Post by: u/Doepie308
Good day guys,
Not trying to break any rules so I will not give self promotion details. Serious question - We are developing a Fitness based VR game. A proper one with real goal setting mechanics, huge gamification, the whole 9 yards. I would like to know whether you prefer to buy a game outright or rather have a F2P with in-game purchase and/or monthly subscription.
Side note: I see most games in this genre go for about $25-$30, so we would be the same it we go that route, otherwise I was thinking F2P with a $10/month sub for additional content.
If I am breaking any rules here, I apologize, I am trying to stay within the rules by purely asking the question. For me to ensure I build something the community really wants, I need to first know what they want.
Thank you all in advance for any feedback.
Sabbathius: I’ll start backwards.
Monthly fee is a big fat NOPE from me. Not happening. I seriously doubt I would do this even for MMOs any more, most modern ones are just not good enough to justify that. And I certainly wouldn’t even consider it for a fitness app. That’s a death kiss for a game.
One time purchase would work, but I don’t think I would drop $30 outright on a fitness app, especially a largely derivative one (are we punching flying balls again?). It can work, but I think it needs a demo. A good one. If a demo is really good and sucks me in, I’d have no problem paying $20-30 for a full version.
F2P is safest, but also probably least profitable. Also I don’t know if there’s multiplayer, if any, but F2P pretty much guarantees a ton of screeching children, which will instantly drive away most adults. So F2P is a double-edged sword. But it’s the best go get people to try, without needing a dedicated demo made.
Morveniel: One-time purchase, like Les Mills, would be ideal for me.
Doepie308: Totally get it. Thank you very much
Mister_Brevity: What annoys about f2p is, there is every incentive in the world to make things worse then charge the customer to un-crapify them. I am not cost sensitive, but I am value sensitive. $10 a month had better be a veritable fountain of new content to justify the cost - I’d much rather spend $25 on an app once, and maybe deal with some inexpensive DLC later than deal with developers trying to manipulate me into a monthly. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am tired of being nickeled and dimed. When a dev announced f2p with a monthly battle pass or similar I just skip the game entirely.
Doepie308: This seems to be most people’s sentiment. Thank you for adding your feedback as well. I appreciate it all
i-liketurtles: So I had the FitXR subscription for one month, at which point personally I cancelled and bought the les Mills body combat outright. Personally they were close enough in features and I prefer that one off payment. Subscription got £10 of my money, outright got £20
astland: I would never subscribe to an app. Charge me and be done with it. I’d also want a free demo. There WAY to many apps that look nice, but as soon as you buy them, you can see they are half done and will likely never be finished.
Lo__Lox: Thank god we get another vr fitness game! /s
Doepie308: I love this comment! Coming soon
MoistestJackfruit: I’d buy outright I am firmly against subscription models. I dont mind paid optional add ons and dlc levels/songs.
If your game has unique mechanics I might be interested at f2p, but if its just another punch / chop / slice objects moving toward you in a lane like 99% of other fitness apps I’m not interested tbh
Post this question in r/vrfit too
Doepie308: This is awesome feedback, so yes, I have been living in VR for the last 3 months trying all the VR fitness apps and seeing what keeps my interest, which does not, and why they do and dont, comparing environments and mechanics etc… I fully agree with you. No interest in something with a plain depth friendly image and some objects flying at you. Also, I feel developers have not really looked outside the box in terms of how they can track movement in more ways than just the current selection of jabs and chops, plus it lacks proper workouts. It almost feels as if its just about “doing” something in a VR environment. As a 20 year Fitness veteran this is the biggest issue for me.
Thank you for the additional sub. Will check it out and post there as well. Much appreciated
Original_Pune: f2p with option to purchase the full version or outright purchase.
Personally, I don’t touch anything subscription based, but I’m more than willing to buy a good product (and sequels)
Doepie308: Excellent feedback and consistent with the majority of responses. Thank you very much
OfficialLaunch: Absolutely an outright purchase, unless the subscription is like $3 a month.
If you can build a good product and make it a subscription that’s so cheap you will undercut all of the other VR fitness apps and will likely get a good subscription base.
Doepie308: hmmm. That is interesting seeing as most comments so far have been leaning towards outright purchase. May I ask what age category you fall into? Just trying to evaluate the demographic
OfficialLaunch: Outright purchase is definitely preferred (with DLC etc), but if you need to offer subscription instead to make a profit then you’ll likely lose a lot of customers. Having a very cheap subscription might help though.
I’m M between 20-30, slightly unfit, heavy VR user.
Doepie308: The team motivated a subscription model as part of the retention, though I am starting to see that maybe a consistent DLC release matrix with a good amount of quality content at the right price could do the same.
Thank you for the feedback
I’m probably not your target audience, but personally I actively avoid any new subscriptions. I’ve got more than I want or need already. I’d much rather buy something once and just own it. For a fitness game especially I’d suggest a robust free trial to help users justify the purchase.
amtexe: I really don’t like committing to a monthly subscription for these fitness apps. I already pay for Netflix, Quest +, Amazon Prime, et cetera. As well as a real gym membership.
Unless you managed to have the subscription at a dirt cheap price (I’m talking no more than $1.99 p.m.) or provide more value than my other subscriptions (unlikely), I would much rather pay an upfront fee.
Maybe the best of both worlds is a few select F2P experiences, and an upfront price to pay for premium exercises. That way, from a business perspective, I get to try out the quality of the app with no strings attached (no “1 week free/sign up” or having to refund through the Meta store) and if I enjoy it, I can purchase it.
Doepie308: Yeah, trails are an option. I looked at that but then I felt almost like, and this is just me personally, that its to get you to play and then trick you into a sub or purchasing running because you forgot to cancel it. lol. But like I said, that is just me. I like the F2P with outright purchase for premium or additional content. Thank you for your feedback
PlaneWolf2893: Outright is my preference
Doepie308: Perfect. Short and sweet. Thank you
anarchyguru: Subscription is meh
Doepie308: Hahaha. Most descriptive and definitive response so far
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JustCallMeTere: I do not sub to any game so I would rather buy it or program.
Doepie308: Excellent, so its consistent with the sentiments of the majority of people who commented. Thank you for your contribution