The competition in the video game area has grown to such a level where it is estimated that every year, thousands of games across various platforms are published. In the year 2020 alone, an average of 420 games were published in about 420 games were published in Google play every day together with another176 in the Apple App Store Google play every day, along with another 176 on the Apple App Store (Jansz et al, 2018). Apart from these platforms, Steam which is also a widely known market for PC gaming, released close to 23 new games on a daily basis in the year 2019 (Dillon, 2020). Such over-saturation has led to the adoption of the F2P model especially in case of mobile games since the low entry-level demand has created cut-throat competition.
Offering a game at no charge still does not guarantee that the user will want to play the game. Game developers have to ensure that they bring out something that is unique with their game in terms of the way it is played, the storyline and the updates provided. The games that succeed in this battleground usually have some forms of social or multiplayer capabilities that require players to invite other players or join them to maximize their experience. Such interactions generate network effects which boost the growth of the game and thus in application purchase by normal users become even more probable Newzoo, 2021.
Marketing becomes a core factor contributing towards the success of a game in a highly competitive business environment. Filling up gamer databases is realized by the F2P games marketing strategies which include social media advertising, influencer partnerships, and targeted advertisement. The influence that streamers and online video platforms especially Twitch and YouTube have on a gaming audience is now stronger than ever and can help improve games’ visibility. Other viral marketing ways can be providing in-game rewards to users and their connections who share the game or playing it and referring others to do the same (Chou & Zagal, 2021).