How can you monetize your mobile game design without sacrificing gameplay?

I'd like to offer another perspective based on my experiences. Often, designers excel when in the right position, but I've noticed some struggle due to unfamiliarity with their market, especially newcomers. For instance, mobile designers are usually well-suited for handling monetization, and for non-mobile designers, lacking market knowledge can pose a challenge. Monetization is complex, and designers benefit greatly from a solid understanding of the market to choose the right model. This observation is not about pointing fingers but underscores the importance of market awareness to improve design decisions.

Games with micro transactions usually have two layers of gameplay. For example: consider a farming game where the core loop is: cultivate produce > sell > use money to produce more. Added to this core gameplay layer, there is a secondary layer that we can call the "waiting game", that is, you have to wait for products to grow, buildings to build and buyers to show. Monetization can affect the secondary layers, but NEVER interfere with the core layer. That is, players can buy IAPs that speed up the waiting game, but never IAPs that, say, increase the selling value of their produce. Having monetization interfere on the core gameplay layer can make room for emergence of what is known as "pay-to-win".

As I come from old school console play, I prefer to pay once and enjoy without thinking about money. So I would avoid in-app purchases. For mobile I would offer a Free version that is more generous than your typical demo, and a Premium version with all the content for those who enjoyed the free version enough and want the full experience. I would also consider to place ads in the free version. These ads need to appear at a reasonable pace so they don't make you hate the experience and with it, the game.

By understanding how players see value and make spending choices, we can design in-game purchases that appeal to them. It's also important to use finance principles to set prices based on player behaviour and preferences. By adjusting prices based on how players interact with the game and where they live, we can create a more personalized experience

Analyzing players' perceptions of value and their decision-making in spending allows us to craft in-game transactions that resonate with them. Employing financial principles to establish pricing in alignment with player behavior and preferences is crucial. Tailoring prices according to player interactions within the game and their geographical location enables the creation of a more customized and engaging experience.

I believe not every core gameplay mechanic can be effectively monetized. While a sophisticated gameplay loop can support various monetization methods, a simplistic loop like "fight > collect reward > fight" can frustrate players as progress remains blocked by the initial fight. Helldivers is a notable example of successful free-to-play monetization with customizable items and a battle pass offering a comparable number of free tiers to the paid version. This showcases how a free and unrestricted core gameplay loop can avoid imposing heavy monetization constraints on players.

Designers can introduce unpredictability in rewards using concepts like variable ratio reinforcement schedules, tapping into players' curiosity and increasing the perceived value of purchases. Ethical considerations, influenced by sociology, are crucial. Game designers should strive to maintain a fair and enjoyable environment for all players, regardless of whether they pay or not.

One of my all-time favorite free-to-play games is "Mortal Kombat Mobile," and I'd like to highlight a smart ad design from it. In the game, the placement of ads is strategic, especially in modes like Survivor where passive healing between battles isn't available. Ads become a valuable and scarce resource, making them appreciated by users. A notable trend I've observed is ads serving as smaller doses of in-game items, similar to how health stones and revive potions function in the Survivor match. It's crucial to avoid using interstitials, as they tend to have a negative impact on the user experience and can be detrimental to business.

Cultural preferences regarding ad formats, frequency, and content can vary greatly, so tailoring ad strategies to align with these cultural norms enhances overall user satisfaction. Designers can apply principles from game theory to ensure that the integration of ads aligns with players' strategic choices, avoiding scenarios where ads become intrusive obstacles. By transforming ad interactions into optional and rewarding experiences, such as through incentivized ads, designers can not only maintain player engagement but also create a positive association between ads and in-game benefits.

The hottest trend in subscriptions, in my opinion, is undoubtedly battle passes. I've had the opportunity to design a few battle passes for various mobile games, and while they may seem a bit "evil" in nature, I enjoy logging into a game to discover the challenges awaiting me for the week. As a designer, I prioritize fun over chores, ensuring that the tasks associated with the rewards in my battle passes are meaningful and engaging. Additionally, I make a point to include an appropriate amount of premium currency in these passes, providing flexibility for users who may not want to commit to monthly purchases, especially if they are not yet loyal players.

Incorporating concepts from behavioural economics and providing tiered subscription models with increasing benefits, players can perceive a growing value in their subscriptions over time, reinforcing their dedication. Understanding the dynamics of social identity within gaming communities can shape the design of loyalty programs. By creating in-game societies or guilds where players can collectively earn loyalty rewards, a sense of belonging and shared accomplishment is fostered, leading to higher player retention and community engagement.

Battle passes have become the new norm within gaming trends, especially with online free to play games and mobile based games. Battle passes allow for players to have 2 ways to earn rewards. Either by playing the game without paying a gain small amounts of rewards trickled around the pass. Or alternatively a premium pass where players can pay to gain better rewards as well as pay to skip the pass altogether. This pass should include high quality rewards as players will be paying with the expectation of good rewards to show off in game.

Ohhh, here comes the tricky part, but the answer is so so simple to me. I adopt different personas each day during my work, limiting them to around 20. In my past mobile design career, one persona I embraced was Jake, a student with limited pocket money and a credit card cap. By stepping into Jake's shoes, we discovered that his only option was to wait out timers, with no affordable choices to start spending money in the game's ecosystem. Despite being a spender, Jake wasn't a whale or a top spender. Frustrated, he decided to stop playing the game altogether. This method of evaluating design choices by considering the experience of different personas, like Jake, proves to be the most effective for me.

Designers can use player segmentation models based on psychology to customize monetization strategies for specific player profiles, ensuring in-game offerings align with individual preferences.

Make your game available for free. Add Microtransactions and battle pass system. Keep your micro transactions MICRO, not make them a major advantage for other players. Focus on your high retention players, spot them early on and give them more prizes as they log in everyday. If its a game with ads, try to stay away from interrupting ads (I know its not easy to keep LTVs high without them) and focus on your rewards. Say Games does this effectively. Check their games.

It’s important to be aware that monetization design is actually “just” another part of game design. It’s another set of tools and systems that game designers can use to craft the desired experience. As a game designer, you can embrace this and make the most of it… or you can delegate this responsibility to monetization or product managers that often don’t have a game design background, and that would use the “lower”risk solution: benchmarks. Also you might do “what every one else is doing” (daily missions, battle pass, piggy bank… you name it), instead of really understanding how your game experience will benefit from a fresh monetization design. This is when monetization systems feel wrong: intrusive and without any gameplay purpose.

Microtransactions would be a good start for the F2P mobile game. However, if the game forces you to pay to win or play (P2W) like Blizzard's Rumble then it may discourage players and therefore your game may be heading to the end of its lifetime.

Remember that there are different types of people with different ideas of what feels good to purchase. Although a portion of the audience will buy consumables because they see the value or they can calculate the time saved in doing so, there is also a significant portion of players that want something they can hold on to that feels meaningful long-term. Create something unique, that looks cool, or special in some way and add some value to it with some kind of meaningful gameplay impact, even if it's a small impact. Something like a 10% time reduction in a common action, or a daily allotment of a small amount of currency. Remember that if you can convert someone to make a purchase just 1 time, they are more likely to purchase again.

If you use any form of ad revenue make sure the ads Don't interrupt core parts of the gameplay loop to avoid breaking immersion. If the game loop is too short is better to keep ads between multiple plays to avoid annoying your players.