40pc of freemium game players pay for extra content – NPD


24 Apr 2012

Forty per cent of people who have played a free game with upgradable paid content have made an in-game payment to enhance their experience, according to new research from the NPD Group.

Gamasutra reports that the research firm surveyed more than 6,000 people, including children and adults, on whether or not they pay for extra content in ‘freemium’ games.

It found around 38pc of the US population plays some form of freemium gaming and the majority of these players who pay for extra content do so within the first month of playing the game.

Fifteen per cent of people who know about freemium games choose not to play them and 84pc of people who try freemium games then continue to do so.

Women were ‘significantly more likely’ to play freemium games than men, but they were less like to pay for extra content, according to the research.

However, men aged 13-34 were most likely to abandon freemium gaming after trying it. NPD believes this could be because this group is traditionally a large part of the core gamer audience who are less likely to be engaged by freemium games than more involving games.