Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Incentivize Players to Upgrade from a Trial
If your game has a trial mode, remind people about upgrading. I wouldn't be too pushy about
it, but a common technique is to inform people they have earned something like unlocking an
achievement or calling out the fact that they can remove the ads in between levels while
loading. You can do small messages or full-screen ones, but make sure they open a link back
to your game in the Windows Store.
Get People to Rate Your Game
A lot of games and apps ask the player to rate them. You can easily do this by taking advant-
age of the link back to the game in the Windows Store. Simply pop up a message asking the
player to kindly rate the game. Don't be too pushy about this and make sure you always offer
a way to opt out, such as a button that says “Don't ask me again.” This is especially critical if
you have a paid app. No one wants to pay for an app then be pestered to do something else
outside of enjoy the game.
Make Compelling IAP Options
While we only briefly touched on the possibilities of how to implement IAP, I highly suggest
spending your time designing rewarding IAP for players to buy. While in-game currency is
always a safe bet, I would watch out for items that add superficial value to the gameplay. Th-
ings like costumes, skins, and other visual customizations tend to only go so far. Likewise,
be responsible about what you try to make players buy. If you skew the entire game to force
them to use IAP, the player may not be too happy and stop playing/paying, or worse, start
giving you a bad review.
Get Reviews
Have friends and family review your game. The more ratings and reviews you have the more
likely someone on the fence will be to download or buy your game. When you launch you
only have a small window while your game is featured in the new releases category, so try to
make the most of it by getting five-star ratings in early to help bump up your overall rating.
