Choosing a monetization model - Premium models

Up to 80% of a premium-only title's lifetime sales can occur in the first month, which is the period of highest engagement. The smaller lifts visible in the chart represent holiday sales, which attract new users to an established game.

While most revenue is generated in the first month, releasing DLC within three months of launch can recapture 30-50% of your initial audience.

Games as a Service are generally not front-loaded on revenue. Instead, they are positioned to support seasonal events and sales, often driving the highest yearly revenue during the winter holiday period.

“Initially, updates were shipped every 1-2 months, focusing on polish and completeness. Over time, internal processes were refined to allow for more agile releases, now aiming for significant content updates every two weeks.” — Squido Studio

DigiGods leverages a consistent mix of IAP and DLC updates to keep users engaged with fresh content and gameplay.

• For players, the value proposition is clear and easy to understand. They pay once and get a complete sense of ownership over the game.
• For developers, this model avoids potential negative perceptions of other monetization strategies. Revenue is easier to forecast, and there is no obligation for post-launch content.

• For players, a key disadvantage is being required to purchase the game before experiencing its quality. Additionally, some players may feel Premium-only products are not competitive in volume of content compared to live service games.
• For developers, the primary disadvantage is that the game’s success is almost entirely determined by its launch sales. A poorly timed or mishandled launch cannot be easily salvaged, and the game will struggle with long-tail monetization.

• Leveraging fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) due to spoilers
• The popularity of the franchise
• The overall price point of the game

I Expect You To Die 3 is a Premium VR title that regularly price pulses for sales and relies on the popularity of its franchise to create FOMO for its players.

Beat Saber at a $29.99 price point offers many microtransactions in the form of music packs or individual songs, allowing players to expand their music library with chart-topping songs from world-renowned artists.

“For our player community, these [DLC and content updates] bring the game to life every week and give them an evergreen curiosity about what’s happening. The DLCs and other content drops drive not only engagement and referrals, but also PR, and they have become synonymous with how people talk about and interact with the game.” — Mighty Coconut

Walkabout Minigolf offers 20 different add-on options that drive retention and provide additional sources of revenue.

• For players, post-launch purchases are presented as optional, which creates an easy value proposition and often leads to a more positive view of microtransactions.
• For developers, this model provides strong post-launch monetization potential with higher attach rates for DLC and other paid offerings.

• For players, the model still requires an upfront purchase before quality is assured, which can dissuade users accustomed to F2P business models.
• For developers, this hybrid model has a smaller top-of-funnel than F2P and can trigger negative reactions from players who expect a pure Premium experience.

Successful Premium+ titles can generate impressive long-tail revenue by sustaining player interest for months or years through Battle Passes, cosmetics, and seasonal events.

• Seasonal Content can include new characters, customization options (like cosmetics skins and emotes), and consumables for a fixed price.
• Content Expansion can take the form of a single paid DLC or a season pass that provides a series of smaller, episodic content drops.
• Customization options often include cosmetic skins, emotes, and lobby avatars.
• Consumables/Quality of Life improvements can include in-game currency, crafting materials, inventory space expansion, XP boosts, or paid level skips to accelerate Battle Pass progress.

VAIL offers a free-to-play experience alongside three optional subscription tiers for dedicated players.

FitXR starts with a Free-to-Start demo and ends on a Subscription trial to access the rest of the application’s content.

• Customization options can include cosmetic skins, outfits, accessories, hairstyles, mounts, and companions.
• Consumables/Quality of Life improvements may include in-game currency, crafting materials, inventory space expansion, XP boosts, or character name changes.

Final Fantasy XIV allows players to purchase cosmetics such as skins and accessories, along with quality-of-life features like the ability to skip through legacy content or change their character’s name.