Free-to-Play: Making Money From Games You Give Away

3. Monetization: Players Reward You with $$$

Monetization—the process of generating revenue from players—is a new concept in videogames. Traditionally, selling disc-in-boxes was the extent to which you had to consider revenue. However, the F2P model is significantly more complex because the game itself is now an integral part of the monetization process. F2P intrinsically links design and business.

This chapter describes a number of topics you need to consider: What you can and can’t sell; how you generate demand; how you build value; how you get players to start spending; and how you get revenue beyond just player purchases.

When all of these aspects work, you facilitate the power law relationship of players and spend: Everyone can play for ...