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Tom Sennett
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« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2009, 09:29:59 PM » |
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This is highly interesting.
I'm generally against charging for content in an otherwise free game, but those numbers are pretty damn appealing.
The Mochi folks are definitely a bright group, and I'm sure this is slick as a duck's back. If developers can really make money, and players are willing to pay 'em (which it sounds like), this will take off big time.
Of course, there will probably be a lot of people who try to sell stuff with this that no one buys.
Again, very interesting. I'll be watching this.
Edit: Oh, and that article's point about decentralizing the revenue stream - how the business model encourages "stealing" - makes some very good points. It really is great that more players = more money, no matter where they play your game or how they get to it. It's a model that wholly embraces the free flow of the Internet.
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bateleur
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« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2009, 03:00:25 AM » |
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$6.50 per 1000 plays is an improvement, but still only comes to $6500 for a million plays, which means it doesn't really change the income level of Flash games.
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Sam
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« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2009, 05:05:36 AM » |
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Posted 12 days ago by a Mochi person: We're always impressed by how quickly you guys find things! We are always testing out new tools and services and are in the very early stages of implementing a microtransaction program. Right now we are currently in an alpha phase, and don't have any formal announcements at this time. So not available to mere mortal developers yet. Micro-transactions generally leave a bad taste in my mouth*, but it's good to see a big and reputable company like Mochi working on them so developers have that path open to them. I quite like that microtransaction income would more closely reflect what the actual players think of the game, rather than relying on prominent positioning on major portals to push up hits. Although people that never see the game have no chance to show how much they like it.. *To qualify that a bit more: I don't like games to advertise themselves as FREE!11!! but you end up needing to pay to access significant areas of the game. I don't like that your money is converted into magical coins/points/whatever before you spend it - it seems that the primary reason for that is to stop players thinking "What the hell am I doing spending £3.50 on a sword in a badly made RPG?" and instead thinking that 15 credits is a good deal for a shiny new sword! I am in favour of things like buying silly hats (which give no gameplay advantage) in Dino Run to show your support. I'm pretty sure that zombie-shooting game linked to in the article has ripped sound effects from Call of Duty 4, coincidentally the same place it ripped its game mechanics from! Alternative microtransaction things for Flash games: AndrogradeNonobaGamersafeHeyZapWhirledAndrograde, Gamersafe and HeyZap seem to all be along the model of having the player sign up for an account with them, which they can fill up with credits to spend in games. Generally credits can also be got in very low quantities by playing games, or in larger quantities by selling yourself and signing up for targetted advertising things. Whirled is a similar model, but more fully integrated into their own portal-like site. Nonoba lets the player pay directly for things in the game, which seems a nicer and more honest way of doing things. They then have to create an account so that they can actually access their purchased stuff, but I like that it skips out the "now buy 500 coins so you can spend 10 of them in this game" stage.
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Making Fun
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« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2009, 08:32:51 AM » |
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Hmmm, shame there's not more info about this(well, I can't find it anyway!)
We are about to sell our first game, Baby Vs Spiders. I've sent it out to all the sponsors I have dealt with in the past for a chance to get in and start the bidding early. None of them have got round to playing the game yet.
I used to evaluate submissions from sponsors myself, and it never took me more than a few days to respond. I did get a lot of submissions but most could be rejected very quickly! (yes, rejected. With an e-mail. I didn't ignore anyone).
Anyway, I digress!
The M-Transaction thing has opened up a new potential way of making some cash. Baby Vs Spiders will have two additional game modes and loads of upgrades, so it could work well, but I don't want to risk anything because I have to make enough money to pay for development.
Are sponsors like Addicting, Kongregate etc likely to pay us 10-20k for a game and also let us charge players for extras? I suppose 10% of the MT money goes to them, but it still seems too good to be true.
Also, if people have to register to buy virtual gold or coins then why not have them pay direct with Paypal?
Anyone with experience of these business models- I'd love you to wiegh in with your 600 gamecoins worth...
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Making Fun Games<br />Since March 2009
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raiten
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« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2009, 09:17:17 PM » |
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$6.50 per 1000 plays is an improvement, but still only comes to $6500 for a million plays, which means it doesn't really change the income level of Flash games.
?? My most popular flash game has been played over 10 million times. A flash game I made in a week has so far been played 2 million times.
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bateleur
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« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2009, 04:56:02 AM » |
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My most popular flash game has been played over 10 million times. A flash game I made in a week has so far been played 2 million times. Not much to say to that except: congratulations!
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raiten
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« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2009, 05:58:13 AM » |
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the point isn't that I've done well, the point is that even mediocre flash games easily get millions of plays, meaning that a 6.5 ecpm definitely would improve the income level of flash game developers.
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Triplefox
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« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2009, 05:00:00 PM » |
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Reviving a slightly aged thread: This article got me thinking about alternative strategies for monetizing on Flash. I generally agree with the sentiment presented that going through ads and sponsors seriously limits your earnings, and you don't have to let it do so. Most of us are implicitly developing in a direction that is brand-based, nuanced, niche, and targeted to a small but hugely devoted audience that will spend big when given the opportunity. Both the ads/sponsors model and the micropayments model lend themselves to the opposite - generic games that are "quickies" or "impulse buys." Notice how several players all decided to jump on this bandwagon at once; I'm pretty sure they initially got the idea because of the reported success of iPhone games at tiny $1-3 price points. So my conclusion is that if you were to ignore the ad money and instead simply used the Flash portals as a promotional tool for direct purchases, you would be better positioned to make a livable long-term profit. I'm thinking of doing a $10 downloadable bundle, myself: extra levels, more backstory text, maybe one other thing. Although... it would be awesome to do a metaphorical art game that involves micropayments. :D
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Montoli
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« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2009, 04:22:31 PM » |
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Has anyone had any direct experience with any of the other services listed, since MochiCoins doesn't seem to be available yet?
Also, anyone know how sponsors respond to this sort of thing? Is it possible to have a game with microtransactions, that still attracts a sponsor, or do sponsors generally steer clear of games that accept micropayments?
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Craig Stern
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« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2009, 05:47:06 AM » |
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Yup, me too. Now I just need to figure out a way to create unlockable content that can't be unlocked via a simple .sol hack...
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Montoli
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« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2009, 11:53:56 AM » |
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I got the email too... has anyone tried signing up? Their page wasn't clear. It looked like it took me to a "feedback" page.
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Martin 2BAM
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« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2009, 09:04:50 AM » |
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(d) By submitting User Submissions to Mochi Media, or displaying, publishing, or otherwise posting any content on or through the Service, you hereby do and shall grant Mochi Media an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicenseable and transferable license to use, modify, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, perform, and otherwise fully exploit the User Submissions in connection with the Service and Mochi Media's (and its successors and assigns) business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Service (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. Excuse me, but I don't get this. Do I need to give all the rights to MochiMedia, for example, to do a sequel if they want?
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Greg Game Man
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« Reply #14 on: July 30, 2009, 06:48:14 AM » |
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HOLY FUCK. THIS. IS. HUGE.
those numbers are amazing, i got invited to mochicoins after Use Boxmen, now i am so hyped. The amount of money to be made off this.. its mind blowing.
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