Yesterday, the Finnish company announced that the number of telepod scans in Angry Birds Star Wars II has exceeded 30 million.
IAP in a paid game, which is largely positioned as a product for children, is, to put it mildly, not very nice. However, this is exactly what Angry Birds Star Wars II is: it costs $0.99, it has micropayments (the cheapest is $1.99, the most expensive is $99.99), and children also adore it. And Rovio only indulges them by releasing cartoons and soft toys “based on”.
At the same time, you can’t make money on in-game purchases for children today. Firstly, they usually do not have their own payment card. Secondly, Apple and Google Play are doing everything possible to avoid unauthorized payments for IAP by parents. Thirdly, according to the latest initiatives of European governments, the psychological manipulation of children’s games (more precisely, the stimulation of shopping) may soon be outlawed.
A year ago, while preparing for the release of Angry Birds Star Wars II, Rovio offered a partial solution to this problem. The company has released a complete set of game figures (telepods) with a secure QR code. So it became possible to get a character by going through a particular mission, not only by buying it for hard currency in the in-game store, but also by simply bringing the QR code of a particular bird / pig to the camera of a mobile device.
Apparently, this made it possible to significantly improve the monetization of the children’s audience: Rovio, together with Hasbro, released similar figures for Angry Birds Go!. And now it has become known that the number of QR code scans in Angry Birds Star Wars II has reached 30 million.
Considering that you can scan the figure an unlimited number of times, this is not so much. But it is important to understand: the cost of sets with figures is substantial (in Russia from 700 rubles).
Such is the materialization of IAP.
Do you find her honest?