What is the "pricing standard" on Windows Phone?
Someone asked on Game Development:
On iOS, I find it is more usual to see light versions of a game for free (with ads and less features) and a full version for a cost and all the features.
On Android, I see more games that have both a full version for free and one for a cost. One with ads and the other without.
On WP7, how are games usually priced?
Talking about a rather simple and small game here and I’m trying to figure out how to price it. I’m thinking of going for a 1$ app with full features no ads, but I’m not so sure. Would it be more profitable to put it for free with ads instead? How do other developers usually make that choice?
I posted the following answer, which was chosen as the accepted answer and received 2 upvotes:
If your game has little or no replay value (which is not a bad thing, but it does change the way that I think you should price your wares) then you should charge your fee upfront. Get your money and be done. It will reduce the number downloads of your game gets, but at least you will make some money. Since you anticipate 30-60 minutes of total playtime for your game showing ads wont make you very much money. Ads supported games/apps work best when there is a strong reason to come back and play or use the app again (and thus see more ads).
Based on your comments, question, I think that $.99 is the most you should charge for a game that plays through in 30-60 minutes. Most short games are in that price point. I think that Angry Birds (mentioned in another answer) is the exception likely due to its low/free cost on other platforms. Most Xbox Live games on WP marketplace are in the $2.99 range, but most of these provide at least a few hours of gameplay before being boring, and IMHO many provide tens of hours of play.
Originally posted on Game Development — 2 upvotes (accepted answer). Licensed under CC BY-SA.
