Digging for gaming gold: A complete guide to in-app purchase revenue

January 13, 2025

A guide to in-app purchase revenue for games

Functional Props: In strategy games, provide "Resource Acceleration Cards" that players can use to speed up resource gathering for a certain period, helping players develop their bases faster and advance in the game. For example, in "Clash of Clans," gems can accelerate building upgrades, troop training, etc., greatly saving players' time and being very attractive to those who want to quickly enhance their strength. In role-playing games, "Experience Potions" allow players to gain double experience for a period after use, quickly leveling up their characters. In the later stages where leveling up becomes difficult, such items are highly favored by players.

Consumable Items: Taking shooting games as an example, design a "High-Grade Ammo Box" that contains special attribute ammunition, such as tracking bullets and ammunition with a larger explosion radius, which can increase players' combat advantages during battles. Items like the signal battery in "Peace Elite" can help players replenish signal values at critical moments, playing an important role in the game, and players are willing to purchase them to increase their chances of survival. In card games, "Card Draw Coupons" allow players to draw additional cards, increasing the chances of obtaining rare cards, satisfying players' needs to collect and build powerful card decks.

Character Skins: In MOBA games, different styles of skins are designed for heroes, such as cool mech styles, cute cartoon styles, and ancient fantasy styles. For example, the hero skins in "Honor of Kings" not only change the appearance but also some come with unique skill effects. Li Bai's "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix" skin has stunning skill effects and is loved by players. Many players purchase it to have a unique visual experience and showcase their personality. In racing games, various dazzling paint jobs are designed for cars, such as flame paint jobs and metallic finishes, enhancing the car's appearance and making players stand out in races, attracting players who seek personalization.

Scene Skins: For simulation management games, different themed scene skins can be introduced, such as a dreamy fairy tale town theme, a futuristic urban theme, etc., changing the appearance of buildings and the environmental atmosphere in the game, bringing players a brand new visual experience, increasing the freshness and fun of the game. In casual elimination games, different seasonal themed scene skins can be provided, such as a spring flower sea scene, a winter snow scene, etc., allowing players to experience different atmospheres during gameplay, attracting players to make purchases.

Unlock Additional Game Content: In adventure puzzle games, set up paid unlocks for hidden levels or story chapters. These hidden contents often feature more exciting plots and more challenging puzzles, satisfying players' needs for in-depth exploration of the game. For example, in "Monument Valley," there are additional chapters that can be unlocked for a fee beyond the basic levels, providing more content for players seeking a complete gaming experience. In simulation and nurturing games, paid unlocks for advanced nurturing features, such as special evolution paths for pets and advanced career skills for characters, allow players' nurtured characters to have more advantages and uniqueness.

Personalized Customization Features: In sandbox games, provide a paid building blueprint library or custom model upload feature, allowing players to quickly construct beautiful buildings using these blueprints or upload their uniquely designed models to meet their creative and personalized needs. In music rhythm games, offer a paid unlock for song editing features, enabling players to adjust the rhythm of songs, add special effects, etc., creating their own unique music game experience, attracting players with creative and personalized needs to pay.

Timely Pop-up Tips: When players complete an important task or reach a certain level, a pop-up box appears recommending related paid content. For example, in a role-playing game, when a player reaches level 30 and unlocks a new dungeon challenge, a pop-up informs the player that purchasing the "Dungeon Boost Potion" can increase their survival chances and reward acquisition in the dungeon. In a strategy game, when players are short on resources, it prompts them to purchase a "Resource Pack" to quickly replenish resources, ensuring that the game progress is not interrupted.

Set Up Guidance Tasks: During the beginner's guidance phase of the game, set up some simple guidance tasks to allow players to experience some paid content features. For example, in a casual game, during the beginner's guidance, give players a time-limited virtual item to let them experience the convenience it brings. After the time limit ends, prompt players that they can purchase the item to own it permanently. In a management game, during the beginner's guidance, let players experience a paid unlock of advanced store decoration effects, and then guide players to purchase that decoration plan to make the store more attractive.

Holiday Activities: Launch limited-time promotional activities during important holidays, such as offering a "New Year Gift Pack" during the Spring Festival, which includes various virtual items and unique holiday skins at discounted prices. For example, "Onmyoji" releases a Spring Festival gift pack that includes new character summoning tickets, rare skins, etc., attracting a large number of players to make purchases. On Valentine's Day, launch couple-themed skins and item packs, such as couple avatar frames and interactive items for two, to create a festive atmosphere and encourage players to pay for exclusive holiday content.

Daily Activities: Set up daily special offers, launching one or several paid content items on discount each day, such as "Today's Special: 50% off Premium Weapon Crate," to attract players' attention and purchases. Conduct a "Cumulative Recharge Event," where players can receive generous rewards, such as rare skins and large amounts of virtual currency, when their total recharge reaches a certain amount, incentivizing players to continue recharging and purchasing paid content. Additionally, a "Leaderboard Event" can be held, where players who rank high in spending during the event period can receive special rewards, such as unique titles and limited edition skins, stimulating players' competitive spirit and encouraging them to purchase paid content to improve their rankings.