Mobile games now rule at the App store, claiming a 22.49 percent stake of all active apps. While there is a seemingly endless supply of games, the reality is that only a very small percentage of these games become successful and profitable. With thousands of new ones being added every month the space is extremely competitive. If you want to make a profitable gaming app, you have to know a thing or two about gaming. Here are some tips that the most successful developers use while creating the most profitable apps.
1. Offer a Compelling Platform
Mobile games are competing, on average, against 25 other apps that users keep on their phones and routinely use. A game must offer a compelling “platform” along one or more dimensions. The world has gone mobile and as such, games are competing not just with other games, but rather the entire entertainment and social messaging space. That competition includes Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, HBO Go, Netflix and more.
2. Include ‘Surprise and Delight’
‘Surprise and delight’ is achieved through the innovation of graphics, presentation and core game-play mechanics. A successful game must be seen as “new,” but also recognizable and understandable. This ensures that news about the game will be spread virally by gamers and non-gamers alike. A good example is Wink Bingo. It’s an innovative title for lovers of bingo, online games, slots and offers. With many surprises and bonuses, this is a great example of a successful and profitable gaming app.
3. Be a Brand that Resonates
Whether your game represents a new gaming IP, an old gaming IP, movie, film or celebrity brand, it must match the subject’s core mechanic. This ensures that the game can be installed with minimum friction. Glu’s Cooking Dash 2016 is the leading game for lovers of food and hospitality, while Deer Hunter is a popular hunting brand, with 150 million installs since its 2014 release. Game brands that resonate with an audience will experience exponential growth.
4. Include Socially Competitive Features
Offering users the ability to play with and against their friends adds a critical layer of engagement depth. Playing on teams with friends against other teams is referred to as “guild/clan” competitions. This type of social feature exists within many different game genres — Glu includes it in its shooter, sports, racing and simulation games. Studies show that once a player gets six or more of his or her friends playing a game, he or she is far more likely to still be playing the game 30 days later.
5. Be Frequently Updated
Successful games must be updated frequently. This means only large updates with additional levels, content, items, and characters, but also weekly, if not daily, live events. Compelling reasons for users to log in and play daily helps keep the experience fresh and positions the game as one of those top 25 apps on a player’s phone.
6. Have a Successful Team at the Game Company
Successful gaming firms are really service companies that understand and deliver for their target demographic. They need to have deep passion for their product and love what they do. You don’t want people who go home each night and play a shooter to come to work and build a farming game.
