The mobile gaming industry is a multi-billion-dollar market driven by user engagement and strategic monetization. With millions of games competing for attention, developers must find the right balance between keeping players engaged and generating revenue. Below, we explore the best monetization and engagement techniques to maximize success in mobile gaming.

Mobile Game Monetization Techniques

1. In-App Purchases (IAPs)

One of the most lucrative monetization methods, in-app purchases allow players to buy virtual goods, characters, skins, power-ups, or in-game currency. To optimize IAPs:

• Offer consumable items (e.g., extra lives, boosts, energy refills)
• Sell non-consumable items (e.g., skins, characters, or premium content)
• Use time-limited offers and discounts to encourage spending

2. Advertisements

Mobile game ads can generate significant revenue if implemented correctly. The most common ad formats include:

• Rewarded Ads: Players voluntarily watch an ad to receive in-game rewards, such as extra lives or currency.
• Interstitial Ads: Full-screen ads shown at natural game pauses, such as between levels.
• Banner Ads: Small ads displayed at the top or bottom of the screen.
• Native Ads: Ads that blend seamlessly into the game’s UI.

3. Subscription Models

Offering subscription plans can provide a steady revenue stream. These can be:

• Tiered subscriptions with different levels of benefits.
• VIP membership that grants exclusive access to premium content, faster progression, or ad-free experiences.

4. Paid Downloads (Premium Games)

While free-to-play dominates the market, some mobile games still thrive with a one-time purchase model. This works best for niche games, high-quality indie titles, or brands with an established fanbase.

5. Battle Passes & Seasonal Events

A battle pass system encourages players to engage continuously by offering rewards in tiers. Players can unlock free and premium rewards through gameplay, incentivizing them to purchase the premium pass.

6. Sponsorships & Partnerships

Partnering with brands can be a lucrative way to monetize games. Developers can integrate brand-related content, special in-game events, or themed skins.

7. Blockchain & NFT Integration

Some modern games are leveraging blockchain technology to offer NFT-based items, allowing players to trade, sell, or collect digital assets with real-world value.

Mobile Game Engagement Techniques

Keeping players engaged is just as critical as monetization. The longer a player stays in a game, the higher the likelihood they will spend money.

1. Strong Onboarding & First-Time User Experience (FTUE)

• Offer a tutorial that is interactive and not overwhelming.
• Provide instant gratification through quick rewards and achievements.
• Ensure a smooth and intuitive UI to reduce friction.

2. Daily Rewards & Streaks

Encouraging players to log in daily with increasing rewards boosts retention rates. Time-sensitive incentives also create a sense of urgency.

3. Engaging Progression Systems

• Use leveling systems, skill trees, and achievement tracking.
• Implement leaderboards and ranking systems to foster competition.
• Allow players to upgrade and customize characters, buildings, or items.

4. Social & Multiplayer Features

• Enable multiplayer modes (co-op, PvP, or team battles).
• Integrate chat, guilds, and social sharing to encourage community engagement.
• Leverage referral bonuses to attract new players through word-of-mouth marketing.

5. Live Events & Time-Limited Challenges

Hosting special events with unique rewards keeps the game fresh and engaging. Limited-time content, seasonal events, and leaderboard competitions can drive higher engagement.

6. Personalization & AI-Driven Content

Using AI to tailor in-game recommendations, dynamic difficulty adjustments, and personalized content can significantly enhance player experience and retention.

7. Push Notifications & Re-Engagement Strategies

Well-timed push notifications reminding players about unfinished tasks, upcoming events, or new content updates can bring inactive players back.

8. Storytelling & Immersive Game Design

A compelling narrative can create emotional connections with players, keeping them invested in the game world. Episodic content and lore-driven gameplay add depth to player experience.

A successful mobile game combines both strong monetization strategies and player engagement techniques. Developers must strike a balance between revenue generation and user satisfaction, ensuring monetization efforts do not compromise the player experience. By leveraging the right mix of in-app purchases, ads, subscriptions, and engagement tactics, mobile games can thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

MonsterUp and MonsterUp Adventures were both built for Windows Phone first using pure XNA and C#. This made it a bit tough to port them to iOS and Android, but not impossible. I did port them to both eventually, using the excellent Xamarin technology and the open source framework MonoGame. On iOS, things are quite simple, since there are very specific devices I needed to test the final games on, and also very specific iOS versions, since the majority of people seem to be on the latest or second to latest version anyway. On Android, things are much more complicated than that.

In order to do the best I can for Android, I have thoroughly tested the game on a Nexus 4, a Samsung Galaxy S3 and a Samsung Galaxy S2. In my mind, most people use Samsung Android phones and these 2 seemed to cover a large percentage of the market, including the wildly popular 2.x version. Also, the Nexus made sure that at least the game runs on pure vanilla Android the way that it should. I released the games with this in mind, but I also released them for free, knowing that a percentage of people might still have issues with them. The reality proved much worse than I imagined. The games were downloaded more than 20’000 times on Android but people who had problems running the games are many many more than I expected. Even on the same devices I already had tested the game, people seem unable to open and play. And boy, they didn’t like it:) Even though it was a free game, many of them decided to leave 1 star reviews, with the result being the game to currently have a 3.7/5 and 3.24/5 average rating. Given that MonsterUp Adventures on Windows Phone has more than 4.5/5, I am not worried that this means something for the quality of the game, but rather the specific Android build just isn’t working as it should.

The complexities involved in porting such a game from XNA to Android are a lot, including a (rather expensive) middleware, such as Xamarin, which is pretty stable, an open source framework like MonoGame which can be pretty stable but can also have its ups and downs and unlimited different device configuration, custom roms, weird customizations etc. that just cannot be anticipated.

In conclusion, I have decided to pull the two games from the Play Store for the time being, until I find a way to make more stable builds, which is a bit unlikely in my current state, but I might try to do in the future. I am guessing people who already have and enjoy the game can continue to do so, but I am not sure if they will be able to get the games again if the delete them from their device. I hope I can come up with a solution for that in the future.

The iOS and Windows Phone versions work much better and will remain as is for now. These platforms are much more stable and predictable and as a developer, I like them much more for that :) It’s a pity that Android has dominated emerging market with their crappy cheap phones, and I would MUCH rather see people buying cheap Lumias like the 520, which offer a MUCH better user experience and a MUCH more stable platform for almost the same money.

I love MonsterUp Adventures. It’s my favourite game:) When I started designing it, I tried to take everything that was great with the original MonsterUp and make it better in small or bigger ways. The result game had it all! A purpose to all this jumping (there are levels to pass and you have to collect specific number of gems to do so – not to mention stay alive long enough), there is a small story (Skotooooooooooooooooos), the animation has double the fidelity (twice the frames actually) and the graphics are much much more awesome overall (thank you Ilias, you are awesome), there is original music (thank you Marietta, you are awesome), boss battles, an animated game map, multiple game saves, mini games and so much more!

The game has been an exclusive for Windows Phone until today. Today, I have released the game for Android phones for free. So go ahead, download and enjoy this awesome game, it won’t cost a thing. Go to Trelloland, find the Skotos minions and defeat them, it’s awesome fun, I promise you!