The latest mobile release of Rockstar Games proves that paid apps can also be very profitable. However, only if there is a powerful IP.
The mobile version of the PC hit of the early noughties is available from April 12 for $2.99 as a universal application for iPhone and iPad. On the first day after the release, the game took 10th place in the American top paid apps for iPhone and 3rd position in the similar top apps for iPad. According to the box office, Max Payne at that time was in the 25th position (but now the game is already in 51st place) in the iPhone version and in the 27th position (now in 42nd place) in the iPad version.
In December, Grand Theft Auto 3 – another port from Rockstar – also suddenly turned out to be a box office hit. Despite the relatively high price of $4.99, the game held the first place in the top grossing for two whole weeks. Moreover, it still sells relatively well: in the USA, the game is in the top 50 paid games and in the top 100 cash games for iPhone and iPad.
And although, according to American analysts, Max Payne is not such a strong brand as GTA 3, the game’s debut is quite strong. Given the recent success of both hardcore and casual paid applications like Angry Birds Space, Where’s My Water, Infinity Blade and again the paid version of Draw Something, we can say that f2p is still not the only way to successful monetization.
By the way, the mobile version of Max Payne enjoys the greatest success in Russia: for the fourth day, the game tops the top paid applications. The game is also very popular in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Latvia (a full list of countries where Max Payne is very popular can be found here).