Report: Average In-Game Mobile Transaction Worth $14

A new report from mobile analytics firm Flurry finds the average in-app purchase through games on iOS and Android platforms is worth $14. While that average may seem high in a market where premium games struggle to sell for more than 99 cents, Flurry analyst and GM for games Jeferson Valadares points out that it only includes the small, 3 percent sliver of free-to-play players that pay at all. Once a player has decided to cross the in-app purchase threshold, they "appear to be deeply committed to the game experience, and therefore spend large amounts," Valadares said. The average is also skewed by the 5 percent of in-app purchases that are worth $50 or more, as opposed to just 2 percent of all in-app purchases worth 99 cents. In fact, over 30 percent of all in-game purchase revenue came from purchases worth $50 or more, with a 51 percent majority of revenue coming from purchases $20 and up. "If you're a game designer, your main take away is that very few transactions, and consumers who complete those transactions, make up the bulk of your revenue," Valadares said. "Therefore, your own 'meta-game' should be about whale hunting." A full 71 percent of individual in-app purchases were worth under $10, with $9.99 the most popular individual price point. Flurry reported earlier this month that revenues from free-to-play titles now represent nearly two-thirds of all iOS game revenues.