This document discusses opportunities for game developers on the Messenger platform. It notes that Messenger apps are inherently social since they leverage a user's phone contacts. The platform has potential for high engagement since messaging apps see lengthy average session times of over 20 minutes. However, relatively few developers currently create for Messenger, leaving opportunities for growth. The document recommends designing Messenger games around short, meaningful sessions to take advantage of the platform's engagement capabilities.

1. Messenger Gaming - New
Platform, New Opportunities
Tom Kinniburgh | Head of Developer Relations @ GameAnalytics
@kinnth

2. “iMessage is the glue that keeps
me stuck to the iPhone”
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/10/13225514/apple-iphone-cant-switch-pixel-android-imessage-addiction
“iMessage is the glue that keeps
me stuck to the iPhone”
Lauren Goode, The Verge

3. “23 minutes and 23 Seconds”
https://www.similarweb.com/blog/messaging-apps
SimilarWeb, Report 2016

8. Every game requires two to play
Virality unlocked through phone book
Inherently Social

9. A New dedicated iMessage App Store
Relatively low number of developers
Huge feature potential
Blue Ocean

10. Engagement and
Retention

11. RelativeSessionCount
Session Length (Seconds)
0 20 40 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300
Session count
Messenger App Session Length

12. RelativeSessionCount
Session Length (Seconds)
0 20 40 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 300
Session count Session Count Messenger
Messenger App Session Length

13. Retention
Retention(%)
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
Days
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Retention Good Games (%)

14. Messenger Retention
Retention(%)
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
Days
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Retention Good Games (%) Retention Messenger Games (%)

15. Meet Game Pigeon

16. Good Bad

17. “Make every choice
have meaning”

18. Meet Battle Bash

19. Bad

20. “Start with high
intensity”

21. Meet Cobi Hoops

22. Good

23. “Force short skilful
Sessions”

24. Conclusion
Naturally viral and engaging platform
Relatively blue ocean compared to the App Store
Design short app sessions with meaning

25. Thanks!
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www.gameanalytics.com
www.mobilefreetoplay.com