The Premium Game Conundrum: Why Mobile Devices Aren't the Right Fit

The conventional wisdom surrounding the release of premium games on mobile platforms is straightforward: it's a strategy that is unlikely to yield significant returns. The dominance of free-to-play models on mobile devices has led to a situation where any premium game is likely to struggle, as the audience has become accustomed to not paying upfront costs. The recent release of Resident Evil 7 on iOS, which has earned less than $30,000 since its launch, serves as a prime example of this trend. With only 2,000 people paying for the game despite over 80,000 downloads, it's clear that the $20 price tag is a significant barrier for potential customers. The underperformance of premium mobile titles is not surprising, given the prevalence of free-to-play games on the platform. However, the poor sales of a critically acclaimed game like RE7 are still noteworthy, particularly when compared to Capcom's earlier mobile releases in the franchise. The intended market for this port is unclear, as the game has been available on other platforms for several years. Many people may have nostalgic memories of the game, but this nostalgia is often satisfied by downloading the demo and playing for a short period. The target audience for a $20 port should be a new demographic that wasn't addressable on previous platforms, but it's uncertain who these individuals are. Mobile platforms do offer access to new markets and audiences, including those outside the core gaming demographic and regions where smartphones are more prevalent than gaming consoles or PCs. Nonetheless, these markets are often unresponsive to traditional gaming brands like Resident Evil. The overlap between mobile-addressable audiences and fans of the Resident Evil franchise is likely to be small, and the sales figures for RE7 on iOS suggest that this overlap is worth approximately $28,000. Capcom is unlikely to be concerned about the sales, as the porting of their modern RE games to iOS and macOS platforms is primarily a publicity move for Apple. Apple is likely pleased with the outcome, as the game serves as a showcase for the gaming capabilities of their devices. The fact that the game is available on the platform is an advertisement in itself, and the tens of thousands of people who downloaded the trial version have experienced it as a demonstration of the device's capabilities. The reasons for the low conversion rate from trial to paying customers are complex, but it's clear that the $20 price tag is a significant factor. The pricing issue is not the only problem, as the experience of playing an immersive horror game on a phone screen with touch controls is also a barrier. The target audience for these games is uncertain, and the Venn diagram overlap between mobile-addressable audiences and fans of the Resident Evil franchise is likely to be small. The pricing issue is often cited as the primary reason for the poor sales of premium games on mobile devices, but it's not the only factor. The problem is deeper, as premium games come with a set of expectations that don't align with the mobile gaming paradigm. The notion that mobile gaming is all about light, easy titles is no longer accurate, as games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact have shown that players are willing to spend significant amounts of time on their smartphones. However, these games are designed to be drop-in, drop-out experiences that can be played in short, manageable chunks, which fits the mobile experience well. Immersive single-player experiences, on the other hand, don't fit this paradigm, and the $20 price tag communicates to players that the game will demand their full attention and time. This is not what mobile gamers are typically looking for, and the premium price point is effectively dead on mobile. The issue is not just that premium games can't compete with free-to-play titles, but that they were never designed with mobile in mind and don't align with the expectations of mobile audiences.