14 DAY TRIAL // World of Tanks, the combat-focused multiplayer experience from Wargaming, is the title in the free-to-play space that has the ability to get the largest revenue from each user who actually engages with the experience.
The information comes from Superdata, which has compiled a report that shows how a number of other high-profile titles perform when the metric is used.
Average revenue per user for free-to-play shooters like Team Fortress 2 from Valve and Planetside 2 from Sony Online Entertainment are higher than those linked to Multiplayer Online Battle Arena titles like DOTA 2 from Valve and League of Legends from Riot Games.
The figures for actual player numbers suggest that MOBA titles are more popular with the public than traditional shooters, but it seems that gamers tend to spend less money via microtransactions.
Guild Wars 2, the MMO from ArenaNet, and War Thunder are also solid performers when it comes to getting support from their player base.
The official report states that, “Generally speaking, successful titles are those that develop and localize their game to accommodate specific markets. This entails everything from setting up local servers to reduce latency to offering country-specific payment methods and customer support.”
A free-to-play experience can only succeed if the development team makes sure to offer extensive support for those who want to play, regardless of where they come from and their initial spending potential.
Superdata adds, “The cost per install for free-to-play MMOs has been consistently going up, as the market has started to mature. Last month the average cost per install for a free-to-play MMO in the US was about $8 dollars. Having a clear sense of marketing cost helps build a user base more effectively.”
A little counterintuitively, the company also says that developers who are looking to get solid revenue from their free-to-play titles should be focused on the user experience and on the quality of the game rather than on simply creating ways to generate revenue.
The free-to-play space has been constantly growing during the last few years, mainly on the PC, but there are signs that the model can also be successful on the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony in the coming years.
The market is so saturated at the moment that teams should focus on the quality of the titles that they are offering rather than on simply trying to get as many players as possible fast.