![]() ![]() A free-to-play game can make money off millions of free downloads if there are adverts running, with the flexibility to sell the player the privilege of getting them switched off whatever the case, money is still made from those that don't spend a single penny. Admittedly, match three games with microtransactions can make a lot of money on smartphones, but these devices have a weapon not available (right now, at least) on the 3DS - advertising. For Nintendo it could be rather like trying to recite the 12 times multiplication table while doing a handstand and filling in a tax return with their toes, all at once it's not easy to find balance. It's the classic trick used in smartphone games, and balancing is everything: if it's too heavily weighted in grabbing money off you at regular intervals it'll come in for criticism, but if it offers too much fun for free Nintendo will struggle to make any money. Once your allotted plays are through you can either wait a while for more hearts, use in-game items to get more or - and here's the key point - spend money through eShop integration to top up and play right away there'll also be items to buy that give you an advantage when tackling trickier levels. ![]() ![]() While that previous Spring 2014 release was a relatively pricey download Shuffle will be free, but the mechanic of using up designated hearts in each battle is designed to test patience. We were still settling into our seats for this year's first Nintendo Direct when was revealed, a match-three puzzle game that looks rather like. In fact, Nintendo wasted no time this year in announcing a free-to-play 3DS eShop download that'll push that angle. As time passes, though, there's a sense that 2015 may be a year when it's trialled a little more aggressively. It comes up often, and in the past year or two Nintendo has - very gently - dabbled with the concept used a quirky haggling system to sell mini-games, though this wasn't a global release (it skipped Europe). That's to come, and there are reasonable odds that there'll be cryptic updates on the mysterious smart device app that's in the works, and we wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo tackles the issue of new approaches to selling games - including free-to-play microtransactions. As will, undoubtedly, ideas over how that'll be achieved. We shall see, but in the briefings to follow topics focused maximising income to return to 'Nintendo-like' profits are likely to be prominent. The company's stable share prices approaching the publication of these accounts suggests that we're not looking at apocalyptic target misses, and such are the big N's humble projections that we're hopeful it'll actually perform better than expected. by Share: Nintendo is just hours away - at the time of writing - from announcing its Q3 financial results, which will teach us much about its Holiday season performance. Nintendo's Flirtation With Microtransactions May Step Up in 2015 - Talking Point Nintendo Life Free-to-play needs to make money somehow. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |