Candy Crush Saga is earning $200m+ a year

http://www.download-free-games.com/infographics/how-is-candy-crush-raking-in-the-millions

by jmacd • 13 years ago

18 27 13 years ago

daspion• 13 years ago

However, like most app games that potential revenue isn't sustainable. Users stop downloading, stop playing, stop paying. Some new app game comes along and users move on.

brown9-2• 13 years ago

Especially considering the game has been available on smartphones for less than a year

coldtea• 13 years ago

That's a nice problem to have.

After my company gets our "$200m+ a year", I would think of something else to sell. Or not.

pdog• 13 years ago

Two other options are selling the company or an IPO.

hatu• 13 years ago

This is one thing that bothers me about Zynga et al. The entertainment business has always been like this, you can't have a movie run in the theaters for years on end. I don't think why they think a game will work differently if the put enough analytics in it.

objclxt• 13 years ago

You can't have the same movie run for years (well, unless it's Rocky Horror), but you can have the same premise. In the same way you can have the same kind of game (Farmville -> Cityville, etc etc) but with a different setting, look, etc.

masukomi• 13 years ago

so tired of "Infographics" that are just text articles with an excessive number of pictures inserted. Makes for a worse article and never actually uses graphics to represent information.

ghshephard2• 13 years ago

This is perhaps the most depressing article I've seen posted on HN in a few months. I have to believe that the vast majority of that $200mm is a function of coercive revenue strategy as illuminated so well here: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/1949...

These games prey on those least equipped to understand how their fears/desires are being exploited, and it's a shame to see they are being rewarded so well in doing so.

areeved• 13 years ago

You mean the same way that fashion and automobile companies prey on those who want cars and clothes to combat their own desires or fears (e.g. lack of self-esteem)?

Shameful.

toble• 13 years ago

It's all relative, including everyone's perception of ethics.

This 'game' sounds more like a fruit/slot machine, but much more sophisticated and accessible.

jacques_chester5• 13 years ago

Gambling and addictive drugs are regulated because, ultimately, they rely on a clear failure mode in cognition. Collapse the action-reward feedback loop and you run the risk of losing a productive member of society. It passes from internally negative to a proper externality. Governments are interested in the latter.

No, there isn't a clear categorisation rule to say what's exploitative and what's just people who need to take responsibility for their own actions. That's because the world is fuzzy and isn't made of syllogisms.

samolang2• 13 years ago

Have you actually played Candy Crush? It's a well designed game that is a lot of fun to play. At no time do you actually have to pay for anything. People voluntarily pay because they want to keep playing at that moment or because they want to get more levels. Even then it's far cheaper than going to an arcade.

jacques_chester5• 13 years ago

In the exact article linked it is explained that Candy Crush starts as a skill game and then makes a subtle shift to being a money game.

If a casino was changing a game from skill to luck in the middle of play they would be shut down.

pbhjpbhj• 13 years ago

I used to play bejeweled, the free online version, quite content in the knowledge that it was effectively a Skinner box. I was seriously in the zone of compulsive behaviour there - could play it for hours. But then they started really optimising the visual and aural feedback mechanisms and heavily pushing the money side with bought boosts and such like. At that point it just became a game of how much money are you prepared to waste. Haven't played since.

I'm assuming candy crush is the latest in this line of game?

ghshephard2• 13 years ago

I've spent several hours playing Candy Crush. Interesting enough, it wasn't until I read the coercive monetary strategy document that I recognized that it was actually a cash-game masquerading as a skill game.

And, btw, I have no problem with InApp purchases properly done. Paper by FiftyThree (extra tools), Build-A-Lot (extra levels), and Pioneer Lands (Extra Levels + Extra Game Mechanics + Careful balancing) - are just three examples where this is done really, really well. I have 401 Apps purchased/downloaded, I've spent north of $2K on the AppStore, and I don't begrudge game developers (Indy or otherwise), making $200mm on their games - I just don't like to see them preying on vulnerable emotions to do so, or making money by resetting a "Just need 5 more moves" counter - that's just lame.

bsaul• 13 years ago

Now let's have 10 seconds of silence for all the newly computer science graduates that, after reading that article, will try to launch their own games on app stores in the hope of replicating that business model. Only to realize after a while that they're statistically about as likely to succeed as winning at the lottery.

beaker52• 13 years ago

Consider pornography: + Huge industry + An illusionary experience which brings joy + Prays on man's desires and drives and the inclination of man to give in to them

makomk• 13 years ago

Pornography's not (in general) dishonest or manipulative in the same way that games like Candy Crush Saga are; customers know what they're paying for up-front and get it.

Candy Crush Saga is earning $200m+ a year

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