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This Game Made Twice as Much Money After Offering a Free Version

Adding a free option significantly increased the game's revenue.

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Last year's popular mobile game Threes made a lot of money with a $3 price tag, but releasing a free version last month proved to be a great business decision for the developer.

Asher Vollmer, creator of Threes, revealed on Twitter that the free version has doubled the game's revenue. Making money solely from advertisements, the free game charted nearly identically to the paid edition since its release in early June.

Revenue from the paid version
Revenue from the paid version

Revenue from the free version
Revenue from the free version

In response to the game's performance, Vollmer stated, "It was not a very glamorous game release, but it was a good business decision. Excited to make bigger games now!"

Last year, a report found that two-thirds of players stop playing free mobile games within the first day. That drop is visible in Vollmer's graph--but even so, the data further indicates that releasing games for free on mobile makes good business sense.

Threes is also available on Xbox One for $5. Are you more inclined to play a free mobile game or pay a few dollars to get an ad-free version? Let us know in the comments.

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