Going back several years and the multiplayer arena for games wasn’t so big. Now multiplayer games are an important part of the industry and society. Research has shown that about 700 million people worldwide now play online multiplayer games regularly. This is a huge market that can be very lucrative for a revenue stream for their multiplayer game.
Developing a multiplayer mobile game has also become much easier. There are software programs that allow would-be developers to create games in a matter of days. These can then be published to numerous marketplaces for players to download and play. Within these games you can add several options to earn money. In some cases, the option to add a revenue stream can be easily done with the software.
So what are the options for game monetization? Here are some of the suggestions that allow you to monetize multiplayer games? Here are some options.
Ads
One of the most common ways that game developers earn money from their online multiplayer games is to have ads included within the game. This can be arranged in various ways. In some cases as actions are completed by the player, ads are displayed. Every advert that is shown earns the game developer money.
Another option is for the player to earn in-game tokens for the game. These in-game tokens could be for the player to earn rewards like new skins, perform actions, or to get in-game bonuses.
Ads are a good option for online multiplayer game developers to create a revenue stream because it allows them to make their game more free-to-play. This improves the number of online players who will take up your game and give it a try. At the same time, there are issues that ad-funded monetization requires to get lots of players who regularly play. Ad revenue can be low per advert played by the gamers. However, with a big enough audience, the revenue can be high.
Ads have been used by several brands including the developers of Angry Birds. The game developers there earned $328 million in ad revenue. However, there are 200 million active players.
Another online multiplayer game that uses ads is Among Us. However, they also have other revenue streams for their game.
In-App Purchases
Another popular option for online multiplayer game developers is to offer players a chance to enhance their game time with in-app purchases. In-game purchases can cover a wide range of possible items/chances to give the player a new experience. For instance TopEleven allows players to buy coins. These coins can then be used to buy other in-game items or perform actions. The popular online football manager game earns a reported $11,315,000 per year from this strategy.
Among Us is another online multiplayer game that allows players to buy other items. They allow players to buy skins and other elements that just enhance the look of the player’s character. For instance, they can buy a pet extension that allows the player to have a dog or hamster follow them around the multiplayer level. They also included clothes for the players.
The items you offer are limited only by your imagination. If you can create something that players will like, you will find that they will pay for it.
What you also need to decide is whether to make your in-app purchases something that is paid for once or paid for numerous times. When you’re offering an item that the customers will pay once for and keep forever you can charge more for it. However, those items that customers can rebuy time and time again (like in-game currencies) can be lower value but have more regular customers and therefore have a more steady income.
Paid Gameplay
Some online multiplayer games are created by developers who then charge the customers to access the game. This is a great way to earn money from your game and it can protect your game from bad players who only want to play for free. However, there are limits to this strategy as you will be limited to only serious players.
Paid games on mobile devices don’t get as much money as can be made by games developed for desktops.
Top Tips For Making Money On Mobile Games
While it is fairly easy for you to come up with a game and the monetization strategy for it. There are things that you need to do to ensure that you’re going to get players to interact and allow you to have a steady revenue stream. Here are some tips to help you ensure that your mobile game hits all the marks.
Reward Players
The first thing to do is to ensure that you’re rewarding players for their time. If they’re spending their money on in-game items or in-game currency, then you want to make sure it gives them something valuable. There are many who don’t like the ‘pay-to-win’ strategy where players who pay give them an unfair advantage. This can reduce the number of players who are using your game and therefore reduce revenues in the long term.
If players are watching adverts, you should reward them for watching those adverts.
An alternative to this is by giving players the chance to own the content they’re paying for. You could offer one-off character skins or items that no other player can own at the same time. This is possible with Digitalax and their eSport platform, ESPA. This system allows players to have a more unique gaming experience while also supporting developers in their ecosystem with profits from skin NFT sales being distributed amongst the designers, developers and the winning players.
The value of the NFTs in this case is also increased, potentially offering enhanced revenue streams for developers.
Ensure Payments Reflect The Reward
You also need to make sure that the value of the payment reflects the reward that they’re given. Watching a 30 second advert shouldn’t reward the player too much. This length of time for an advert will only provide you with an income of a few cents.
In contrast, if you’re taking a payment of $20-30 for in-game currencies, then your players should feel they’re getting a lot for their money. You can also increase the value of the reward as they pay more. For instance, if you offer 100 in-game credits for $10 you could offer 220 in-game credits for $20 and 350 in-game credits for $30.
Build A Following
For you to make the most of your online multiplayer game, you need to build a following. This includes using your Facebook account, Instagram account and more to help you build a following. If you have your mobile game on streaming services like Steam, you can also have discussions and news items on there.
Nothing builds a following like fresh updates on your game that add new features. You might find when you add features to your online game, then players will be more interested in paying for other features or treats.
Conclusion
If you want to develop a mobile online multiplayer game then you really want to find a way to generate a revenue stream from it. There are lots of options for you to try including in-app purchases, ads and other options. It is really easy to implement these in your game. And you can use your social media accounts to advertise the benefits that spending money on your game can do.
With a good following, excellent features of a game and addictive gameplay, you can have a really successful game. This will be reflected in the number of players that you have and the income you generate.