Five Ways to Expand Your Mobile Game

Follow these best practices to get the most out of your multi-platform experience as you expand your mobile game business beyond the app stores

No matter your mobile game’s genre, your studio size, the size of your current player base, or whether your game is on iOS or Android, web or PC, with our help, you will be able to launch and manage your mobile game commerce quickly. Just remember these five important things as you start.

• Keep your players in mind.
• Determine which platform(s) will be best for your mobile game port.
• Save time and money by building something you can easily deploy in multiple places.
• Think about long-term goals, so you can develop the right action plans that will inform your decisions.
• Make sure to follow all applicable app store policies.

We’ve also put together a short ebook that goes into further detail about how you can get the most out of your cross-platform experience and grow your mobile game business beyond the app stores. Download our Mobile Game Commerce Best Practices ebook and contact us if you have any questions.

1. Keep your players in mind. You need a dedicated and engaged player base for your mobile game to thrive. Whether it’s investing in video game localization, increasing the types of global currencies and payment types you accept worldwide, or creating future in-game content, thinking about what will be useful and entertaining for your players will set you on the right path to further success.
2. Determine which platform(s) will be best for your mobile game port. Whether you go with a web or PC version, there are opportunities and challenges to each approach, which we describe in our Mobile Game Commerce Best Practices ebook. We also encourage you to read our article Porting Mobile Games to the Web, Consoles, and PC for additional in-depth discussion. The final decision rests with you and the development resources you have available.

3. Save time and money by building something you can easily deploy in multiple places. Spend time to find and use tools built specifically for your needs because a little upfront research and asking questions can save you a lot of headaches later. For example, you can create your multi-platform mobile game commerce on one system and simply integrate it into multiple external touchpoints, online and in-game. If you have a PC or online version of your mobile game, you can use our industry-specific In-Game Store to build the backend of a storefront, then launch that same setup across all your game versions via SDK or API without needing to recreate it.

4. Think about long-term goals, so you can develop the right action plans that will inform your decisions. Naturally, you want your game to be successful and profitable now and in the future. As you bring your mobile game to new markets, add DLC or in-game items, and offer subscription plans, you will need to prepare accordingly for future development resources. Services like the Xsolla Partner Network can help you reach new audiences, and hiring a Live Operations team will be useful in your long-term growth and maintenance.

5. Make sure to follow all applicable app store policies. This is really straightforward. We encourage you to review app store policies in detail regarding the sale of virtual items and currencies outside the app stores if you do not have a PC or web version of your mobile game. Review the current guidelines here for Google Play Store and here for Apple App Store.

It’s an exciting time to have a mobile game and bring it to PC and web. With the current saturated mobile game market, it makes sense to open up new avenues for players to find you, and new opportunities to increase longevity and revenue for your game.

We’re happy to share our extensive expertise in the games industry to help you reach your goals and objectives for your business. Whether we give you advice, point you to a specific Xsolla solution, or explore custom feature development or integration, together we can determine the most suitable way to solve your business challenges.

How to get started

1. Download our ebook: Mobile Game Commerce Best Practices. Learn effective methods to successfully expand your mobile game business beyond the app stores from the experts.

Download

2. Partner with Xsolla. We know that planning your revenue model doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why teaming up with a partner like us is valuable. We understand the unique challenges of video game commerce and can help you navigate them — so you can focus on what you do best.
3. Are you new to Xsolla? Get started by registering for a Publisher Account.
4. Already an Xsolla partner? Log in to your Publisher Account or contact your Xsolla Account Manager to chat about the best Mobile Game Commerce strategy for your game.

‍