superstar Session: The Pokerface Explosion – The App that Changed Poker PG Connects Digital #2
The Pokerface application represents a shift in the social gaming landscape by integrating real-time video and audio communication into the traditional poker experience.
- Integrating real-time video and audio into Pokerface increased user engagement time by 20% to 30% compared to non-video alternatives.
- The addition of live communication features extended average session lengths to between 25 and 35 minutes, moving beyond the short, transactional sessions typical of standard digital card games.
- Comunix experienced a tenfold increase in its user base during the COVID-19 pandemic as the platform served as a digital substitute for offline social gatherings.
Keep on Slicing - A Publishing Case Study PG Connects Digital #2
The hyper-casual mobile gaming sector thrives on the rapid capitalization of fleeting digital trends, as evidenced by the success of ASMR Slicing.
- Hyper-casual titles can achieve rapid scale by gamifying viral sensory trends, as demonstrated by ASMR Slicing reaching 42 million downloads within two months of its April 2020 release.
- Profitability in the hyper-casual sector requires a rigorous cost-per-install (CPI) target, which can be as low as 11 cents to ensure margins before scaling.
- Agile development cycles are critical for market entry, with successful titles moving from initial pitch to revenue testing in as little as three weeks.
Using Virtual Shops to Increase Real-life Sales During Social Distancing & Unrest PGCD#2
The presentation explores the integration of gaming technology and virtual reality to bridge the gap between consumer engagement and retail sales, particularly in the context of social distancing and restricted physical shopping.
- The ViRSE platform utilizes 3D modeling and game-engine assets to create virtual marketplaces where consumers can visualize and interact with products before purchase.
- By providing immersive previews of furniture and home decor, the platform aims to increase consumer confidence and reduce product return rates.
- The technology supports collaborative shopping by allowing users to invite others into a virtual habitat to curate spaces and make design decisions together.
Subscriptions, IAP & Ads - The Trinity of Hybrid F2P Monetisation PG Connects Digital #2
The mobile gaming industry is undergoing a fundamental shift toward a hybrid monetization model that integrates in-app purchases, advertisements, and subscriptions into a unified ecosystem.
- Mobile game monetization is shifting toward a hybrid model that integrates in-app purchases (IAP), advertisements, and subscriptions to capture value from diverse player spending habits.
- Hybrid monetization creates a more resilient economic framework by allowing developers to monetize both high-spending users and non-paying players who prefer ad-based engagement.
- Subscriptions should be used to foster long-term loyalty and trust, acting as a recurring revenue layer that complements the immediate transactional nature of IAP and rewarded video ads.
Alternative Billing Solutions and how to Monetise SMS Traffic PG Connects Digital #2
Alternative billing solutions serve as a critical monetization strategy for game developers and digital content providers, particularly in emerging markets where traditional credit and debit card penetration remains low.
- Alternative billing solutions, such as direct carrier billing and premium SMS, are essential for monetizing users in emerging markets where credit and debit card penetration is low.
- Direct carrier billing and premium SMS enable one-off transactions, subscriptions, and trial periods by charging costs directly to a user's mobile phone bill.
- International standard SMS allows for cross-border monetization by charging users at standard international messaging rates, providing a low-friction alternative to domestic-only payment methods.
Keynote: 2020 so far - How the Mobile Gaming Industry is Changing PG Connects Digital #2
The mobile gaming industry underwent a period of profound transformation during the first half of 2020, driven largely by the onset of global lockdowns.
- Mobile gaming traffic stabilized at approximately 10% above pre-pandemic levels following a surge in early 2020, though Day 7 retention rates declined, particularly in the hyper-casual genre.
- Average session length has become the primary metric for driving lifetime value in ad-monetized models, as the gap in session duration between top-tier games and the broader market continues to widen.
- The mobile gaming market experienced a decline in Cost Per Install (CPI) across most genres during the first half of 2020, providing a strategic opportunity for user acquisition.
Superstar Session: Bidstack: A New Era of Advertising for Your Game PGCD#2
Programmatic, native in-game advertising represents a transformative shift in how developers monetize 3D environments while preserving the integrity of the user experience.
- Programmatic, native in-game advertising allows developers to monetize 3D environments across PC, console, and mobile platforms by integrating non-clickable, brand-building placements via specialized SDKs.
- In-game advertising prioritizes user immersion by treating ads as natural elements of the virtual world, which empirical data shows results in superior viewability and higher user attention compared to traditional digital display formats.
- Gaming is becoming a primary destination for advertisers as legacy media channels like television and social platforms face declining viewership and high rates of ad-blocking.
Panel: What Does Success Look Like in UA? PG Connects Digital #2
Modern user acquisition strategies have evolved beyond a reliance on vanity metrics like raw install volume, shifting instead toward a rigorous, data-driven focus on long-term profitability and return on ad spend.
- Success in user acquisition has shifted from raw install volume to a focus on long-term profitability, return on ad spend (ROAS), and the retention of high-value users.
- Marketing, finance, and product teams must collaborate to align cohort-based profitability analysis with broader business objectives to ensure sustainable growth.
- While Google and Facebook remain dominant, TikTok and Snapchat are essential for their creative capabilities and influence on multi-touch customer journeys.