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开发者谈对《Pitfall》iOS版本定价是否失策的看法

发布时间:2012-08-27 23:21:05 Tags:,,,,

作者:Zoya Street

问题:动视最近向iOS平台发布手机游戏《Pitfall》(该游戏IP问世已达30年之久),并采用了69便士售价外加IAP功能的收费模式。该游戏刚发布时一直稳居游戏营收榜单前100名,但最近排名却一路下跌。

《Pitfall》究竟是该采用免费模式,还是选择更高的售价?69便士/99美分的售价对这款游戏来说真的合适吗?

pitfall(from blog.retrogamer.net)

pitfall(from blog.retrogamer.net)

回答:

Teut Weidemann(育碧在线专家)

这种“双重收费”模式并不可取。

首先,用户已经付费买了游戏,为什么还要再花钱?

其次,付费模式会让游戏失去用户基础,不利于提升下载量。

如果采用免费增值模式,那就可以获得更多用户,这也意味着付费用户的比例也会相应提升。

Stuart Dredge(The Guardian记者)

《Pitfall》的定价策略有点冒进了,这让我排斥付费。

Zynga游戏《Zombie Swipeout》也一样,甚至可能更糟。我很喜欢玩这款游戏,也买过一些IAP。但在某个升级版本中,他们突然就不再让你只按一键就跳过死亡场景——而是让你的角色缓缓落地,多给你5秒钟让你去留意并摁下“现在购买”这个按键以让角色复活。这让我很恼火,所以我就不再花钱也不再玩这款游戏了。这给人感觉就像是“知道吗,你花钱了,但我们还是会继续压榨你的钱……”

Philip Reisberger(Bigpoint总经理)

他们的手机游戏盈利策略还有待提高。我极度怀疑这款游戏若采用免费增值模式是不是会更成功,因为这样它的定价问题也会很棘手。所以无论是采用哪种方式,我都不认为他们会更成功。

Oscar Clark(木瓜移动倡导者)

首先,我认为这个游戏版本是复兴原版游戏IP的一个成功举措。它采用了复古元素,简单的平台动作,我认为它看起来很棒。

但是,这款游戏也有一个处心积虑且极为冒犯的付费模式。玩家需要10个钻石(游戏邦注:这是游戏中的付费虚拟货币)来解琐一个关卡,这样你才能通关。更不要说首个关卡真是太冗长了……我认为最大的问题在于,我花69便士买下游戏时只能得到12个钻石,这也太少了。要知道,任何一款还算过得去的免费增值游戏一开始都会给玩家比这更多的价值。这种做法只会让玩家觉得自己上当受骗,并且心生不满 ,总之我是一点也不觉得游戏有何好玩。

至于动视采用这种付费模式是否妥当,我个人认为不妥。但如果游戏最初发布时推出“特别版”,并宣布即将在数周之后推出免费版本,并且这个特别版本已经为玩家提供了足够的钻石(例如,足够解琐所有关卡的钻石),以及一个徽章奖励,我想这款游戏应该会更有吸引力。

Martin Darby(Remode首席运营官)

市场上还《Temple Run》、《Jetpack Joyride》、《Whale Trail》等免费下载的游戏与之竞争,他们原来就该采用免费模式。69便士外加IAP的模式是没有市场的。如果你想发布付费版本,就得知道自己处于更“核心“的一端,并且要有相对更高的定价,例如《Horn》。

Mark Sorrell(游戏主管)

我认为如果你能解决用户获取成本攀升的问题,这种“双重收费”标准也并不是什么问题。只是69便士售价还采用IAP模式就有点异常了。如果你想走这条路,就得最大化这两个付费渠道的收益,并且抬高预付费的价格。但首先得确保有大量用户会来购买游戏。

我不知道付费+IAP模式的转化率是否高于纯IAP模式的转化率。据称如果玩家迈出了消费的第一步,他们就还会有下次。

Ian Marsh(Nimblebit游戏开发者)

他们可能只是在模仿《Temple Run》的策略,这款游戏最初发布时是99美分,后来就降至免费。

Darren Jobling(Eutechnyx首席运营官及所有者)

主机游戏发行商通常都有把免费增值模式视为“8位时代”的倾向,因此常会将旧IP换个包装重新出售。但动视很精明,相信他们会从这个过程中学到经验……

Charles Chapman(First Touch Games Ltd.所有者及主管)

看看这款游戏在热门榜单的排名就清楚了,它并不是很成功。在意大利排名64,在美国112名,在英国193名,虽然这些数字并不算糟糕,但也绝不是他们所追求的目标。

我的第一感觉是他们利用了苹果推荐的优势(该游戏曾被评选为本周推荐游戏),赚到了一些钱,后来形势不妙的时候就转为免费,以便通过下载量提升IAP收益。它上周在美国营收榜单最高排名是第35,我盼着他们再次转为免费下载。

Andrew Smith(Spilt Milk Studios总经理)

我认为:A)他们觉得依靠IP的力量可以让这种双重收费模式获得成功;或者B)他们清楚这款游戏不一定会火,但仍希望借助IP确保这个试验品多少有些收成。

付费且吸引硬核玩家的顶级游戏,以及苹果所支持的对象(《无尽之剑》就属于这种情况)比较适合采用这种双重收费模式,但对其他开发者来说就未必了。(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

Should Pitfall have launched for free? The Gamesbriefers

Zoya Street

This is the first ‘Gamesbriefers’ post, in which industry experts debate topical questions about game design, marketing and business strategy.

Question:

Activision recently launched a revival of a 30-year-old IP with a paid iOS version of Pitfall. They have taken a Paymium approach, combining a 69p up-front purchase price with IAPs. The game has consistently been in the top 100 grossing games since launch, but is currently falling rapidly. Should Pitfall have launched for free? Should it have been more expensive? Or is 69p/99c the right launch price for this kind of game?

Answers:

Teut Weidemann Online Specialist at Ubisoft

The problem with going both ways is you lose whatever you do.

#1: user paid, so why should he pay more

#2: loss of reach, i.e. fewer downloads

If you go all free you get more reach, so your percentage of paying users mean more. The lesson we learned from f2p is either you are all in or you should not do it.

Stuart Dredge Journalist at The Guardian

On reflection, Pitfall did feel a bit… aggressive with its expectations to pay, and that put me off paying. I wonder if that’s the wider issue here.

Zynga’s Zombie Swipeout was the same, or in fact worse. I played it, liked it, paid a couple of IAPs. But in an update, they suddenly stopped letting you skip the death scene with a button – in favour of making your character fall slowly to earth with five seconds more looking at the other ‘pay now’ button to revive him. I was so annoyed, I didn’t ever pay or play again – it really did feel like ‘y’know what, you’ve paid! But we’re going to squeeze you even more…’

Philip Reisberger Managing Director at Bigpoint

They’re still in the ‘learning phase’ in terms of mobile monetization. Taking an old IP with limited ‘reach’ is a good approach for this. I highly doubt that they would have been more successful with a F2P approach, since it can be tricky especially in terms of pricing. So either way, I don’t think they would’ve been more successful.

Oscar Clark Evangelist at Papaya

To start with I think its an excellent reboot.  It captures an element of nostalgia whilst being unequivocal about simple platform action and I think looks great.

[...However], in this game we see a very well-designed but highly aggressive Paymium model; it takes 10 Diamonds (the Premium currency) just to unlock a checkpoint you also have to have passed in the game. Not to mention that the length of play needed to get to the first checkpoint is far too long. [...] My biggest problem is that I am only granted 12 Diamonds for my 69p upfront purchase of the game and that seems paltry. Lets face it, any half-decent Freemium game would probably have given away more starting value. This is a recipe for how to leave the player feeling cheated, nagged and otherwise unsatisfied; I did not feel enchanted!

Was it a good idea for Activision to make Pitfall go Paymium?  Personally, I think not, not in this form.  However, if the initial launch had been a ‘Special Edition’ which announced that the Freemium Version was coming, for example, 3 weeks later and that this version granted a truely substantial amount of Diamonds (e.g. enough to unlock all the checkpoints) and a badge which showed you off as a Founder Member… well may that could have been much more interesting.

Martin Darby COO at Remode

They should have launched free considering competing products are probably games like Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride, Whale Trail, etc.  69p with IAP is no man’s land.  If you want to launch paid you need to *know* you are at the more ‘core’ end of things and with a premium price to match e.g. Horn

Mark Sorrell Game Director

I don’t think the combo approach is a problem if you can get over the customer acquisition numbers hump. It just seems odd to do it at 69p. If you’re going to do it, then maximise your income at both ends and charge a good chunk up-front also. You just have to be sure you can get lots and lots of people to buy the game in the first place.

I wonder if paid + IAP conversion rates for IAP are higher or lower or the same? There’s a bit of me saying that if you’ve paid once, you’ll pay again. Sunk cost fallacy and similar tics coming into effect. Never seen any numbers on that.

Ian Marsh Game developer at Nimblebit

Perhaps they are just copying what Temple Run did, which launched at 99c and dropped to free at a later date.

Darren Jobling COO/Owner at Eutechnyx

There is a tendency amongst console publishers to think of Free 2 Play as being “just like 8-Bit”, therefore dust down one of your old IPs and it will fly. However, Activision is smart and will be learning throughout this process…

Charles Chapman Director and Owner at First Touch Games Ltd.

Just checking the top-grossing charts too, and it’s not exactly flying either. 64 in Italy, 112 in USA, 193 in UK. Not terrible numbers by any means, but not what they were looking for.

My initial instinct was that they’d capitalise on being featured (it was Game of the Week I think), mop up a load of cash as a result, and then switch to free the minute things tailed off, so get the volume needed to drive the IAP revenue. It peaked at #35 in USA top grossing  last Monday, and I would have expected they’d be free by now. I still expect they’ll be free soon.

Andrew Smith Managing Director at Spilt Milk Studios

I reckon either: A) they thought the power of the IP would give them success with the combo approach Or B) they knew it wouldn’t necessarily do brilliantly but wanted the IP to help ensure they make money on what is otherwise an experiment.

Premium, top tier titles with core gamer appeal, that have immense Apple support too (let’s be honest, Infinity Blade ticked a lot of really key boxes) have a good chance at the combo approach working for them, but for everyone else it is a bit of a pipedream.(source:gamesbrief

 


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