Achieving 200 million downloads with its games on the Apple App store was Gameloft’s major accomplishment in 2011. The company is now synonymous with amazing gaming experiences on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The success is based on a 10-year experience delivering exciting mobile games.
Gameloft’s success builds on four themes: monetization, mobile commerce, social media and device capabilities.
For the newest Netsize Guide by Gemalto we interviewed Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president publishing of Gameloft.
1 – Monetize
“Our choice of monetization model also depends heavily on the game play. Some games are more suitable for the premium model: the user pays upfront for the game and is then allowed to play that game forever. The majority of our revenue is coming from the premium model, but this is changing.
Freemium and free-to-play are the upcoming monetization models, driven largely by what is happening on Android Market and the Apple App store. Users buy items depending on the game play. Here we don’t focus on revenues for the short-term; we think about the long-term value of our customers – daily active users. It’s a brand new way of thinking about games.”
2 – Commercialize
“There are different types of commerce: in-game, add-on and around the in-app purchase. To make in-game commerce work you need to have the right billing and make the purchasing experience as smooth as possible. The commerce that is added on to the game is merchandising. When you play the game, you can access a store directly from the game where you can buy toys and t-shirts.
Angry Birds is a well-known example. This commerce helps create brand experiences, where the game is the entry point, and there is commerce around an in-app purchase inside the game.”
3 – Socialize
“Our social strategy is built on two main pillars: community and social gaming. Our community managers in all our main markets use social media to interact with our consumers – getting their feedback, informing them about what we are doing via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
In addition we have been adding multi-player elements to our games to make them real-time, interactive and engaging.”
4 – Personalize
“Today the two leaders are iOS and Android, so that’s where we have the biggest support, for smartphones as well as tablets. We want to bring the best experience to each device so we don’t just focus on creating games for the platform that represents the lowest common denominator.
Instead, we adapt each game to the potential of each device.”
Read the full interview with Gonzague de Vallois of Gameloft in The Netsize Guide by Gemalto. You can download it here.
Follow Gameloft on twitter: @gameloft
