I have an android game that broke the 50k download mark, and is still growing steadily. On the slowest days it gets 500 downloads.

I've been in positions like this before, but I need some advice regarding how to move forward. I'd like to be able to siphon all of these users into my next game, or maybe try to revive an old game at some point.

I have no social media buttons, so I was thinking of offering in-game currency for following the game's twitter account, but I feel like with all of these users (25k still installed) I can do something more.

I'd appreciate any advice

Thanks

Frequent updates are one option, another is to let your app phone home to get a list of other products you've got, then show the other games to your players.

Annoying, yes, but can be very effective at getting your other products noticed.

What I would do is offering a small amount of in-game currency and some in game item that have a reference to my other game if people download the other game. The item must not be powerful, but it should be fun or goofy.

For instance, say your famous game is a racing game and your new game is a pre historian game. Give players of the famous game a tyrannosaurus' roar horn for downloading the new game.

IMO, that would get people curious to play your new game, which wouldn't happen if they got only in game currency (in which case they would likely to download the game, get the reward and never touch it again).

That being said, keep in mind that I am not a famous game developer, this opinion was born of my experience as a consumer.

A

What I would do is offering a small amount of in-game currency and some in game item that have a reference to my other game if people download the other game.

Strictly against the rules under both iOS and Android if your game uses the official stores, although Apple seems the only one fully enforcing the policy.

All virtual goods and currencies for products obtained through their store need to use the system's store to coordinate it.

Cross promotion of your other apps is paramount: you have generated traffic, now you need to chunnel it into everything you have. That's generally how most mobile titles make it...

If I am not mistaken I had read some people complaining about they had to play Mafia Wars or so to level up at FarmVille (yes, it sounds very Zynga)

Other than that, I am with giving an item and/or badge or early access.

A

What I would do is offering a small amount of in-game currency and some in game item that have a reference to my other game if people download the other game.

Strictly against the rules under both iOS and Android if your game uses the official stores, although Apple seems the only one fully enforcing the policy.

All virtual goods and currencies for products obtained through their store need to use the system's store to coordinate it.

Sorry if not proper place, but does this also mean that you can't use another payment option beside theirs? Or there is room like "you can use Paypal if buy from non-mobile version, can't otherwise" ?

Sorry if not proper place, but does this also mean that you can't use another payment option beside theirs? Or there is room like "you can use Paypal if buy from non-mobile version, can't otherwise" ?

The first is correct. It is part of those big license agreements.

If you use Google Play to distribute your product, part of the agreement is that your software will not "facilitate the distribution of software applications and games for use on Android devices outside of the Store." The license also requires: "Developers offering virtual goods or currencies within a game downloaded from Google Play must use Google Play's in-app billing service as the method of payment. Developers offering additional content, services or functionality within another category of app downloaded from Google Play must use Google Play's in-app billing service as the method of payment, except: where payment is primarily for physical goods or services (e.g., buying movie tickets, or buying a publication where the price also includes a hard copy subscription); or where payment is for digital content or goods that may be consumed outside of the app itself (e.g., buying songs that can be played on other music players)."

There is no exception for using paypal or direct credit cards or any other funding method, apart from those exceptions of goods and services or non-app content. Since an in-app currency or ads for another game don't fit the exceptions, you must use their store.

But what if I have iOS, Android and web versions of game? so it is not possible to have an in-game currency which can be bought from any of them? In that case is in-game currency considered to be platform specific?

You must use the platform IAP APIs for _payments_ but I'm pretty sure its totally ok to _give_ users items and currencies for marketing purposes (or any other purpose)

So it should be no problem giving users rewards for downloading other games you've made.

Some games give users rewards in premium currency for doing things like watching ads, or as incentive to return when they havn't started the game in a few days.

Its not really any different from giving the user some coins/gems/whatever for completing a level or reaching some other goal in your game.

another is to let your app phone home to get a list of other products you've got, then show the other games to your players.

Annoying, yes, but can be very effective at getting your other products noticed.

I don't see how this is annoying unless you interrupt the users experience with it.

If you like the game, I think most people are happy to easily find more games from the same developer.

We often take it one step further and have playable demos of our new game embedded into our old games, and I've never heard anyone complain about it.