So, social games have been having a bit of a hard time, recently. Much of the initial hype has calmed down, and Zynga, one of the most prominent developers in the genre, has been having significant troubles on the stock market.
Well, this newly released data probably isn't going to make that picture seem any brighter.
Destructoid
Here's their findings in picture form:
For all their bluster about being social, these sorts of games seem to have a terrible, terrible record of holding on to their player bases. Those people who do end up sticking around, however, really stick around (ironically, at the expense of their social lives). It's a relatively small percentage, but it seems to be enough to keep these games going.
If any companies are curious about why so many people leave and never return, well, they should've learned from FarmVille: You reap what you sow.
Well, this newly released data probably isn't going to make that picture seem any brighter.
[Playnomics] found that, during their study period this summer, 85 percent of all new players quit social games after only one day of play.
Sounds about right to me!
The study also found that 95 percent of players that started at the beginning of the quarter were out forever by the end of that quarter. Those left were the most likely to stick around for a bit longer. Non-churners (those that don't quit) were found to play about twice as long on that first day.
Here's their findings in picture form:
For all their bluster about being social, these sorts of games seem to have a terrible, terrible record of holding on to their player bases. Those people who do end up sticking around, however, really stick around (ironically, at the expense of their social lives). It's a relatively small percentage, but it seems to be enough to keep these games going.
If any companies are curious about why so many people leave and never return, well, they should've learned from FarmVille: You reap what you sow.