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The best bet: cross-platform games

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How cross-platform games enable players to become more loyal and allow businesses to thrive.

The conversation around cross-platform gaming is loud, today more than ever. Some players prefer one console to another, some like PC s better, and others love their mobile devices. There has been this rivalry between platforms for years now.

This past year in particular we’ve been watching how, slowly but surely, things are starting to change and although there is still some resistance from some elements in the industry, the evidence is right there . We are watching every day how cross-platform games enable players to become more loyal to games and they are allowing businesses to grow in ways we’ve never seen before. 

From the player’s perspective, having the opportunity to play with friends no matter the device they own, just makes things easier and takes the experience of playing to a whole new level. This accessibility is key in allowing the gaming community to connect with one another and encourages players to become loyal to their favorite games.

So, why aren’t all games cross-platform if its advantages are so obvious? 

For starters, the gaming console market is still worth more than PC games by a few billion dollars. As a matter of fact, with PlayStation releasing PS5 and Nintendo, allegedly, working on an upgraded Switch to release next year, the PC game market is expected to drop (to see the stats click here ).

Not to mention the technical challenge that it represents to build one of these games: for it to run smoothly on different platforms, different technologies are needed. And when it comes to how the game runs, consoles deliver amazing game performance and visuals and are generally cheaper than gaming PCs . 

Creating a game with this flexibility does not guarantee success , it’s a lot of work, and naturally, very expensive. As a game creator, you really need to consider if it makes sense for your audience and your game’s business model. And if you do your research and it makes sense for your business goals, it is totally worth it.

Removing the restrictions so players can easily connect, allows a network effect  to happen. One person likes a game, he or she invites a friend, the friend invites more friends and so it goes. The kind of organic growth that cross-platform games allow is massive, and it doesn’t compare with platform exclusive games. 

When given the option, a player can switch freely between platforms according to his preference and resources, which leads to an increased time spent in-game and, naturally, an increase in the CLV (Customer Lifetime Value). According to an Epic games article, published by Gamesindustry.biz, users who cross-played Fortnite generated 365% higher revenue than non-cross-players ( See the full article here ). 

Fortnite, Minecraft, Rocket League, Call of Duty, are great examples of this. All these games are universally beloved because they allow people to connect with each other and to play no matter the device they have access to. Not to mention the economic success this represents! We have seen it all these years with our games Call of War and Supremacy 1914 . The level of success on these wouldn’t be possible without them being cross-platform. 

Cross-platform games are shaping the future of the gaming industry and to ignore it, as a business, would be like tying the rope around your neck. 

The best move to do right now, for a game, is to think about ways to be more approachable for the players and how to make it easier for them to connect with each other and to the game itself. Being cross-platform is one way to start.

If you are interested in continuing the conversation or in publishing our games, feel free to contact us at bizdev@bytro.com .

By Cecilia Luna

Why integrating games into your site is the best business move to do right now.

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Big or small site, learn how to integrate this new content successfully.

You are a website owner. You provide valuable content for your visitors, and no matter what type of site you manage, you work hard to deliver pictures, videos and even blog posts to entertain your audience. So why don’t add games into the basket? 

Gaming is the fastest-growing segment of the media and entertainment industry. And it looks like it will make another huge step this year due to many people being in quarantine and starting discovering games or picking up another round of their favorite title. Here you’ll learn why adding games into your site is the best business move to do right now and how to do it successfully.

Maybe you already tried integrating games on your site and it didn’t work as you expected, maybe you think your audience is not interested in gaming, maybe it never crossed your mind before because you think you don’t have enough traffic for it to work. Whatever the reasons are, this experiment can bring you wonderful results no matter the interests and size of your audience, and thanks to iFrames and affiliate links adding something like embedded games as part of your content it’s super easy to do. But before calling your IT team to start working on technicalities, first you’ll need some games to integrate. 

There are so many great developers out there like Goodgame Studios, Dorado Games, Imperia Online, Kixeye, and Bytro; they can provide you with their free-to-play games so you can embed them into your site and offer top-notch entertainment content to your visitors. 

Your goal should be to establish a sustainable revenue stream and the way to accomplish that is by having a diverse game content portfolio, meaning at least 4 different games. This allows players to find their favorite type of game and they will be more likely to start spending money. 

Speaking about money, you might be wondering by now: How am I supposed to make a business out of embedding games?

There are a few ways to monetize this and you’ll probably find a model that best suits you with time, but the way to build a strong long-lasting and mutually profitable relationship with a game developer is through revenue share. Working with this model means that the money that your users spend inside the game is shared between the two parties. Game developers can even provide exclusive promotions inside the game for users coming from your site so you can kick start this successfully. 

Once you choose the first games (or several if you want to), you contact the developer/publisher so you get access to your own tracking links and a promotional image of the game. Secondly, you integrate the tracking link on your site, publish it with the image, and that’s literally it. Now your audience can access games via your page and you have created a profitable and sustainable new business line that took a one-time effort and without spending a dime. 

If you think this is too good to be true check out this business case. Here you’ll see three different scenarios with real companies where you can compare your site and have an idea of how games could behave on your page too. If you wanna be bold and make this move and need some guidance through the whole process, feel free to get in touch with us at bizdev@bytro.com.

Although there is no 100% accurate way of predicting how these games will be received by your users, if integrating them on your site means there’s a way to improve the user experience, lengthen their session time, the overall customer lifetime value, AND increase your revenues along the way, it’s surely worth the try.

Click here to read the business cases

 by Cecilia Luna