Free to play model and demo games expansion
We’ve been more involved in mobile gaming on iOS and Android over the past number of months, and have stepped up our efforts to bring some of the best free-to-play gaming to our readers. The more you peruse the app store of Apple and Google, the more you realize that free-to-play, no money down games are the juggernaut of the industry, and likely won’t be going away any time soon. Some people play free games and never spend a dollar, while others will spend a ton. In the end, it becomes profitable for the developers one way or another.
Online gambling companies have begun to go this route as well, offering free spins to their clients to entice them to show up, and may be spend a few dollars. To some, it is a shady business practice, but to me it’s just brilliant!
When companies offer you an opportunity to try their products free of charge, most people are willing to jump. It is definitely why so many companies are beginning to offer demos of their latest games. They are free, bite sized chunks of the main experience, delivered to the consumer at no cost to them. It allows them to get a taste of what is to come, and make purchasing decisions based on those few moments. Delivering high quality products is key to making this type of business venture successful. When you offer players a no deposit option – online casinos are a great example of this, providing free spins no deposits – a) they are more likely to try your product, which they might not have otherwise; and b) they will be more likely to purchase your product after taking it for a spin!
These types of incentives are common in the mobile world, but only Nintendo has continually grasped the concepts of demos for consumers. Almost all major Nintendo releases are getting Demos now, and fans around the world are loving the opportunity to play games for a few moments before committing to buying. If companies have a good product, there should be no hesitation in letting others try it out for free. Good products make good demos, which will push consumers to purchase.
The success of the mobile gaming market is slowly coming across to the Xbox One, and a bit less so, to the PlayStation 4. I’m seeing more and more free-to-play and free-to-start games on consoles than ever before, and the content is actually pretty good. When playing on mobile, your expectations are a bit hampered by the capabilities of the phones you are playing on. When it comes to consoles, the sky is almost the limit. With the launch of the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro, console players can now enjoy 4K gaming on their couches, and free-to-play companies are stepping up and launching games with 4K support. These cost millions of dollars to make, but coming from the successful mobile platform over to the consoles, these companies have faith in the free-to-play, incentive laden philosophy.
Console gaming will never rival mobile gaming, neither in terms of number of players or number of games. But there is a slow shift towards this new type of game. Today, with less money for games because of the rising cost of living, people are looking for any freebie they can get, whether it be a few free spins on an online slot machine, no deposits in an online casino, or simply a demo of anticipated, big AAA releases. Getting something for ‘free’ is always the key to pulling in a potential customer, and making sure your product performs well will ultimately lead to sales. There isn’t a company on the planet that can deny that this process works. Developers know it, online gambling sites know it…everyone has to know it!
Are you a fan of free demos and incentives? Let us know in the comments below!