Although hyper casual games are generally lightweight in content, especially on initial release, including a shop or store within your game is very commonplace. It’s always a good idea to think about your monetisation early on and adding a store is a relatively easy way to do so.
For hyper casual, in-game currency is typically used to unlock content within the game. These are the coins or gems collected over each level that enables your player to level up or upgrade. This in of itself adds game depth and provides a clear upgrade path for your player which is a positive way to increase engagement. However, adding layers of content in the form of Consumables, Non-Consumables and more recently Subscriptions is definitely worth considering.
Aside from spending in-game currency, you’ll often find content available in exchange for watching a rewarded video. This is 99% of the time the best option when self publishing, as people are more likely to spend their time watching a 30 second video ad over spending real money. That being said, it’s definitely worth developing a strategy on how to maximise your games earning potential with in-app purchases also.
What can you add to your game that the player will be excited to upgrade?
Why not try to add your “Golden Elite” character to own forever for just $0.99!
Other options could include characters, clothing, weapons, vehicles, power-ups, extra base lives and even levels or worlds.
In terms of design there really is no gold standard layout or template and the most critical thing is to ensure it’s easy to navigate and clear to your player what they are purchasing and how to do so. Some games offer a bare bones shop where once your player has accumulated enough currency, they simple tap a purchase button and a random character will unlock. These certainly add some mystery to the experience and can be an effective underlying game objective to hook them deeper into your game.
Try to make your store or shop fun and engaging for whenever your player visits and think about how you can encourage them to do so. Create some offers, deals or bundles that your players will aspire to own. Many players love to customise their game experience so why not provide them plenty of choices to do so. You could even take a leaf out of Fortnites book and create some time sensitive or rare and unique unlockables.
For hyper casual, we usually see remove ads for the non-comsumables and player skins / upgrades as the choice of consumables, however this is massively dependant on your overall game type so think whether or not you could even add a VIP subscription.
Here’s the breakdown on what options are available for your in-app purchases:
What is a non-consumable in-app purchase?
Here are some examples of non-consumable in-app purchases:
- Remove ads
- Full game unlock
- Upgrade to pro edition
- Bonus game levels
You buy these items once, and you can transfer them to other devices that are associated with your Apple ID. If you lose a non-consumable purchase, you might be able to download it again for free.
What is a consumable in-app purchase?
Here are some examples of consumable in-app purchases:
- Game currency, such as coins or gems
- Extra health points in a game
You need to buy these items every time you want them, and you can’t download them again for free. If you remove and reinstall an app or install an app on a new device, you might lose your consumable purchases. For example, if you install a game on your iPod touch that you started playing on your iPhone, the game levels sync, but extra health that you bought on your iPhone doesn’t sync.
What is a subscription?
With a subscription, you pay to access content from a game or service for a set period of time. For example, you might subscribe to Apple Music on a monthly basis. Subscriptions include services that you sign up for in an app, such as Hulu, Spotify, Pandora or HBO NOW.
Most subscriptions renew automatically unless you cancel them. With some games and services, you can choose how often the subscription renews. For example, you might be offered weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly subscriptions.
