RaduTyrsina
News Team
According to a fresh study conducted by Wild Tangent and analytics firm IHS Technology, it seems that most of iPhone and iPad owners prefer iOS games that are available for free and supported with advertising. These games are also referred to as “freemiumâ€, a wordplay between “free†and “premiumâ€. The survey queried 500 iOS users and discovered that 86 percent of respondents said they prefer free games with ads over paid games without ads.
When asked about their preference for the types of games online gamers preferred, advertising supported games were chosen by the vast majority of those surveyed. 70% of respondents said they preferred free games supported by advertising and 16% preferred freemium games with the option to pay for levels in the game. Only 14% preferred online games they had to pay for to play. Gamers also prefer advertising models that give them control over their viewing. When asked if they prefer games that let them choose when and how to view ads over those that do not, 71% preferred that level of control.
Also, 70 percent of them said they prefer free games supported by advertising, while 16 percent were in favor of freemium games with paid levels. Only 14 percent were in favor of paid iOS games, without advertisements, obviously.
Freemium iOS games have become more popular than paid titles in the App Store in the past months. If you will go right now to the App Store, you will see that the majority from the Top Grossing chart are freemium gaming titles. A potential explanation could be the fact that ads have started generating more revenue per user than a potential upfront payment.
However, ads don’t represent the single way for developers to make many, as they rely also on in-app purchases, as well. Some of the most popular freemium apps in the App Store are generating millions of dollars in revenue. Clash of Clans is said to yield around $1 million per day through add-on content, booster packs.
Source: iPhoneForums