Timing for Releasing Free Version

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by Hobbsicle, Jan 31, 2013.

  1. Hobbsicle

    Hobbsicle Well-Known Member

    Feb 28, 2011
    216
    0
    16
    Hey guys,

    Was trying to figure out the best strategy for releasing a free or "lite" version in relation to a paid one. On one hand, you could release it at the same time as the paid version, and maximize your initial buzz. The downside I suppose being that your downloads will be split across two apps right at the beginning instead of being more focused on one.

    On the other hand, you could let your initial buzz start to wear down, then release a lite version as an attempt at revitalizing that buzz, creating a longer promotion stretch. Downside being that promoting your free version later on its own seems unlikely to translate into enough paid sales to gain all that much extra momentum.

    So it's kind of a question as to what works better: an amplified push at the very beginning, or a more prolonged one. What have been your experiences? Of course, this is assuming this is still the better way to go vs. having just a free one with a full-game unlock as IAP.

    P.S. We did the paid first, lite later approach with our first game. It didn't do much, but there were a few other issues with our marketing, so I'm not sure how much blame we can put on that particular approach.
     

Share This Page