Over the past month, I started to dive back into coding and working on a few practice projects. But I quickly got sidetracked thinking about how, on a broad level, I might want to monetize a project with 3D action combat and a heavy social component. So, let's open this can of worms.
Initially, I was hesitant to think about monetization this early. But if I least explore my options now and settle on some general ideas, it should help me flesh out certain design elements later. Also, if I plan to eventually bring on a team, I want to provide them with long-term employment so I better have an idea of how sustainable a project might be beyond release.
2024 has been a rough year for game development. There are a lot fewer investment dollars available, and layoffs have been high. While customers have had tons of games to pick from, the cost of developing AAA titles has continued to increase. I could dive into a lengthy talk about development costs, but for today, let's explore my personal experience with monetization and where my head is currently concerning it.
An Evolution of Monetization
My first experience with games was when you paid a box cost and owned the software on disk(s) or, in the case of consoles, on a cartridge. If you couldn’t afford the box cost of a console game, then your only other options were to borrow it from a friend or rent it at a video rental store such as Blockbuster. It wasn’t until the likes of Ultima Online and EverQuest were released that we saw the rise of monthly subscriptions and Collector’s Editions hit the market.
I had no problem with a monthly subscription fee for an MMO, as it was a world maintained and run by a live team of developers/GMs. I also didn’t have an issue with The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Horse Armor DLC, which is optional content for a relatively low cost at the time. Even a Collector’s Edition for a given expansion or new release didn’t bother me.
It’s what it all evolved into that grinds me down: paid loot boxes, multi-tiered season passes, various subscription options/tiers, multiple tiers of game editions, pay-to-win shop items, and all the additional psychological tactics designed to maximize profits.
Instead of engaging with a hobby I love, it can feel like I am working a second job while being wrung out for every dollar. While I am genuinely thankful for those games and companies that put out true gems and stick to their values of producing great work, the rest of the industry can be overwhelming. I don’t want customers playing my games to feel overwhelmed by the monetization.
My Initial Monetization Ideas
My initial target platform will be PC and the primary storefronts, such as Steam and Epic, but I need to consider whether a project will also port well to mobile. With the processing power of current smartphones, if I can have my project playable on portable devices, that will hopefully help to grow a larger audience. If that is the case, an app on mobile needs some free/open trial option, as apps locked behind a paywall tend to die off quickly.
I also want to make the customer/player agency concept a central focus of any offerings I put out there. However, my main concern is that if I make a project free-to-play, will I have more of an issue with bot accounts? Can I deal with it if I have more of an issue with bots as a small indie team?
If I focus on a single-player project with little to no multiplayer elements or social components, the obvious answer is to create a demo and set a box cost within the Indie to AA price range. Afterward, I can sell DLC or move on to the next project. If it plays well and makes sense for mobile, I can offer it free-to-play with ads and an optional purchase price. I am not a fan of the paid Season Pass model and would have to change it drastically even to consider it an option.
But at my heart, I like to run long-term campaigns on the tabletop, and I am never satisfied with just a short-term project. Enter the possibility—and nightmare—of creating a live service. If I were to go down that route, I would likely look at games like Path of Exile/Path of Exile 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Marvel Heroes. While each has issues of one kind or another, I like elements from each game’s monetization and would likely look at doing something similar with a twist.
My current thought is that for a live service, monetization would begin with customers creating a free trial account with system limitations. That free account can then be fully unlocked in one of three ways:
- Purchasing cosmetics/QoL items from the shop
- Paying for a box cost/game pack
- An optional monthly subscription
Each option would have a price threshold to unlock the trial account fully. For example, customers would fully unlock a trial account if they bought $30 worth of cosmetic items cumulatively over time or in one pack. A single pack might look like what you might see in PoE.
I also don’t understand why more games don’t award optional subscription time and/or DLC content to customers who decide to spend X amount in an in-game shop. While many would view it as leaving money on the table from a business standpoint, I would view it as rewarding those who have already supported your game(s) and company.
But these are my initial thoughts on Monetizing the game(s) I might make. What are your thoughts on the current gaming landscape and state of monetization? As a customer, do you want a simple monetization solution, such as a box cost, or would you be more interested in having multiple options when paying for a game?
