Today Com2uS Global Business Development Team Leader Joony Koo stated that his company's Homerun Battle 3D game for iPhone was achieving a 35% conversion rate when it came to in-app purchases, according to an interview with Pocket Gamer. This is much higher than even the industry average for freemium titles, let alone paid games. Homerun Battle 3D costs $4.99 to download and has an extensive suite of virtual items and other DLC available as in-app purchases. Prices for in-app purchases in the game range from $.99 to $19.99.
In fact, Koo stated that in-app purchases were so popular in Homerun Battle 3D that they generated 30% of all revenue associated with the game. He said most players would buy virtual items if they really liked the game, were just starting to play and wanted an advantage, or if they were losing frequently in the game's competitive mode. Although he expected cheaper virtual items to sell more than expensive items, he stated that has not been the case.
As a result of the game's in-app purchases, it is placing on the App Store's increasingly important Top Grossing chart, which Koo says drives extra downloads for the game. It is not known if Homerun Battle 3D is appearing on the App Store's Paid charts. Koo stated that despite the success of in-app purchases in Homerun Battle 3D, not all future Com2uS games would necessarily feature virtual items.
Ordinarily Com2uS is a developer that focuses on the Korean mobile gaming market, where looser standards allow the company to price virtual items as low as $.10 each. The company doesn't produce freemium games, but has seen great success with mobile MMORPGs that feature microtransactions and virtual items. Apple requires a $.99 minimum price for in-app purchases, which Koo feels is too high and probably hurting business.
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