作者：James Nouch

在美国，《FIFA世界足球2013》从2012年9月25日问世以来就一直稳居iPhone前20名畅销游戏榜单。

出现这一结果着实让人感到意外，原因有两点：首先，美国人对于足球并不是很感兴趣。其次，该款游戏售价6.99美元。

在经过一段时间的争议后，人们已经达成了一种共识，即免费模式才是真正可行的发展方向，而所有的收费游戏将面临艰苦的挑战。毕竟当我们扫视iPhone应用商店中的前20款畅销游戏时，我们会发现绝大多数游戏都属于免费游戏。

fifa-13(from extafiles)

而《FIFA》，《我的世界》以及Rovio的《Bad Piggies》便是例外——它们都得到了苹果的推荐，并在全世界的App Store中具有极高的名气。

考虑持续性

当我们着眼于Google Play的畅销应用排行榜单时会发现，收费应用在Android平台上面临着更加艰难的处境。即在前50名畅销游戏中只有2款游戏属于收费应用——《我的世界》及Gameloft《黑暗骑士崛起》（游戏邦注：根据同名电影所改编）。

除此之外，不管是在Android还是iOS平台上，任何成功的付费应用的寿命都不长。

就比如2012年8月在iPad上发行的《堡垒》（售价4.99美元）。我想硬核玩家们对这款游戏应该不陌生吧，它最初问世于Xbox 360平台上，在获得广泛的认可的同时也取得了非常出色的销售成绩。

其iPad版本也得到了大量的肯定，并且在发行几天内该款游戏便迅速窜升到iPad畅销游戏排行榜的第5位。

但是自那以后游戏的销量便开始出现下滑，现在这款游戏的排名已经掉到第189位了。

进退两难

《Horn》也拥有同样的遭遇。这款游戏拥有非常出色的视觉效果，为其在发行前做足了宣传，所以在发行当天它便迅速攀上了iPhone畅销游戏排行榜的第30位。

然而这款售价6.99美元的游戏的排名却在之后几周开始出现下滑。

data(from pocketgamer.biz)

（以上是App Annie所提供的《Horn》在美国iPhone畅销游戏排行榜上的表现的数据分析）

9月19日，当《Horn》下降到畅销游戏排行榜单的662位时，Zynga选择暂时将游戏价格调至2.99美元。

后来的促销热潮将游戏推上了第121名，但是不久后其收益又迅速下跌，Zynga不得不将价格再次还原到6.99美元。

品牌所带来的稍许帮助

现在似乎很少有付费游戏能够获得长期的成功。

不过那些具有较大品牌影响力的游戏便是例外。之前所提到的《我的世界》以及动视的《Wipeout》都属于这类型游戏。

售价1.99美元的《Wipeout》在发行后1个多月仍然在iPhone畅销游戏排行榜单时上占据着较有利的排名，而能够获得这一成绩也很大程度取决于该游戏是基于美国某一电视节目（吸引了上百万观众）所改编的。

例外

一个更有趣的例外便是来自Crustalli的《Kick the Buddy: Second Kick》。这款售价99美分的游戏在发行（2012年4月）后两天便挤进了iPhone畅销游戏排行榜单的前100名。并从未掉离该范围，甚至一度攀升至第10名。

data(from pocketgamer.biz)

（以上是由App Annie所提供的《Kick the Buddy: Second Kick》在美国iPhone畅销游戏排行榜上的表现的数据分析）

Midverse Studios的《Mini Empires Plus》也在8月份发行以来便一直保留在畅销游戏排行榜单的100名以内，Pixel Addicts的《Arms Cartel Global》自从5月份发行以来便在畅销排行榜单逐渐上升，在10月6日已经攀升至第23名。

如此看来这些游戏都不是依靠全球知名品牌的帮助才获得这些好成绩，所以我们仍然能够在手机上找到一些维持着长期成功的付费游戏。

但是到目前为止却只有少量游戏能够做到这一点。

（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）

The Charticle: Are paid games approaching the end of the line?

by James Nouch

In the US, FIFA Soccer 13 has not left the top 20 grossing games chart for iPhone since its release on 25 September 2012.

This is surprising for two reasons. Firstly, because Americans aren’t supposed to be interested in soccer. Secondly, because it carries a $6.99 price tag.

After a period of argument and upheaval, the general consensus seems to be that freemium is the way forward and that any premium game is facing an uphill struggle. After all, a quick look at the top 20 grossing games for iPhone apps shows a freemium whitewash.

It seems that the only exceptions to be found are truly huge names in gaming – FIFA, Minecraft and Rovio’s Bad Piggies – all of which have been featured extensively in App Stores worldwide.

Thinking sustainability

And one look at Google Play’s top grossing charts shows that conditions are even tougher on Android. Just two titles in the top 50 grossing games list are paid releases – Minecraft and Gameloft’s movie tie-in The Dark Knight Rises.

What’s more, across both Android and iOS, any grossing success for paid apps tends to be short-lived.

Bastion, for example, launched in August 2012 for the iPad, and carried a $4.99 price tag. Core gamers will have been familiar with the game from its Xbox 360 debut, where it launched to strong sales and considerable critical acclaim.

Its iPad re-release was greeted with a fresh batch of critical praise, and the game shot to number 5 in the iPad’s top-grossing games chart within one day of release.

However, the game’s sales quickly dropped off after this point, and the game is now ranked at #189.

On the horns of a dilemma

Take a look at Horn, and it’s a similar story. The game’s impressive visuals created a certain amount of pre-release hype for the game, and within one day of launch, it had climbed to #30 in the iPhone’s top grossing games chart.

However, the $6.99 game steadily dropped in the rankings over the next few weeks.

Analytics data (courtesy of App Annie) showing Horn’s performance in the US top grossing games for iPhone chart.

On 19 September, with Horn ranked at #662 in the top grossing games chart, Zynga temporarily lowered its price to $2.99.

A sales spike followed, boosting the game to #121, but revenue quickly dropped off again, and Zynga reinstated the $6.99 price point.

With a little help from my brand

It would seem that there just aren’t very many paid games that can achieve prolonged success with a premium price-point these days.

The only obvious exceptions to this rule are titles with considerable branded clout. The aforementioned Minecraft is a good example of this, and Activision’s Wipeout is another.

This $1.99 game has been performing well in the iPhone top grossing games chart for more than a month now, but perhaps this has something to do with the fact that it’s based on a US TV show that attracts millions of viewers.

The buckers

A more interesting exception is Crustalli’s Kick the Buddy: Second Kick. This 99c game broke into the iPhone top 100 grossing games chart two days after its launch, back in April 2012. It hasn’t left since, and peaked at #10.

Analytics data (courtesy of App Annie) showing Kick the Buddy: Second Kick’s performance in the US top grossing games for iPhone chart.

Similarly, Midverse Studios’ Mini Empires Plus has remained in the top 100 grossing games chart since its launch in August, and Pixel Addicts’ Arms Cartel Global has been slowly climbing the grossing charts since its launch in May, reaching #23 on 6 October.

These games have achieved these ranks without the assistance of a globally recognised brand, and suggest – to varying extents – that it’s still possible for paid games to find sustainable success on mobile.

Right now, however, they’re very much the minority.(source:pocketgamer.biz)