How to Get the Most Out of Your Subscriptions

Video game developers and publishers always want to boost retention, increase engagement, and build consistent revenue streams with user-friendly subscription plans. Arya.games embraced the challenge and created a solution to meet this need: Arya.games Subscriptions. Setting up your Subscriptions component directly from your Publisher Account is fast and straightforward. It gives your users access to a package of services under specified conditions you define and control.

Subscriptions are rising in popularity and with increased velocity in recent months. According to an August 2020 survey by McKinsey & Company, subscribers of boxes or services in the United States increased from 50 percent in 2018 to 59 percent in 2020. The trend is also resilient: The same study revealed that 80 percent of consumers who signed up for new subscriptions during the 2020 pandemic said they planned to keep them going forward.

Our guide showcases a series of Best Practices to get the most out of your Subscriptions Program no matter the size of your studio or the number of users on your platform. Follow the tips here to improve your general workflow and review the Use Cases: Challenges and Solutions section for advice on specific situations. To learn how Subscriptions works well with your other Arya.games products check out the Arya.games Integrations section.

Subscriptions Best Practices

Subscriptions can create revenue with low overhead, inspire user loyalty, and generate predictable income streams that you can rely on when planning long-term updates. They can also help pave the way for enriched game updates as subscribers typically spend more than twice as much on in-game content as non-subscribers. Different games and gaming-related platforms can benefit from a well-structured subscription component and transform casual users into long-term subscribers.

Creating Subscription Plans for Better Results

Tailor subscription plans to your customers’ needs first and foremost:

• Create a plan with three pricing tiers to highlight your game’s value and avoid overwhelming users with too many choices.
• Include regional pricing with any purchase to be mindful of your global audience.
• Accept recurring and non-recurring payment methods as many users worldwide do not use credit or debit cards as their primary payment method.

Customize subscription plans to best suit your specific game or product. Hot tip: A great rule of thumb is that even without a subscription account gamers should still find the game to be a playable and enjoyable product. Focus on:

• Subscription length of time (e.g., monthly, quarterly, yearly)
• Types of included goodies (e.g., in-game currency, virtual items, profile badges)
• Content access (e.g., DLCs, physical swag, private servers)
• Anything else that may be unique to your product (e.g., reduced crafting times)

Make it simple for users to manage their subscriptions:

• Design an intuitive interface and total transparency into your customers’ subscription details.
• Make it easy for them to upgrade, downgrade, cancel, and renew.
• Allow them a renewal grace period.
• Give your subscribers the ability to pause and restart their subscription with no penalties.

Tips for Retaining Subscribers at Any Tier

First and foremost, always welcome back subscribers by making it easy for them to renew.

• Give them access to subscriber-only items, perks, and events (e.g., double XP event for subs only).
• Offer them actual value. For example, if you give players cosmetic items, make them worthwhile — don’t just slap the color blue on an existing cosmetic. If in-game currency is a part of your game, ensure they can spend it on valuable in-game items.
• Communication is KEY. Convey important information to your subscribers via emails, such as reminders for subscription expirations, automatic renewals, and more.
• Display information clearly for fundamentals like pricing, how to buy subscriptions or season passes, or what they can unlock with their purchase.
• Keep processes simple from initial subscription to renewals to redemption of virtual items or currency. The easier it is to stay subscribed and enjoy the perks, the higher the retention rate.
• Encourage customer feedback. Sure, it’s more of a learning tool for you than an actual retention lever. On the other hand, it’s another chance to reduce churn and boost long-term customer relations by offering an alternative plan or simply fixing their problem.

Use Cases: Challenges and Solutions

Whether you want to build a subscription plan structure from scratch, acquire new subscribers, or expand your existing subscriber base, the Arya.games all-in-one Subscriptions Solution has some of the best tools in the industry to help you succeed. In addition to reading this ebook, we recommend reviewing a few of our partners’ success stories, such as Twitch and Roblox.

Arya.games Integrations

Subscriptions work well with the other components of the Arya.games Business Engine so that you can customize your Arya.games ecosystem to your specifications. Below are a few of our recommended Arya.games product integrations.

• Arya.games Partner Network: Helps build a game’s brand, acquire new users, and distribute the game by providing centralized access to dozens of affiliate networks, millions of influencers, and hundreds of gaming media portals.
• Arya.games Site Builder: An agile website construction tool that lets developers create their own online space to sell games and in-game goods directly to players.
• Arya.games Anti-fraud System: Defends our partners against fraudulent users and attacks, automatically activating when Pay Station is connected.

Ready to Get Started?

Head to the Subscriptions Solution page and log into your account or contact us with any questions — we’re here to help!

New to Arya.games? Get started by registering for a Publisher Account.

Already an Arya.games Partner? Log in to your Publisher Account or contact your Arya.games Account Manager to chat about the best influencer marketing strategy for your game.

Global Accessibility

Arya.games aims to provide access to our platform on a global scale. With Arya.games Pay Station and User Management, you can easily integrate Arya.games Subscriptions at no additional fee.

Pay Station displays in 21 languages, supports 130+ currencies, and accepts alternative payment methods such as digital wallets as a default on the back-end. To offer and display the cost of a plan in a specific currency, all you have to do is create the plans in that currency.

User Management allows subscribers to access their subscription details from a centralized dashboard that also handles purchasing. Users can use their preferred payment method for recurring and non-recurring subscriptions intuitively through the online portal.

Unique Benefits for Subscribers

Offering unique benefits is crucial for the success of any subscription program. Arya.games provides server rentals, software licensing, and migration among other tailored solutions to meet your specific needs.

We are also open to exploring custom feature development or integration to find the best solution to meet your needs. Reach out to our team to start the conversation and customize your subscription plan with unique benefits that will make your offers stand out.