Ideas to monetize HTML5 Games

I would like we could to make ideas what we do monetize complex HTML5 Games...

There some possible ideas:

-Ads & Sponsorship

-Purchase high class upgrades with real money

-Register & Log in to Play (eg. Premium Membership)

-Downloadable Content

-Kickstart Project

-Web Stores (eg. App Store, Google Play, Chrome Web Store, Microsoft Store, etc.)

-Episodic Entertainment and expansion packs

-Skill-Based Progressive Jackpots??

-Subscription

-Micro-Transactions (eg. facebook)

-Donationware (free games only)

-Pay Per Play - Pay for Time (like arcade machines)

-Player-to-Player Trading/Auctions

-Foreign Distribution Deals (Too bad, there a lot of IE6 users in China)

-User-Generated Content

-Partnership

-Pay for Storage Space

-Host Private Game Server

-Licensing

Extras:

-Walktrough or Top 10 [Stuffs] Videos with ads in Youtube

-Sell Branded Physical Items

-Pre-Sell / Pre-order for cheap price

-Virtual Item Sponsorship (eg. Real life foods from company in your game)

-Lifetime Backup Game Service

-Real Time Virtual Gaming

Promotions:

-Promote your games using ads and Trialware/Shareware/Demoware/Timedware.

These are all good and interesting ideas. I'm looking at app stores at the moment:

1. Chrome app store -- ready now.

2. Firefox app store -- open soon.

3. Windows 8 app store -- open someday.

These are the easiest. Porting over to iOS and Android seem a bit more work.

Ads seem a bit annoying to me.

The rest I don't know much about.

There kind of types of ads

Every dirty and animated ads may disturb to users, which is not compared to clean and static ads like Unity3D ads, Construct 2 ads, etc. We would to take serious and clean ads than immature fake ads like CLICK HERE TO WIN A IPHONE

Anyone have any idea or perhaps even experience about HTML5 games and steam? Is it pretty much impossible to get your HTML5 game in steam, or could it perhaps be done with exe wrapper or something?

vee41

Machinarium is written on Flash I think, I don't think getting HTML5 with .exe wrapper will prove impossible to get on Steam. Though will definitely require additional engine programming to make it steam platform compatible.

Binding of Isaac was developed by Flash too including Steam API for achivements.

Also notice:

There a big difference between Web apps and Native Apps.

So we know about piracy which can frequently pirate every native apps, otherwise web apps which are powered by cloud computing, so it has piracy counter-measure. It makes why web apps are more secure than native apps.

Really Big Sky is a MMF2 game, and it's on Steam and a bunch other places. So I guess it's possible to have your game on Steam, but I've heard they are very very strict on what games they accept. Your game needs to be exceptionally good

I recommend you try Desura, it's more indie friendly

Great to know it is technically possible to make steam game with C2, although I know that steam has quite high standards on games it accepts it is still encouraging to know it is possible. Desura is a great alternative too, the audience is more indie oriented and there are some great mechanics for helping development and testing of the game.

Another way of monetizing is using existing webgame portals like armorgames, bigfishgames, newgrounds (are these flash only?). I understood they offer sponsorship's for quality games.

I'm not sure if it can integrate steam achivements, they provide Steam API which is written by C++

I've only got one thing to say... Please, please don't go overboard with monetization options.

I've only got one thing to say... Please, please don't go overboard with monetization options.

Why?

Here is a hint:

<img src="http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1007/gameindustry.jpg" border="0" />

Gamers don't like it when the game is overly monetized; they want to enjoy the game for their buck and tend to resent when they are being constantly pressured or reminded of payment options.

Some games took the monetization too far, to the point where gamers simply turned away from them in disgust.

It's like those annoying telemarketers, you know. Phone rings, answer it after dashing out of bathroom only to find out that they're offering you a great deal for tupperware. The doorbell rings, rush there and see a suit guy with wide grin and a brand new SuperDuperUltraVacuumBeast that supposedly vacuums whole rooms in a matter of seconds. If you buy one, you get a free set of magic brooms, too, hand signed by J.K.Rowling!

Well, I exagerrated a bit, but you get the idea. Don't force players, don't overdo - just let them enjoy the game. If they do enjoy it, they'll come back for more. <img src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

Developers might need to switch focus from retailers to players.

I see a lot of ppl aiming for steam, or desustra, or whatever.

When actually HTML5's strength is that you can fully intricate your game within your website, and manage players and monetization from here.

Consider the platform you're using first. Then you'll find the best ways to monetize according to said platform.

A C2 game in steam... I honstely don't really see the point.

From a new player's perspective, it would require the user to download steam, make a steam account, download your wrapped game, and then play.

Now consider your game is on your website.

The new player arrives on your website with an up to date/recent browser, loads the part of the game you allowed him to play, plays it.

From there, you can ask him to give money, to register on the website to play more, and eventualy in the future your other games, etc...

Steam is by no mean a end in itself. it's good for "old business model".

HTML5 can allow us to use a different business model that still appeals to the player and still makes money.

A C2 game in steam... I honstely don't really see the point.

From a new player's perspective, it would require the user to download steam, make a steam account, download your wrapped game, and then play.

You make good points there.

But steam has very wide customer base and exposes your game to masses of people. Of course you need to take in account who actually are your audience and who actually are users of steam. But seeing games like terraria and other very indie like titles become hits in steam shows that there is huge potential in steam for indie developers as well.

I think the biggest point I am trying to make here, is these services (mainly talking about steam as it really is heads and shoulders above everyone else in user volumes) take care about the biggest issue (just my observation) indie developer faces: marketing and making people aware of your game. With smaller niche audiences marketing can be done through forums and relevant news sites, but to reach more casual audiences something like steam seems quite necessary and useful.

vee41: Good points too.

I'm not sure the community on steam can be qualified as casual (but there is a potential debate on the term casual that isn't really the point of the topic).

But indeed, steam represents a large audience and tools to marketize.

To temper my previous post, what really bothers me is some people expecting/talking about a steam integration for C2 like "the end of all pains".

At least I believe that's how they see it. And it is the case one has to be aware that steam isn't the ultimate answer.

You still have to struggle for visibility amongst thousand of other products. And you can't really customize/tune the appearance/package of your game to your liking (all games are displayed the same in the steam shop).

I agree it's tricky/hard to get people to your website (though it can be done).

The advantage is that once the user visits your website, "you won", you're not fighting for visibility, you're all there.

The user doesn't have to watch a video or screenshot, or download a huge client/soft, install it, configure/execute it.

With your HTML5 game, he just goes to the page of your game and once the download is done, he's playing. And also, as the application can be made offline, he won't download it again next time he comes to the page.

I'm OK to have a potential steam integration (also keeping in mind that Steam does not make its API public, if your game is accepted on their platform, than you have access to the documentation of the API, so a plugin that potentialy could exist in any sold copies of C2 is unlikely due to Steam's policy itself), but I do not see it as anything critical or required to monetize right now.

It's another possibility/tool, not an end in itself.