Talk about the success, business, design, and future of idle games from MIGS 16 by Anthony Pecorella from Kongregate.

1. The Rise and Rise of Idle Games
Anthony Pecorella
Kongregate

2. Introduction

3. Slides Are Up Already!
• You can view and download this
presentation by vising
dev.kongregate.com/blog
INTRODUCTION

4. What is Kongregate?
INTRODUCTION

5. What is Kongregate?
INTRODUCTION

6. What is Kongregate?
INTRODUCTION

7. Who Am I?
• At Kongregate for 8 years,
directing our browser-based
F2P virtual goods business
• Producer for AdVenture
Capitalist mobile
• Also an indie designer,
cofounder of Level Up Labs
INTRODUCTION

8. Previous Idle Game Work
• GDC 2015: The Mechanics and Monetization of
Self-Playing Games (free on GDC Vault)
• GDC 2016: Idle Chatter
• Blog posts: The Math of Idle Games (3-part)
• All slides available at dev.kongregate.com/blog
INTRODUCTION

9. What’s an “Idle Game”?

13. Core Elements for Idle Games
Idling!
• Progress without
interaction
• Modern form doesn’t
require game to be open
• Always progressing
forward
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

14. Core Elements for Idle Games
Exaggerated scale
• Big numbers are fun
• Exponential costs +
diminishing returns =
prestige loop
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

15. Core Elements for Idle Games
Prestige (Reset) Loops
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

16. Graphing Progression
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

17. Graphing Progression
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

18. Graphing Progression
WHAT’S AN “IDLE GAME”?

19. Designing for the 4th Dimension:
The Impact of Time

20. It’s About Time
Time is part of the game mechanics
• Instead of grinding, players just
take a break
• How do you model
and design around
this?
THE IMPACT OF TIME

21. It’s About Time
Time is a release valve, a (somewhat) self-
balancing system
• Gives players ability to decide what is
“too slow”
• Provides the developer with some pacing
wiggle room
THE IMPACT OF TIME

22. Offline Limits
Why we should limit offline gains.
• Monetization point: pay for
more offline earnings
• Activity pressure:
wasting income if
you don’t check in
THE IMPACT OF TIME
Eggs, Inc.

23. Offline Limits
Why we shouldn’t limit offline gains.
• Less excitement around returning
after long hiatus
• Reduces release valve
effectiveness, increases pain
points of slow growth periods
THE IMPACT OF TIME
Realm Grinder

24. Offline Limits
Why we shouldn’t limit offline gains.
• Unnecessary?!
THE IMPACT OF TIME

25. Let’s Graph It!
Comparison of
playing actively
vs. leaving and
checking back
in for the first
time at time t
(x-axis), starting
at 10 lemonade
stands.
THE IMPACT OF TIME

26. Big Numbers Beget Big Numbers

27. Web Browsers
• 4 of the top 10 most-
popular games on
Kongregate are idlers
• We have 7 idle games
that have grossed over
$100k USD
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

28. Steam and Downloads
• Clicker Heroes peaked at
over 60k concurrent
users
• Clicker Heroes still in top
30, AdCap in top 50, two
more in top 150 most-
popular games
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

29. Mobile
• Group of 10 of the most-popular idle games
can claim a total of 75M downloads and tens
of millions in revenue.
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

30. Mobile
• Apple continues to prominently feature idle
games, even as Editor’s Choice
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

31. Metrics
Top-grossing
Kongregate.com single-
player games by ARPU
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

32. Metrics
Top-grossing
Kongregate.com single-
player games by ARPU
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

33. Metrics
Fabulous retention!
BIG NUMBERS BEGET BIG NUMBERS

34. Multiplayer 0-Player Games

35. Social Network Mechanics
• Ask friends daily for some
currency
Taps to Riches
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

36. Social Network Mechanics
• Can see friends in
front (and behind!)
you
• Game would challenge
you to beat friend with
time limit
• Leaderboards per area Best Fiends Forever
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES
Best Fiends Forever

37. Social Network Mechanics
Other ideas
• Get persistent income generation
from friends based on their progress
• Set up trade routes to for different
resources with friends
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

38. Cooperative Systems
• Mad CEO: Every prestige you
can paste a code into chat
• Everyone gets a bonus!
Mad CEO
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

39. Cooperative Systems
• Turned out to be
extremely
compelling!
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

40. Guilds. Always Add Guilds.
Guilds are extremely powerful
• Collaborative and cooperative
• Positive social interactions
• Supportive environment
• Desire to perform well for the group
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

41. Clicker Heroes Clans
• Raids together for
shared benefits
• Damage based on a
different calculation,
slightly reigned-in
Clicker Heroes
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

42. What would a Cookie Clicker guild look like?
• Guild baking quotas
• Players generate cookies at a rate based on heavenly
chips (prestige currency), must check in to ”deliver”
• Meeting quota gives bonus to all players and sets
higher one for next time period.
• Same-size trade bonuses
• Similar-sized cookie shops generate bonuses for each
other. Incentivizes coordinated prestige and growth.
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

43. PvP and Competition
Balancing huge
numbers is difficult
• Use something like
prestige currency to
keep things more
controlled
Endless Frontier
MULTIPLAYER IDLE GAMES

44. Keeping the Lights On:
The Business of Idle Games

45. Idle Game Monetization
“As an experiment you could certainly try this,
but I want to keep expectations realistic that
you're not going to be able to make a lot of
revenue from this model.”
- Anthony Pecorella to Hyper Hippo
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

46. The Basic Three
Time Warp
• Jump ahead by
hours/days
• Immediate gratification
Best Fiends Forever
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

47. The Basic Three
Time Warp
• Scales perfectly with progress
• Predictable impact
• Can be priced with large discounting
for long warps (thanks to exponential
growth!)
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

48. The Basic Three
No-reset Prestige
• Claim prestige
benefits without
starting over
AdVenture Capitalist Taps to Riches
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

49. The Basic Three
Taps to Riches cleverly
surfaces this feature after
resetting!
Taps to Riches
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

50. The Basic Three
Permanent Bonuses
• Generator
multipliers
AdVenture Capitalist (original)
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

51. The Basic Three
Permanent Bonuses
• Generator
multipliers
Taps to Riches
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

52. The Basic Three
Permanent Bonuses 2.0
• Lots of options for permanent
boosts
• More complex and expensive
Realm Grinder Eggs, Inc.
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

53. Gacha
• Random draws
of permanent
bonuses
• Allows for repeat
purchases and
chase rewards
Clicker Heroes
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

54. Gacha
• Collect advisors,
equip 3 at a time
• All advisors
contribute to
general bonus
Taps to RichesTaps to Riches
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

55. VIP Services
• Give special
privileges to
spenders
• Subscription or
cumulative
• Friends with
benefits! Taps to Riches Best Fiends Forever
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

56. Piggy Bank
Incremental monetization!
• Value grows as you play,
cost stays same
• Player chooses when to
“crack it open”
Egg, Inc.
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

57. Pay to Play?
• Challenging since
free is “expected”
• So far sales are
limited, but could
work for the right
game
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

58. Cross-Promotion
• Idle games are often high-
volume, low ARPDAU (and
mid-level LTV)
• Opportunity to cross-
promote players into higher-
LTV games
• Particularly nice for spin-offs Best Fiends Forever
IDLE GAME MONETIZATION

59. Adding Ads

60. Ads Are Really Important!
• This is a genre of low
ARPDAU, high DAU,
and great retention
• Ads provide light,
daily monetization
that is substantial
when done well AdVenture Capitalist mobile revenue sources
ADDING ADS

61. The Standard
• Watch ad for 2x
bonus for 4 hours
• Add randomness
for more fun!
AdVenture Capitalist Politicats
ADDING ADS

62. Variations on the Standard
• Temporary boosts
aimed at active play
Egg, Inc. Realm Grinder Endless Frontier
ADDING ADS

63. Random Offers
• On-the-spot deals
if you watch an ad
(or enable ads)
• Often doubled
rather than all-or-
nothing
Bitcoin Billionaire Best Fiends Forever
ADDING ADS

64. Double Return Gold
• Watch an ad to double
your idly-earned currency
• Predictable and often a
great deal
He-Man: Tappers of Greyskull
ADDING ADS

65. Interstitial
• Simple interstitial ads
can be used as well
Taps to Riches
ADDING ADS

66. Constructive Criticism

67. Penalties
• Idle games are
progress machines
• Moving backwards
is very punishing,
feels against the
spirit of the game
• Churn point for me Money Tree Make it Rain
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

68. Wait…How Much Is That Again?
• Real name
• Million, Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion, …, Vigintillion
• Scientific notation
• 1 x 106, 1 x 109, 1 x 1012, ..., 1 x 1063
• Shorthand
• 1M, 1B, 1T, 1q, 1Q, 1s, 1S, …
• Abstract
• 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, ..., 1aa, 1bb, ...
ADDING ADS

69. Wait…How Much Is That Again?
Taps to Riches Taps to Riches
ADDING ADS

70. Leveraging Content

71. Licensed IP Games
LEVERAGING CONTENT

72. Spin-off Games
Bush Whacker 2 Crusaders of the Lost Idols
LEVERAGING CONTENT

73. Spin-off Games
Cloudstone Clicker Heroes
LEVERAGING CONTENT

74. Spin-off Games
LEVERAGING CONTENT

75. Spin-off Games
LEVERAGING CONTENT

76. Topical Games
Pocket Politics Politicats Campaign Clicker
LEVERAGING CONTENT

77. Innovations, Variations, and
Noteworthy Games

78. Cult Classics
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Shark Game
Sandcastle Builder

79. Cult Classics
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Crank
Kittens Game

80. Short, Completable Idle Games
ANTHONY PECORELLA
Galaxia Spaceplan

81. Loot-based Idle Games
• Slower
growth
• Focused on
picking best
gear
• It’s fun to
get rare equipment!
Idle Loot Quest
Battle Without End
Idle Duels
NEW & NOTEWORTHY

82. MMORPGs
Infinite Hero Endless Frontier
NEW & NOTEWORTHY

83. Click & Conquer: Space Age
NEW & NOTEWORTHY

84. What’s Next?

85. Previous Predictions…
• Text-based idlers replaced by
more sophisticated visuals
• Spin-offs and licensed IP
would become popular
WHAT’S NEXT?

86. Previous Predictions…
• “Idle” becomes a genre
modifier
• Action Idle RPG: Nonstop Knight
• Idle Tactics: Endless Frontier?
WHAT’S NEXT?

87. Previous Predictions…
• Idle design philosophies
integrate into meta-game
of standard genres
• Not much, but
Click & Conquer: Space Age is
kicking it off
WHAT’S NEXT?

88. Where Do We Go Now?
• The genre is maturing,
becoming big-budget and
less indie-driven
• Is there still opportunity for
innovation?
WHAT’S NEXT?

89. Where Do We Go Now?
• Multiplayer
• We looked at some options,
but it’s very limited right now
• Can we provide deeper social
connections that develop
over time?
• Is competitive, realtime
multiplayer possible? World of Warcraft
WHAT’S NEXT?

90. Where Do We Go Now?
• Pull idle concepts into other
genres
• Resetting with more power is
fun…where else can we do this?
• Can we use rapid growth to
replace energy systems?
• Are there ways to delight players
upon returning to a game? Curl Up & Fly
WHAT’S NEXT?

91. Where Do We Go Now?
• Plot?! Characters?!
• We have long-retention games,
let’s introduce story arcs and
characters!
• Opportunity for deep emotional
connections to grow over time.
• Demon War: Idle Rebellion looks
to be experimenting with this
WHAT’S NEXT?

92. Thank you!
QUESTIONS?
• Check out developers.kongregate.com
• Browser games: apps@kongregate.com
• Mobile games: bd@kongregate.com
• Me: anthony@kongregate.com
• Slides are available at
developers.kongregate.com/blog