lite version removal experiment

Stunt driver looks like a good game, but don't make a lite one just yet. Try an update first and then see what happens next. Also sorry you had to lower your price for your game, I'm a struggling college student trying to make games and make music. There still is some hope in the app store.

 

From our experience a Lite version only helps when it's high in the charts. With Adrenaline Pool Lite we were #2 in US and that really pushed the full version. The conversion rate is less than 1% so you really need to be high in the charts to have some success. So in my opinion a Lite version can help, but you need to push it a lot: contact websites, email people, use your other games to advertise it. You basicly need to spend the same time on it as for a full game instead of thinking 'it's just a lite version, it's free, masses of people will download it'. If you are not in the charts then it's better to pull it and spend more energy on the full version. With the new in-app-purchases the lite version gets more interesting, may be it will increase the conversion rate.

 

I went ahead and pulled Rummage Lite... I figured I'd test running w/o it until I'm ready to put the Rummage v1.2 update out. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

Any update a week later on Rummage Lite's removal?

I removed Charmed Lite as a test too. I got a slight reduction in the number of copies purchased. With small numbers though the statistical variance is not so easy to determine. I had been selling about 8-9 copies per day and after removing the Lite version I sold 5-6 copies each day.

The first full day since adding it back I sold 9 copies and got a bit of a spike in downloads of the Lite version.

Seems that the Lite may be somewhat helpful.

 

Its hard to tell... my sales have been slowly dropping each day since Rummage has been off of the first page of "New and Noteworthy". Its went from 150, 100, 70, 50, to 35. This is my first game, so I really don't have anything to measure these sales with. I'm convinced tho that my Lite version was giving too much of the core gameplay away. So for my next update, I'll resurrect the updated Lite for 2 weeks and then pull it again.

 

I really want to find a way to have the Lite version more strongly drive sales of the full version, or perhaps do something like ads to generate some revenue. I am not really keen on ads in games myself though, so that route feels icky to me.

Not sure what else there is though. I am hoping that the OpenFeint support I've added will help. The first update is in the hands of beta testers right now. I'll submit the update to Apple in about a week or so and we will see what effect the OF integration has.

What I am struggling with now is whether to add the OpenFeint support to the Lite version. If all those players are publishing to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, surely that will help drive sales of the full version...right...RIGHT?

 

I've been wondering the same. I'm adding limited and unique achievements to the Lite version. Mostly for the folks who have already downloaded it. Hopefully they'll see how cool it is having leaderboards and want all 40 puzzles and full achievements. But I dunno. I think its a damned if you do, damned if you don't. If you give to much away, you're taking money out of your pocket. If you don't give enough, it'll get poor ratings and that won't be condusive to bigger sales anyway. I'd love to see the avg conversion rate from Lite to Full. Going in to this, I thought it would be something like 25% if you had a quality game, but I'm fearful that the figure is probably more like 5%. So many of my friends will only download free/lite apps, but then they turn around and always scoop up my phone and play stuff I've purchased!? Damn all the cheap bastards!!!

 

My ratio for FullPurchases / LiteDownloads = 24%.

This makes me feel like people who download the Lite version like it and are likely to buy it, but I just need more of both!

 

On our side, lite version were really helpful when our games My Brute and Hysteria Project were released. After let's say 3 months lite versions started to attack sales, we removed them and had a 20% sales bounce. Now a good model to try will be pure FREE TO PLAY like on facebook. Having a free game with a good first level and a shop to buy the full game or buy virtual goods. We will soon do it on My Brute and BaDaBoo. I will be able to share how it's going to work

 

Good work on Hysteria Project, I really enjoyed that. It's especially fun so close to Halloween (if anyone reading this doesn't know it, do a search now)

When I found it I actually noticed there wasn't a lite version for it, and I do feel that's one of the reasons for me to go ahead and purchase it regardless. You had great art, an innovative premise, and good reviews. I think if you have these key properties, you will often benefit from not having a lite version.


(BTW Vincenzo, if you haven't thought about it already, I really think some kind of Halloween cross-promotion could work perfectly for Hysteria Project.)

 

It's a great idea. We will check what we can do with Hysteria Project for Halloween.

In fact we are working on the sequel but we want to take the time and release "done when it's done". Hysteria Project was our first game as Bulkypix, it is great but we can add a lot of new feature and replay value.
Hysteria Project is good but short, it's an amazing experience, as you feel like the hero and we want to bring this feeling one more time but with plenty of new features

 

Well you've got a definite purchase from me - I look forward to it.

I didn't personally mind so much about the relatively short length. I felt the game style very suitable and satisfying going through in one sitting. I think your episodic model, coupled with affordable pricing is perfect for the game.

If you're taking suggestions on the sequel, study the 'scares' more… you had a couple of really great ones, but a lot of them failed in the scare department. I look forward to seeing how the story progresses

 

Just one comment: looking at free > paid conversion % is misleading. I look at releasing a lite version as another marketing tool -- another spot in the charts. Maybe you're struggling on the paid charts, but doing well on the free chart. The exposure from the free chart may boost sales of the paid app.

In other words, many people may download the full version without having downloaded the Lite version, but they found the Lite version first.

 

Rummage Lite... now with OpenFeint!!!

I removed Rummage Lite to ride the wave of being featured by iTunes "N&N"... since the early November sales have returned to the 3-6 daily paid downloads. The next update is hittin in the next day or so, but the updated Lite version is out. I figured I'd bring it back for a few weeks while I'm tryna pimp promo codes and get more reviews/exposure. I even went ahead and added OpenFeint to the Lite version. We'll see if adding OF is just shooting myself in the foot or not by giving too much of the game away.

So... any of ya'll are interested in checking Rummage out and haven't here are details on the update:
http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=33409

or just download it free @ iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rummage-lite/id328792333?mt=8