Research shows 85% of players ditch casual games after the first day

They’re just not that into you

Chris KempOctober 20, 2012

Playnomics, an “audience management firm”, has released a report on user activity on social games indicating that if people aren’t paying for a game, they tend to lose interest rather quickly. The research revealed that from July to September, around 85 percent of new players in the US abandoned casual or free-to-play games after the first day. Of those who made it past the first 24 hours, 95 percent had given up by the end of the research period. This is known unofficially in the scientific community as “The Draw Something Effect” [citation needed].

The study also examined spending habits in the free-to-play model. For example, people were most likely to sink money into their games on Friday and Saturday – despite the fact that these days are when people spent the shortest time on average actually playing the games. Monday and Tuesday, on the other hand, showed the least expenditure but the most play time.

Good to know people are working hard then.