The CEO of online gaming site Kongregate says core gamers drop an average of $60 per month on free-to-play games.
A few days ago, Facebook’s Sean Ryan said the social network famous for its “Ville” games is going to focus heavily on core gamers in 2013 because that’s where the money is. But the amount of money up for grabs, according to Jim Greer, the CEO of online gaming portal Kongregate, is probably higher than you think.
Kongregate’s “conversion rate” – the percentage of gamers who actually pay to play – of two to three percent is roughly the same as other online gaming platforms, but the amount they pay is dramatically higher. “The average amount spent per month by a player who does spend is about as high as it gets, $60 a month since January,” Greer told Develop. “That’s the numbers we’re talking about, whereas a typical number for a Facebook game is less than a quarter of that.”
Mileage varies from game to game and what exactly defines a “core gamer” is a bit hazy, but it’s an interesting re-take on the assumption that they’re a dying breed and will soon be consigned to irrelevance as moms and grandparents assume dominance over the gaming universe. Having a huge audience means very little if it’s not willing to throw some green around now and then.
“A poker game on Facebook has a more-core male audience, so will be higher, an aquarium game or something like that is about as low as it gets,” Greer said. “We think that in terms for a developer, core gamers are just engaged, and in any field it’s the most engaged people who are most willing to pay money.”
Source: Develop
