Free mode is not equal to shareware

I read about "Gasketball" this morning. This is an extraordinary puzzle game, players need to face the wall or other objects to throw the basketball to bounce up and into the box. Like many iOS games of the same type, this is a very interesting and attractive game.

Gasketball (from ipadmashup.com)

Although it received 20多万次 downloads, its developers eventually fell into the position of having to borrow to survive. They are free to release the game and use the Apple IAP mode to allow players to buy an upgraded version of the full game at 2.99 dollars a one-time price. But so far they have only achieved a 0.67% conversion rate (game State note: only 1340 games sold). And they chose the one-time purchase model for moral reasons.

Like many developers, they are not optimistic about free business models. They want to use the same system based on a one-time payment model. In other words, they confuse the concept of free mode with shared software. And unfortunately, no one has told them that using shareware to run the game at the outset is not a good choice.

Developers who are always on the side of the game think that if he can make 1 of the 10 players pay for the games, he will be able to achieve good results. But this is the mistake made by the Gasketball developers. The fact is that they can only get very low free/paid conversion rates, up to 1% or 2%.

This is also true in times of shared software prevalence. Developers will opt for free websites to release games or apps and hope to get better grades and a higher conversion rate. Shareware developers always want them to have a higher conversion rate, but the truth is always the opposite. Even if the software's free trial period is full, the actual conversion rate remains at a lower level.

In fact, many very good games also have a low attempt/pay conversion rate. Few people are willing to pay for your hard work, but if they cross the threshold, they will continue to spend money on the game.

Repeat customers are the best drivers of free business model development. In order to show more people your game and turn them into your users, you should choose a free model and then sell some content to them. Once they buy a dummy prop, they buy a second one. Once they get a set of virtual currencies, they want to get a second set.

As with earlier arcade games, some players want to spend money in the game to keep their scores. And some people are willing to pay for it just because they love your game, but if you fail to realize their idea, you are simply losing the opportunity to make money. Like in the upgraded version of the game, why is it obvious that you can ask for 19.99 dollars and you only offer a 2.99 dollar price? Why don't you give players a flexible pricing range so they can buy an upgraded version according to their wishes?

If you are faced with the same moral problems, I can only give a very simple suggestion: overcome it. Whether it's a restaurant or a casino, repeat sales are a basic business model. The question is not whether you should accept the premise, but if you should use it in a noble or despicable way.

It doesn't mean you are evil to sell props to a player who likes you more than once.

Free mode is not equivalent to the concept of shareware

Original: Opinion:freemium is shareware