Publisher: Android devs must think about freemium

CEO of London-based publisher TeePee Games Tony Pearce has said that developers of Android games and apps must consider the freemium payment model for their titles in the future.

Speaking as part of a Develop Conference panel discussing the issue of payment models for Android, Pearce looked up the top ten downloaded Android apps on stage, noting that nine of them were freemium.

“If you are a publisher of mobile games, you have to start thinking about freemium product,” he said.

“Of those that start freemium games, maybe about six per cent will start paying. Six per cent is a big number when you’re in the top ten apps on Android.”

Pearce also warned against complacency when making use of the increasingly popular model however.

“Don’t let the consumer down when they buy it [your app],” he said.

“Really start to drag them in.”

The panel, titled ‘Monetising Android: Full Price v. Freemium’, also featured Connect2Media COO Greg Robinson, Glu Mobile GM Olivier Bernard and Tapjoy Europe VP Paul Bowen.