Genre analysis: Idle Games

The golden rule is to make numbers increase using more numbers.

Idle Games are a growing genre that provide extremely high retention and good revenue with well inserted incentivized ads and in-app purchase content.

The simple design with a lean code on the background allow quick iterations for frequent updates, in other words, a reduced operational cost.

Mechanics

Mechanics are based in progression without interaction, bringing a light gaming experience, and constant positive progress, generating a good feeling for the player. Some important features are:

• It creates a celebration moment every time the player returns, using the offline progress - fruits, cookies, coins are produced/collected while the player were out
• Exponencial growth of costs and rewards, generating a fast satisfaction for the player
• The core-loop is based in a) open the game; b) spend the soft/hard currency to grow your farm, city, empire, power; c) leave and let the game "work for you"
• There should be dozens of achievements

Fast growth

The more the player awaits, the bigger the reward. However, the player will want to come back and invest in more growth.

Prestige or legacy mode

One important feature to increase long-term retention is the introduction of the prestige or legacy mode. This gives the player the option to restart the game losing all the progress, but keeping special powers and boosts, what will give a great sensation of power in the initial levels!

A valuable detail when creating the game economy is to avoid the monotone growth. Thus, the game should be designed to create a roller-coaster growth, providing peaks and valleys, and moments of surprises and delight to the player.

Monetization

Remember that we are talking about the amazing free-to-play business model! There are two ways to monetize: advertisement and in-app purchase.

Any type of monetization should not force or frustate the player, but give him higher entertainment. For Idle Games, this includes:

• reducing waiting time
• temporary and permanent multipliers
• earn instantly a percentage of the current rate
• instant prestige/legacy mode
• protection against negative effects
• wheel of fortune/slot machine for random upgrades

It is really important to smoothly integrate the monetization strategies, without being agressive. The player must be able to play until the end without purchasing anything, nevertheless the progress will not be as fast as that from paying players.

Smooth integrated ads in Bitcoin Billionaire:

Benchmarking

A few well succeded titles in the genre are:

• AdVenture Capitalist
• Bitcoin Billionaire
• Clicker Heroes
• Swarm Simulator
• Cow Clicker
• Cookie Clicker
• Tap Titans

(This content was inspired and borrowed from Matthew Lawrence, currently Senior Product Manager at Rovio, with whom I had classes about F2P monetization in Helsinki, Finland)