What are the best business models for money games in 2024
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Have you ever wondered how the free games or the platforms that offer you real money for playing games on them make money?
Well, there’s no magic involved in it. The developers of these games use solid business strategies and fool-proof revenue models to earn hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
And you can do it, too!
Here are the top four business models for money games that help you generate a steady stream of income.
1. Betting game money model
Betting and pay-to-play games have become very popular in recent years and millions of gamers are converging to play at Tiranga Game, 91 Club, Winzo, or other online gaming platforms. And they are doing it for a good reason.
After all, betting games like color prediction, cards, ludo, and fantasy sports allow people to bet a small amount of money and get real cash rewards when they win the rounds.
The business model of betting games is simpler than you can imagine.
First of all, a player has to pay a certain amount of sum to start playing the games in the online betting game platforms. It can be $1 or $100, depending on how much you want to bet.
In most cases, multiple players join a bet to create a prize pool. The winner gets the most money out of the pool while the remaining sum goes to the gaming company.
Betting game platforms also use a mixture of other strategies like affiliate marketing, subscriptions, ads, and in-app purchases to grow their businesses.
2. The freemium model
Freemium is one of the most popular business models among the money game and mobile game developers. The game companies simply let you and others download or start playing their games for free.
However, they hide many of their games’ advanced features or cool rewards behind a paywall. For example, options to upgrade your avatar faster or get legendary weapons that are not available in the free version of the game.
This model allows businesses to gather a huge user base quickly. And since many players crave extra goodies offered beyond the paywall, the game developers can make huge profits if the player base is sufficient enough.
3. In-game ads
Do you remember seeing short video ads between quests while playing games? Those are the in-game ads and they are one of the most popular ways for gaming companies to make money while keeping their game mostly free to their users.
The in-game ads have a simple inner mechanics: the company gets paid every time the players see an ad while playing the game.
You can even consider it a short commercial break between the gameplay sessions. However, you can also use these ads to provide unexpected opportunities to the players, such as reviving the characters and increasing the volume of quest rewards.
Some of the common in-game ads are:
- Interstitial ads
- Banner ads
- Rewarded video ads
4. In-game purchases
In-game purchase is yet another promising business model for the developers to monetize their games.
The way this model works is very simple. The game offers the players better weapons, stronger characters, and a chestful of in-game currencies in exchange for real money.
It’s an attractive option for many players as they often buy avatar costumes, potions, spells, weapons, and other items that make completing quests easier. You can think of it like purchasing add-on features for a toy you already have.
Final thoughts!
Although there are many business models for money games, most developers use one or a mixture of the four business models mentioned here to earn millions of bucks every year.
Just make sure the business model of your choice suits the money game you’re developing. With a little creativity and a solid plan, you can also make your game famous and start earning money in real-time.
