A guide to culturalizing mobile games through live operations
Mobile games now serve global audiences. Gone are the days when free-to-play mobile audiences were concentrated in Tier 1 gaming markets in the west and the far east.
Earlier mobile titles could get away with optimizing gameplay and live events for players in these markets. However, with 5G and mobile technology penetration accelerating in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, Latin America, South-east Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa now generate a considerable number of downloads and active users for mobile games.
Considering these market dynamics, localization alone is not enough. Mobile game developers and publishers can capitalize on this opportunity and create culturally nuanced game experiences to serve their global player base.
As a mobile-first gamer born and raised in India, I have a unique perspective on how culture plays an important part in enjoying mobile games. As a senior product manager at EA Mobile, I've closely followed mobile games that have implemented successful culturalization strategies and compiled the best practices here.
But first, let's try to understand why mobile games should be culturalized.
The need for culturalization of mobile games is clear. But when should mobile games be culturalized? Here are a few good indicators:
• 1. Substantial international presence: If over 50% of the mobile game's daily active users are in non-Tier 1 markets.
•2. Low international monetization: Despite having a large global player base if the average revenue per user in Tier 2, Tier 3 markets is very low. For example, is international ARPDAU (average revenue per daily active users) less than 30% of your Tier 1 ARPDAU? Is it less than 50% of your closest competitor's ARPDAU in the region? This may indicate that your game is leaving money on the table.
•3. Player-base concentration: If the player-base is concentrated in certain ethno-cultural regions of the world. For example, sports mobile games might have concentrated player bases in regions where that sport
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
