GTA Online - Example Benchmark Report (2013)

INTRODUCTION

Benchmark™ from deltaDNA™ measures the effectiveness of games against

proven industry best practice in Free-2-Play (F2P) design. Evidence-based

research across over 80 titles is used to assess a game across six core categories:

• Game Overview

• Engagement

• Game Mechanics

• Retention

• Monetization

• Virality

The assessment scores attainment in 50 individual criteria across the key F2P

categories to deliver a robust independent view of the effectiveness of the game.

Each game is compared against an industry benchmark drawn from a range of

similar games as well as ranked against the highest scoring game in the specific

genre and platform.

SPECIAL REPORT - GTA ONLINE F2P

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto is of course one of the most successful game

franchises of all time, with GTA V breaking all entertainment sales records on its

release day. It remains, despite rumours, a bastion of the premium games

model, despite the seismic shift in the games industry to F2P.

In this special report, the potential of a theoretical F2P version of Grand Theft

Auto Online is assessed - running the benchmark analysis under the assumption

the game were to be released as a full standalone F2P game. This report looks at

the findings and takes a deeper dive into key areas identified, providing

recommendations for F2P game design best practice.

© 2014 deltaDNA Trading name of GamesAnalytics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Please note: at the time this analysis was done, in-game micro transactions had not been made available in GTA Online

A theoretical version of GTA Online F2P was assessed against the six core

benchmark categories.

Unsurprisingly it over-indexes in areas such as game mechanics, engagement and

retention. An engaging tutorial and well-structured progression keep players

moving through the levels. The well-defined risk reward structure, competitive

play and sufficient tasks engage players for long periods of time. Finally generous

rewards and impressive repeat play opportunities also boost the game’s retention

score in the benchmark report.

However, the assessment also found that GTA Online would not necessarily

outperform other F2P games of a similar genre when it comes to effective

monetization and virality.

The findings highlight that there are some key criteria that need to be improved

industry-wide with relatively low attainment across the 80 games studied,

acknowledging the relative infancy of best practice F2P design.

BENCKMARK RESULTS

SECTION GTA ONLINE BENCHMARK BEST IN GENRE

Game overview

Engagement

Game mechanics

Retention

Monetization

Virality

94.2%

73.3%

78.6%

87.5%

46.4%

30.0%

62.5%

56.7%

58.6%

51.3%

48.6%

53.3%

80.0%

70.0%

71.4%

82.5%

60.7%

60.0%

GAME OVERVIEW

ENGAGEMENT

GAME MECHANICS

RETENTION

MONETIZATION

VIRALITY

GTA ONLINE

BENCHMARK

BEST IN GENRE



MONETIZATION

Several areas were identified as areas of improvement when analysing the

monetization mechanics of a theoretical GTA Online F2P.

PLAYER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (PRM)

GTA Online would score above the industry average when it comes to PRM as it

recognises varying behaviours and rewards players on this basis. For example

they are given "Good Sport" rewards for actions deemed as good online gaming

etiquette and “Bad Sport” tags if players display poor behaviour such as

destroying other players’ personal vehicles or leaving the mission.

This could be improve further if the design was structured to filter by behaviour

and was extended to store management to enable tailored purchasing.

Missing:

- No next best purchase offer

- No top ten items based on behaviours

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

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FIRST

PAY

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PURC

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PRO

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SECO

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VIP M

ANAG

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ITEM

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ONETIS

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PLAY

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HIP M

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GTA ONLINE

BENCHMARK

BEST IN GENRE



VIP MANAGEMENT

GTA Online F2P would score 0 for VIP management as the game has no VIP

structure at all. The industry F2P average score is 4. VIP management is a key

technique for driving monetization to reward and recognise players that are

already spending.

Missing:

- No rewards aimed at VIP players

- No system for players to aspire to join and differentiate themselves

- No access to exclusive content for VIPS

SECOND PAYMENT

First Payment performs below average in the benchmark assessment with a score

of 3 versus the benchmark of 4 and the Second Payment structure tracks the

same delta with a score of

2 comparative to the

average of 3. Per the

average benchmark

scores, it’s an

industry-wide challenge to

improve this area of F2P

design and is critical for

long-term retention and

monetization.

Bundles are a great

mechanic for Second

Payment. GTA Online F2P would score 0 comparative to the industry standard of

5 as this is a monetization mechanic which is currently missing in-game.

Bundles are a good offer for Second Payments e.g. beginner, intermediate or

expert bundles.

Missing:

- No trials

- Not clear which items aimed at player for second purchase

- No bundle of items offered in store



VIRALITY

TRADING

A standalone version of GTA Online would benefit from the implementation of a

trading system to improve social effectiveness. According to the evidence=based

research then it is a design function many best-performing F2P games are

utilising with an average score of 6. When implemented well, giving players an

ability to trade in a secondary market is a powerful way of increasing both social

mechanics and monetisation.

Missing:

- Trading System

- Auction House mechanic

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

VIRALITY SHARING & GIFTING TRADING

GTA ONLINE

BENCHMARK

BEST IN GENRE



VIRALITY

GTA Online would underscore against the industry average and best in genre for

virality, with the theoretical F2P game achieving a score of just 4 against the best

in genre of 6.

One of the key ways of increasing player acquisition is through leveraging the

existing player base.

If each player invites one friend the player base is doubled for little or no cost, so

best practice F2P design can afford to be generous. One can argue with such an

established franchise GTA Online F2P would sell itself, however ‘free’ is an

incredible competitive market with less loyal players than the console world;

including mechanics and rewards to invite a friend to join the game is good

design practice.

Missing

- Integration with social networking sites

- Rewards for money spent in-game

- Leaderboards on social sites



RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings from GamesAnalytics benchmark assessment below are

five design recommendations to help improve F2P potential were GTA Online to

be released as a standalone game.

1. [Monetization] Improve the currency structure

Currently GTA Online has a single currency. This is fine when the game is not

relying on this currency to drive monetisation, but for a true F2P game extending

the currency structure by adding a premium currency would provide greater

flexibility in delivering the F2P mechanic.

There are a number of ways that people are encouraged to spend money both in

the real and the virtual worlds. Especially for a game like GTA, it is vital that it

feels natural and intuitive.

Discounts and bundles are obvious incentives for getting people to part with their

hard earned cash. Rental and test drives are also a good way of letting players

get a taste for the high life and incentivising them to keep grinding or

splash the cash.

‘Try before you buy’ mechanics ease players onto the

paying path while keeping the barrier low and the incentive

high. It’s a mechanic utilised well in F2P games such as

Blacklight Retribution and PlanetSide 2.

As an example, GTA Online F2P could offer a limited

edition ‘purchase only’ car in store as a one hour test drive

for a small $ price. At the end of the trial, the item could

then be offered at a discount to keep the car forever.

This “Try before you buy” mechanic creates a clear path from first to second

payment and offers good value to the player. Similarly, if a premium currency

such as gold was introduced to purchase luxury items such as super cars, boats,

or properties, players could save their hard earned $ for other important items

but are not ‘paying to win’. Having this option to purchase a premium currency

would also prove good value to casual gamers lacking precious hours to spend

grinding $ currency and ultimately save them the pain of starting from square

one after each large purchase.

5Recommendationsfor GTA Online F2P• Premium Currency

• VIP Structure• Magic Boxes

• Trading System• Social Rewards



2. [Monetization] Introduce a VIP structure to fast track progress and reward members

VIPs are the most important players in the game as on average they will generate

80% of the revenue.

There is no game that is more about being king of the hill than GTA, so a full VIP

structure would be essential. Imagine the retention value of being the only player

that can drive around the hills of Los Santos in a purple Ferrari with gold trim.

A successful F2P edition of GTA Online would need to cater for these players

with VIP status and benefits for example rewards, exclusive items and special

gifts. They also need to be allowed to spend as much money as they want and

be able to show that they are VIPs by differentiating themselves in the game. VIP

membership could offer:

• Rank Point/Job Point boosts

• Monthly $/Gold allowance

• Special apartment

• Access to premium clothes, vehicle paint jobs and vanity items

• Special members store accessible through the iFruit with daily/weekly

member offers

3. [Monetization] Utilise no lose gambling

The alternative to a life of hard graft and long hours is gambling - nowhere more true than in the GTA environment giving players a true feeling of life on the street.

The great thing about F2P is that with mechanics such as magic boxes players get a no lose gamble. They spend their money and are guaranteed something cool.

Offering a daily magic box encourages players to return each day. A mechanic to drive repeat play is essential and the daily bonus is a well understood mechanic. Adding extra options such as specific days or hours where rewards are doubled is also useful in F2P best practice design.

Players could have the option to buy a magic box that provides a random reward with anything from a new car to a sparkly bra. Players could even choose to gamble their item for a better prize to encourage them to keep playing and paying.

Magic boxes can also be tied to purchase e.g. a free magic box at second or third purchase to support retention as well as adding extra items in store.



4. [Virality] Introduce a trading mechanism

A mechanism where players can send money, guns, clothes or cars to each other

would help build the community aspect of GTA Online F2P. Community is

incredibly important to online multiplayer games to keep the game interesting.

Trading mechanics support both retention and game virality to encourage players

to invite their friends to join in.

Letting players trade whatever they want would encourage a free form economy

that will favour the adventurous, the ruthless and the downright corrupt. Such

mechanics drive the economy and build player loyalty.

Players will buy and sell

from each other and

using rare items. This

can be a real eye

opener with specific

items trading for 100x

the original value and it

can help define the

optimum prices of items

as well as incentivise

players.

It is important to use analytics to monitor the price elasticity of items as players

bid for certain items and build in the ability to adjust pricing as required without

upsetting the in-game economy.

5. [Virality] Build in reward mechanics for better social sharing

Giving players rewards for inviting other players to join is of course a

well-structured mechanism. It is possible to develop the structure so players get

rewarded not just for players invited but also for their subsequent behaviour

in-game e.g. money they spend in game. This method maximises virality as it is a

direct incentive for players reluctant to invite friends and increases overall player

spending.

Incentivising invites is key, there would be nothing better in a true F2P edition of

GTA Online than being able to pimp your friends by taking a % of the money they

spend as their ‘due deserves’ for getting them in to the game in the first place.



Documents

GTA Online - Example Benchmark Report (2013)