Bonnie’s Bookstore released
Bonnie’s Bookstore has been officially released.
It’s been in a ‘members-only’ limited release for the last week, and PopCap and I have been pleased that it’s had a high conversion rate. Conversion rate is the percentage of the people who download the game who actually go on to buy it. In general, conversion rates are very low across the industry - people love the free 60 minute trials for games but are loathe to pay for them (surprise, surprise…) One percent is considered the ’standard’ conversion rate for these types of games, and if you’re at two percent you’re doing very well. So far, Bonnie’s Bookstore has been converting noticeably above two percent. If it can hold that ratio as it goes into wide release, then the portals will promote it heavily (they decide promotions efforts for a game primarily based on how well it converts).
Aside from it being an optimistic business indicator, I’m pleased with the conversion rate as it means consumers who try the game actually like it. Casual Games are not generally reviewed by magazines, and I won’t be able to go to an Amazon page and read dozens of customer reviews. But one of the best metrics of how well the game pleases those who try it is simply whether those consumers are inclined to buy the game. And so far, they are…
December 6th, 2005 at 11:33 am
Awesome! I hope the casual/shareware business treats you well.
December 7th, 2005 at 12:31 pm
Phil, until I played it I couldn’t see how it was different from Bookworm. But boy, in actual play, is it different!
A lot of fun, and I think the presentation chops you brought to the table are going to be influential on future casual games; the level of storytelling and interstitial material is really nice.
December 9th, 2005 at 12:50 am
[...] New Crayon’s first offering, Bonnie’s Bookstore, was released on December 6th, 2005. You can read all about it in Steinmeyer’s blog. [...]