Based on the Japanese gashapon vending machines, which offer random prizes for cash inserts, virtual gacha is today’s top monetization mechanism in Japanese mobile games.
Although the gacha method is controversial in Japan, it can be implemented effectively and make developers a profit. Neil Young, N3twork’s CEO, says that a gacha can drive individual mobile games to $10 Billion in revenue. A gacha is a feature in many popular U.S. mobile games, such as Angry Birds 2, Marvel: Contest of Champions, Clash Royale, and Clash Royale.
What is the secret to running a successful gacha-monetization mechanism? Developers should be focused on player engagement and lottery value.
Get Benefits from Gacha
A gacha is a type of machine or roulette wheel that allows players to spin and win prizes after they have spent money. The gacha allows players to deposit currency and voila! Devs must create an in-game economy that makes it worth the effort to make gachas work in mobile games.
Arto Huht is a flaregames monetization expert. “The difficult part for lotteries or the economy they fuel is making sure all rewards types are attractive through the user journey.” A strong gacha setup will have lucky rolls that don’t break the early game and common rolls that won’t become obsolete. Do you have a problem if your gacha’s perceived value peaks after 10 rolls. ?
Everyone who participates in a gacha should find something of value. No matter how long they’ve been playing for months, downloading a gacha is worth it.
Rareness can Create Value
How can a gacha create value over the life of its user? There are two options. First, you can offer rare prizes to anyone who plays the ingame lottery.
Adam Telfer, product lead at Wooga, a mobile gaming company, wrote a blog about the gacha in Kabam’s fighting game Marvel: Contest of Champions. He explained why it is a great way to encourage spending by giving players rare prizes that they cannot win through a lottery.
“A player wanting a four-star rare Cyclops [in Contest of Champions] is going to have to purchase many, many gacha packs [Contest of Champions’?equivalent of buying a spin or a roll] before they get exactly what they want,” wrote Telfer.
Sometimes it takes time to win. It might take time to win a prize. However, players who have it can show off their winnings to others. Making money feels good. But this is not the case with the latest gacha neon mod version where you get in-game purchases already installed.
Fusion is a Valuable Tool
What happens if a player does not win something rare? Developers still have the ability to generate value. Harry Holmwood, cofounder of mobile game studio The Secret Police says that allowing players to combine unwanted items with other items in-game help reduce player frustration. Most Japanese games combine gacha with fusion. This allows you to use gacha items that you don’t need or want. ?
Although Pokemon Go does not have an in-game gacha system, the egg-hatching mechanism is a form of lottery. You can buy incubators that hatch eggs to get random Pokemon. The gacha is still available if they don’t hatch the rare Pokemon they desire. Players still get a bunch of rare candies for common Pokemon such as a Pidgey to help them evolve.
Good gachas will keep players coming back for more because Holmwood says, “[everything] that they get from it can be used in some way, even if it’s just to boost something else.”
Enjoy in-game Events
Holmwood says that developers can drive interest in gachas by offering unique, one-off lotteries that coincide with in-game events.
“Offering customers a greater chance of getting a rare item on a particular day can really increase retention because players don’t want [to lose the chance] to win.”
Do this by offering rare gachas around specific in-game events. Raid gachas in MMOs and RPGs allow players to win sweet prizes for completing a difficult-to-conquer quest. This gacha encourages players to engage with the top content of the game, offering them great prizes and reminding them why the game is so much fun.
You can also choose to participate in seasonal gachas. Special prizes at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays will encourage players to return to the game. They can even unlock special content like Halloween-themed buildings in The Simpsons! Tapped Out makes it more likely for them to keep playing and spending on a game.
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