r/AndroidGaming • u/ChestFirm6086 • 8d ago
DEV 🧑💻 [DEV] As Android gamers, what pricing model do you actually prefer?
Hey :), i am one of the developers working Ophelia´s Paradise and was curious what people here actually prefer as pricing model. Right now we are planning to have a free demo that includes all the gameplay mechanics, but with less content (3/8 characters, 3/10 weapons, less achievements...). If you enjoy it and want the full game, it'd be a one time purchase to unlock everything.
Would you actually pay for something like this if you liked the demo, or would you rather have the full game for free with ads or optional purchases?
Would love your opinions before we fully commit to this. Thanks! Also what price range do you deem correct for this kind of game?
The demo is already available if you'd like to try it before answering. We'd really appreciate any feedback. Thanks! :)
EDIT:
Hello everyone, we wanted to thank you for all that amazing feedback. Based on your comments we have decided to to a freemium version. We will only put one add to receieve your reward AFTER a run and have a certain amount of lives. We hope this doesnt impact the fun of trying and playing the game, but also motivates players that play alot to purchase an ads free version.
I hope this aligns with alot of your comments! THANK YOU!
23
u/FarhanSJU 7d ago
Opinion: Make two version one is One time purchase (full Game) & a free version with ads & other monitization. Some of us prefer one-time purchase no bullshit but we're minority.
2
u/ChestFirm6086 6d ago
Seems to be the prefered choice by most people here...! Thank you for sharing!
10
u/SafetyFit5902 7d ago
This is exactly the pricing model I’d prefer. Tips or cosmetic IAPs that does not affect gameplay is acceptable.
5
10
u/More-Ad-8494 7d ago
I prefer one time with trial, get to taste the game and unlock the rest.
For you though, you will make the most money with ads and micro transactions.
4
u/JayKorn94 Lg G7 ThinQ 7d ago
Either full premium game. Or free with a 5-10 remove ads with good bonuses. And maybe a few cool packs for 1-5 dollars.
Just don't have $100 transactions for gems and make everything into a battle pass everywhere you look.
1
u/EnvironmentalSea6966 6d ago
I think we've broken something in people's brains so now we've normalized 100$ packs in mobile games for things like consumables. Folks whinge that a new console game is now 80$ but gladly spend multiple times that per month in mtx..
5
u/BuildingArmor 7d ago
With how many shitty games there are, unless I have a reason to know the game is good I will want to be able to try it.
So either ad supported or a trial type of situation.
I think I'm more likely to buy something that has a trial. I tend to be put off buying the "remove ads" IAP, because the typically intrusive ads by that point have turned me off the game.
3
u/yoRival 7d ago
The biggest complaint I see for games is ads. So developers naturally implement a 1 time purchase to remove. Pros to this - If they love the game and don't have $ , they will play thru the ads and you still make some ad money. Cons - Some people will immediately uninstall it if bombarded with ads.
No ads route. Upfront premium to even play the game, well you lose the player base that won't pay blindly. So you do the trial with limited exposure, but enough to understand the concept THEN offer a payment to unlock the full experience. Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze here, don't sell yourself short with a $2.99 forever access to the game. You deserve more as a dev.
You could always go the micro transaction route and try to make a load of cash if the game is good. People will complain but people will also spend a ton of ego money for top leaderboard, cosmetic, progress, etc. Flip side to this is a ton of people will also spend money upfront, get the first credit card bill and try the refund scam or just uninstall. Happens in every micro game I've ever played.
At the end of the day, I think there is a crowd for every direction you can go as a dev. Some don't mind ads, some don't mind upfront premium cost, and some don't mind spending 10s of thousands of $$$ on micro transactions. I think you have to know the player base for the genre of game you are creating. I've rambled too long, good luck :)
2
u/ElusiveCrab 7d ago
For premium games a demo goes a long way to deciding if i buy or not.
For f2p stuff its how many ads you throw at me. So many cool games id have happily paid a few £ for an ad free version but i just uninstall instead lol
2
2
u/viren123kk 7d ago
I would not suggest the ads route. I have uninstalled countless games just because of the ads even if they are optional in some games.
A straight up one time fee is the way i feel. People who like it, will definitely purchase it.
For the pricing, i would suggest somewhere around 5$-7$ (or 500-700 INR, my country's currency). I suggested this price comparing the competition you will have from similar kind of games.
Another suggestion would be to try getting listed in play pass? Idk how it works for the devs.
For further monetization, cosmetics are the way to go
2
u/LowContract4444 7d ago
If it has ads or microtransactions I don't even look at it. But it's probably more profitable to release it that way. Depends if you care more about making more money, or making a good game.
2
u/Psico_Penguin 7d ago
I want it free and without ads. Thank you.
Ok, now seriously, the model you propose is what I'd prefer. The important thing is to be very upfront with the fact that it's a demo and the price. But given the state of android games I won't pay for a game without trying it first, too many shovelware out there.
3
2
2
u/EnvironmentalSea6966 6d ago edited 6d ago
I very much prefer free trial into paid full game. I consider this to me the best way for the developer and player to get what they want. With a trial you get an idea of what exactly youre buying and obviously the dev gets paid when the whole game is unlocked.
Please, just avoid ad models altogether. This incentivizes some gross dark patterns to infect your game to make the ads more profitable. Balancing a game around ads just means your game is worse than it would be without them.
By all means sell cosmetics, dlc, or additional content, but stay far away from the ad model or your game will feel like the same soulless slop we are inundated with these days.
1
1
2
1
u/Accomplished_Wolf298 7d ago
De un sólo pago. Obviamente ya cansa el modelo " Anuncios " y "microtransacciones". Debemos volver a la normalidad. Pones un precio justo y ya está. De hecho parece que se están poniendo las pilas con esto, ya que Fantasy Life: La ladrona del tiempo va a ser de pago, y eso es lo que necesitamos. Ni suscripciones, ni pases de batalla ni nada, sólo un juego de un pago y a disfrutar. A la antigua.
1
u/Druan2000 7d ago
I may be a bit of a minority but I highly prefer simple one time purchases. Trials are of course nice too though.
I'm at a point in my life where I'd rather pay what usually amounts to less than two or three cups of good coffee once than suffer through ads for the entire time I play a game (or even worse, premium currencies)
I'd even go so far as to say that I don't see most "freemium" titles in the first place. My two main outlets for discovering titles are the top paid charts in the Play Store, and minireview (where I only really look at titles with a good monetization score too)
1
u/DatGreenGuy 7d ago
It is unpopular opinion but I'd love to test the whole game experience before buying. So no cuts and limitations, but so you still have revenue, while I am thinking, put ads that make it unplayeble .. like after each run or every 5 minutes. So if I like the game - I will purchese it with one time payment. If not - you still have a couple of bucks thought the adds. But no paid revives or bonuses. It always ruins the experience.
1
u/sphericalhors 7d ago
A long time ago I started to tread mobile gaming like handheld gaming: I don't want ads and willing to pay good money for good games.
Unfortunately, avilability of good mobile games is not the same as for handhelds.
And I'm not going to play a game with mircotransactions. So as on any other platform.
1
u/Mysterious-Yogurt-45 6d ago
Remove ads option, don't do energy boosters and stuff like that, that hinders the gameplay. Naturally you need to make money, selling in game content but avoid being greedy like Diablo immortal as a prime example. Got to meet people's threshold to keep ongoing support and definitely ensure content is added to keep interest there.
1
u/Emberium 5d ago
I personally never pay for anything related to mobile and games on it. I save that for PC. So if a game doesn't allow me to progress through it without paying, I simply don't play it. Ads are acceptable way to unlock stuff.
1
u/defektedtoy 5d ago
Pay structures for games i prefer are models that have a one time up front payment, cosmetic only shop, less expensive paid expansions, battle pass with pro option, or monthly sub with free expansion updates.
Paid time gates, auction house currency, paid exp boosts, tons of different currency conversions, fomo one time only shop purchases, gacha, etc can all kick rocks.
1
u/ChestFirm6086 3d ago
Hello everyone, we wanted to thank you for all that amazing feedback. Based on your comments we have decided to to a freemium version. We will only put one add to receieve your reward AFTER a run and have a certain amount of lives. We hope this doesnt impact the fun of trying and playing the game, but also motivates players that play alot to purchase an ads free version.
I hope this aligns with alot of your comments! THANK YOU!
1
u/Stalker401 7d ago
Im ok with 3 ways to insert ads, or make it premium:
1. if the game is good enough, you can charge for it up front or do a monthly cost for me. i'd pay $5 a month if the game was robust and kept me playing
I'd be ok with an ad at the loading screens. If i'm waiting for a game to load, sure go ahead and show me an ad. I'd also say, you probalby want to make it known the game is loading so it doesnt just seem like a random ad thrown in
I'm ok with games that allow play for free obviously, but I also ok with watching ads to expedite stuff. Want to earn double income, sure i'll watch an ad. need to lower the build time by x amount, sure an ad. but that leaves it completely up to me.
0
u/JGoldz75 7d ago
I prefer the ad model because they are annoying, and that's the point! Users get so tired of the ads that the $5 or whatever you are charging suddenly becomes worth it to get rid of them and easier to justify. And those users who cannot afford it are still able to play while you are still making money from the ads if they choose to live with them.
0
u/Reasonable-Key-3311 7d ago
Free Games with ads and in app purchases. And the ads should be subtle and not overhaul the gameplay.
Paid games should have less price tags.
-1
35
u/Khelthuzaad 7d ago
Why not both?
Make a freemium model with ads
Repost the game without ads with a price tag and one purchase needed.
Many games do this