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GameMakers

How Profitable is Monopoly Go? (Is #1 really #1?)

Jan 12, 2024
Joseph Kim, Matej Lancaric, and Summer Liu explore the profitability of Monopoly Go and the lack of a widely accepted definition in the industry. They discuss data analysis, marketing strategies, and the impact of scaling up advertising spend. The conversation highlights the challenges of defining and achieving profitability in the mobile games business. They also touch on LTV curves, payback periods, and the need for a clear definition of profitability.
53:43

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The lack of a widely accepted definition of profitability in the games industry leads to confusion and conflation of different issues.
  • Monopoly Go has achieved significant success, with high revenue and a large number of downloads, due to its effective marketing strategies and use of various creatives.

Deep dives

Monopoly Go: The Controversy and Nuances of Profitability

Monopoly Go, the highly successful game from Scopely, has stirred up controversy regarding its profitability. While it is a successful game in terms of serving its purpose of becoming a major player in the charts, defining profitability becomes more nuanced. Operational profitability and UA model payback profitability are factors to consider. The game's licensing costs, royalty fees, development costs, and long payback periods impact its profitability. Monopoly Go's marketing efforts have been exceptional, with widespread campaigns and creative strategies. Its success is evident, but its true profitability requires a detailed examination of the game's economics and costs.

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