3 mistakes to avoid when developing a F2P mobile game

Have you ever had a promising game idea that ended up flopping? Coming up with a great F2P game idea is one thing. However, bringing it to success is another. The greatest ideas can become even greater failures when certain flaws in development aren’t identified in time. To prevent your project from derailing, we would like to share some of our own experiences from the past. These are 3 common yet easily avoidable mistakes when developing a F2P game!

#1: Trying to satisfy too many people

In 2022, the number of smartphone users in the world today is 6.648 Billion, which translates to 83.72% of the world’s population owning a smartphone! As most people own a smartphone nowadays, your target group covers all age groups, genders and cultures. Hence, it’s impossible to make a game that will appeal to every demographic. Don’t try to satisfy too many people! Moreover, different kinds of game features appeal to different people. A male audience might be more interested in one genre, whereas a female audience might be more attracted to another genre.

#2: Determining success based on short term results

Short term results can often be misleading. Jumping to conclusions based on short term results – be it either positive or negative results – can lead to misinterpretation of the sustainability of your game. The key to this is setting sustainable, long term key performance indicators (KPIs). Get insight into player retention rates, your return on advertising spend, and other benchmarks. You’ll better understand your game’s long-term sustainability if you collect these numbers early in the development process and monitor them closely.

#3: Waiting to test User Acquisition

Your UA cost is critical to the success of your game. So, if the cost per install (CPI) is too high for your game to be commercially viable, you need to know as soon as possible. Don’t wait until after your game has been released to figure out the critical metrics. If you do, you cannot determine its success or failure and you may waste a lot of time and money. We recommend developing a minimum viable product and getting it tested by users as soon as possible. You’ll almost certainly have to pay some money to gain your game’s initial player base in today’s market, but it’ll be money well spent!

Fix those fatal flaws

Making mistakes is normal. However, it can be disappointing to realize that a fatal flaw was fixable. Preventing and fixing common issues should not be an afterthought! Plan and stay ahead of the problem from the outset. Spotting an issue earlier in the development cycle can save you a lot of time and money! Start making your most exciting ideas as successful as possible!