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如何在F2P游戏盈利设计中最大化LTV?

发布时间:2014-04-25 10:07:16 Tags:,,,,,

作者:Pete Koistila

若要打造经济成功的游戏,你的用户终身价值(LTV)就必须大于用户获取成本(CPA)。我们该如何实现这一情况?这个成功法则(LTV>CPA)的影响因素是什么?为了回答这些问题,我们必须理解哪个影响会影响LTV,我们该如何在游戏盈利设计中最大化这些因素,以胶LTV和玩家生命周期之间的关系。

LTV和玩家生命周期

我们可以通过理解玩家生命周期生个阶段的用户行为来最大化LTV。你的粘性越佳,你的LTV发展就越好。

分析和指标可以提供衡量和理解你的玩家生命周期每个阶段行为的关键工具。以下图表列出了你玩家生命周期的每个阶段,以及这些阶段与你的LTV之间的关系。

Lifetime_value(from gamasutra)

Lifetime_value(from gamasutra)

盈利设计中的玩家生命周期和LTV的关键阶段是:留存,专注IAP,重复吸引,交叉推广以及用广告。为了最大化LTV,你就有必要理解每个阶段的作用。

留存

如果玩家不来玩你的游戏,你就无法盈利。你必须确保至少以下留存机制能够正确运行:

*趣味体验:你几乎所有游戏都必须富有娱乐性和趣味。游戏体验必须令人愉悦,这样才能让你的玩家一次次重返游戏。

*核心循环设计:关注简单而有效的核心循环设计。你的游戏应该能够通过星巴克排队考验(即玩家是否会在排队买咖啡的空隙玩游戏)。

*第一个游戏回合非常重要:它决定着你的玩家是否会继续玩下去。你可以采用新颖的游戏主题,简短而富有吸引力的教程序列,以及富有悬念的情节来实现这一点。

*享受、学习和进步:将早期阶段成就绑定在一起的亚层次有助于保持玩家兴趣,促使他们无止无止地玩下去。游戏进程应该包括视觉上的进步,以及游戏经济层面的进展。

*社交层面:鉴于用户数量是游戏成功的关键,你必须设计运行良好的社交机制,从而产生更多流量。你的收益与日活跃用户直接相关(收益=日活跃用户*转化率*ARPPU)

为了提升留存率和游戏粘性,你必须善用第1、第7和第30天活跃用户指标(DAU、WAU和MAU)这些重要的工具,它们描述了你的游戏吸引用户的情况。

关注IAP

达到合理的粘性水平和留存率时,最重要的盈利环节就开始了:玩家会关注IAP机制。要在留存阶段有策略地逐步引进IAP机制。不要一骨脑儿全塞进去!至少以下IAP方法有助于推进游戏盈利:

*双币制度:使用软货币和硬货币。玩家持续花掉软&硬货币,直到花光硬货币为止。为了加快进程,玩家可以花真钱购买硬货币。

*道具化:道具是游戏经济设计中的一个必需环节。道具可以通过道具商店购买。设计良好的道具商店是游戏中的自然成分。道具可以同升级绑定(游戏邦注:例如,在特定关卡解琐道具),定制化(例如,外观有所不同)以及吸引不同的玩家类型(例如,可用道具打败其他玩家)。

*提供IAP优惠信息:IAP优惠活动可以视为一种服务(例如,《Hay Day》的报纸广告/优惠内容)。

*不要忘记鲸鱼用户:你应该为所有类型的消费者提供他们可购买的东西。如果鲸鱼用户想消费,那就为他们提供富有意义的可购买道具。

重复吸引

当你的指标数据显示,你的玩家因为某种原因并没有关注IAP,那就需要关注重复吸引这个环节。在此我们的目标是将玩家转化为付费玩家,如果不成功,我们就要做好交叉推广阶段的准备。以下重复吸引方法对你这个阶段的工作会有帮助:

*推送通知:当玩家结束自己的游戏会话时,可以用推送通知邀请他们返回游戏(例如,使用计时器衡量你的道具进展或者提供奖励和通知:“你的挖掘工具已经准备就妥。试试看。”)

*收集新闻邮件订阅和Facebook赞:新闻邮件订阅是一个用户获取的低成本工具,Facebook提供了另一个低成本重复吸引的渠道(例如,《Hill Climb Racing》为在Facebook点赞的玩家提供软货币,并因此而实现了1亿次以上的下载量。)

交叉推广

记住:即使98%的玩家不会在你的游戏中花一文钱,但你的玩家仍然是最大化LTV的重要角色。如果重复吸引环节并没有将其转化成付费玩家,或者引进可观收入,那么你就该进入LTV曲线的下一个环节了:交叉推广提供了降低CPA的良好工具。为了不在用户获取(CPA)上投入过多资金,你可以遵从以下做法:

*交叉推广你的其他游戏,寄希望于玩家会安装你的其他游戏。没准玩家会在你的其他游戏中转化为付费用户。

*应用商店中的排名和评级很重要。要为那些给你的游戏评级的玩家提供奖励(例如,玩家若在App Store中发表评价或评分,就可以赢取软货币)。你的游戏评级越高,排名自然也会越高。

用广告盈利

在最后一个阶段,你可以开始用外部的第三方广告来实现盈利。这会将你的玩家引向其他游戏或应用,但你仍然可以从中创造收益:

*巧妙地展示广告:其目的不是让你的玩家彻底退出,所以应该设计一种自然而巧妙的广告展示方法。将广告视为游戏的自然部分(例如,Hay Day中的报纸广告)。

*使用第三方渠道的SDK:降低你的工程成本,并避免为同个安装量而向多个广告网络支付费用。不要分别绑定每个广告网络SDK,而要使用第三方整合SDK,因为它们会以单个SDK提供多个广告网络(例如Mobileapptracking/MAT、Ad-X、Kochava)。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

How to impact in Lifetime value (LTV) in F2P game monetization design?

by Pete Koistila

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.

The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

In order to create economically successful game your Lifetime value (LTV) needs to be greater than Cost per acquisition (CPA). How we could achieve this situation? What factors affect to this success formula (LTV > CPA)? In order to answer these we need to understand which factors affect to LTV and how could you maximize those factors in game monetization design? What is the relationship between LTV and players’ lifecycle? [1]

LTV and players’ lifecycle

LTV can be maximized by understanding your audience behavior at every phase in your players’ lifecycle. The better you engage, the better your LTV grows.

Analytics and metrics provide the key tools to measure and understand your audience behavior at every phase in your players’ lifecycle. Below the image illustrates phases of your players’ lifecycle and how those phases correlate with your LTV. [2]

LTV Lifetime value curve

Image: Phases of players’ lifecycle and Lifetime value (LTV) [2]

Key phases of players’ lifecycle and LTV in monetization design are: Retention, Focus on In-App Purchases (IAP’s), Re-engagement, Cross-Promotion and Monetize with Ads. In order to maximize your LTV it is important to understand each of these phases and their role.

Retention

If your player does not play your game you can not monetize. You need to make sure at least the following retention mechanics work properly:

Fun experience: Most of all your game needs to be entertaining and fun. Gaming experience needs to be enjoyable, so that your players want to play it again, again and again.

Core loop design: Pay attention to simple and effective core loop design. Your game should pass the Starbucks test.

The 1st game session is very important: Guarantee your player will continue later. This can be done with a fresh theme of the game, short & captivating tutorial sequence and ending with a cliff hanger.

Enjoy, learn and progress: A meta layer binding together early stage achievements helps to keep up the interest and never-ending game play. Progression should contain visual progress and progress in game economy.

Social aspect: As number of users is a key to success it is a must to design well-functioning social mechanics to generate more traffic. Your revenues are directly correlated with daily active users (Revenues = Daily Active Users * Conversion rate * ARPPU). [1]

For developing retention rates measure and improve stickiness of your game: 1, 7 and 30 day active users metrics (DAU, WAU, MAU) are important tools and describe how well your game attracts the audience.

Focus on In-App Purchases (IAP’s)

Once the proper stickiness level and retention has been reached starts the very important part of monetization: player will focus on IAP’s. Elegant rolling of IAP methods have been introduced step by step at the retention phase. Do not try to push IAP methods! At least the following IAP methods will help in game monetization:

Dual currency: use soft and hard currencies. Player keep on spending soft & hard currencies until one runs out of hard currency. In order to progress faster hard currency could be purchased with a real money.

Itemization: Items are essential part of your game economy design. Items could be purchased from item shop. Well-designed item shop is natural part of the game. Items can be tied to levelling (e.g. item unlocks at certain level), customization (e.g. looking different) and attracting different player types (e.g. Items to beat another players).

Provide elegant In-App offers: In-App offers could be considered as service (e.g. compare Hay Day newspaper ads/offers).

Do not forget whales: you should be able to provide all the time something to purchase for all types of purchasers. If a whale wants to spend, let them spend by providing meaningful items to be purchased.

Re-engagement

Once your metrics show, your player has not focused on IAP’s for a reason or another, it is time to focus on re-engagement. With re-engagement we target to convert your players into paying players and if this does not success we start to prepare for the cross-promotion phase. The following re-engagement methods support your work at this phase:

Push notifications: Once players have ended their game session, push notifications could be used for inviting them back (e.g. use timers for measuring the progression of your items or provide rewards and announcements: “Your mining tools are ready for use now. Try those.”).

Acquire newsletter subscriptions and Facebook likes: Newsletter subscription is a low-cost tool for player acquisition and Facebook provides another low-cost re-engagement channel (e.g. Hill Climb Racing provides soft currency in return for your Facebook like and they have managed to reach over 100 million downloads). [6]

Cross-promotion

Remember: even 98% of your players might not spend any money to your game, but your player could have important role in maximizing your LTV still. If re-engagement does not convert player into paying player or bring in desired revenues it is time to move on the next phase in LTV curve: Cross-promotion offers a good tool to lower your CPA. In order not spend so much money into user acquisition (CPA) you could focus on the following:

Cross-promote your other games and hope player will install your other games. Maybe player will convert into paying user within your other games?

Ranking and ratings matter in Appstore. Reward your players for rating your game (e.g. Player could earn soft currency by posting a review or rating in the App Store). The more and better ratings you have the better your ranking will be. [3, 5]

Monetize with Ads

At the last phase you could start monetizing with external 3rd party ads. This will drive your player to other apps or games, but you could generate revenues still:

Provide ads elegantly: Goal is not to drive your player to quit totally, so do not push ads, but design a natural and elegant way of providing ads. Ads could be even considered as a natural part of the game (e.g. Hay newspaper ads).

Use 3rd party attribution SDK’s: Lower your engineering costs and avoid of paying for several ad networks of same installs. You do not want to integrate to every single ad network SDK separately, but instead use 3rd party integrator SDK’s, which provide several ad networks with a single SDK (e.g Mobileapptracking/MAT, Ad-X, Kochava). [4](source:gamasutra


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