Free-to-play (F2P) games, when viewed from the outside, have an interesting economy. On one hand, in a well-balanced game, players are not required to pay and should be able to enjoy the game for free. On the other hand, if a player decides to spend money, the game should allow them to spend as much as they wish.
As a result, the game’s revenue is typically generated by only about 1% of players – it’s commonly accepted that the median percentage of paying players in mobile F2P games is around 1%. Moreover, a significant portion of this revenue comes from "whales" – players who spend large amounts of money.
What does this tell us?
It highlights two key factors essential for the success of free-to-play games:
- Long-term player retention: The longer a player stays active, the higher the likelihood of them making a payment, and the larger that payment might be.
- Loyalty of whales: Whales in different games can account for 30% to 90% of total revenue, and losing just one such player could mean losing several percentage points of revenue.
Therefore, in games that rely on long-term player retention, the role of customer support is crucial (we prefer this term over "technical support" since support is not always just technical).
Below are the 6 most common requests from F2P game players and how to address them.
Purchase Issues
“Give me my money back!”
Common problems:
- The player didn’t receive their purchase;
- The player received something different from what they bought;
- The player couldn’t complete a purchase.
Usually, a player who contacts support about these issues is upset and feels cheated. They want either justice or a refund. Moreover, the player expects a quick resolution with apologies and assurances that the error won’t happen again.
Expectations are particularly high during limited-time events or sales.
What can be done?
Verify the payment by requesting proof of purchase (receipt or order number), check the payment status, and if necessary, credit the missing funds in the game. You might also offer compensation for the inconvenience.
To resolve such issues, agents need tools to check the player's profile, payment history, and send in-game currency or items. These kinds of requests require agent competence, as some players may send fake receipts. Therefore, payment-related information must be thoroughly analyzed in real time. Developers should ensure that agents have the right tools to quickly resolve issues and directly improve user satisfaction.
Technical Issues
“The game crashed again!”
Common problems: The game crashes, freezes, etc., preventing the player from playing properly.
The player is irritated but usually willing to wait, understanding that fixing technical problems takes time. Often, players who contact support about technical issues are cooperative and motivated to help the developer by providing bug reports and logs.
However, if the problem isn’t resolved or becomes chronic (e.g., after updates), the player’s attitude can shift from dissatisfaction to outright frustration.
What can be done?
Technical issues often don’t have instant solutions, and several updates might be needed before the situation is fixed. Agents who are knowledgeable about why the problem occurs can offer better responses. An ideal scenario includes follow-up with the player once the issue is resolved, even if it takes a month.
Gameplay Mechanics Questions
“How does this work?”
Sometimes, players just don’t understand the game and ask for help from customer support. Their attitude can range from calm (simply seeking clarification) to frustrated (especially when they can’t complete a task).
What can be done?
For successful support, knowing the game inside out is essential. But just playing the game doesn’t always give a full understanding of its mechanics. Thus, collaboration between developers and the support team is crucial, ensuring that agents are informed about game mechanics, new features, events, etc. Additionally, well-organized FAQs, in-app guides, and intuitive interfaces can reduce the number of gameplay-related questions.
Player Feedback
“Add loot boxes!”
While the loot box suggestion is mostly a joke, players sometimes just want to give feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, or suggest changes to the game.
Typically, players are in a good mood when providing such feedback, feeling a sense of involvement. However, some may be upset because the game isn’t working the way they would like.
What can be done?
Players want the support agent's opinion on their feedback, seeking confirmation or disagreement. They want to feel heard.
Loss of Items or Progress
“Where’s my sword?”
The player has lost something – either progress or in-game items (even if they never had them in the first place, they are convinced they did). In any case, the player feels they’ve lost something valuable they’ve invested time or money into.
What can be done?
Ideally, nothing should disappear from the game. For example, implementing purchase confirmation pop-ups can help prevent confusion. Progress loss can be addressed through automatic restoration or a simple recovery process. Agents need access to logs of purchases and item usage, allowing them to restore the player's profile with a click if necessary.
Just Need Someone to Talk To
“Let’s chat!”
Sometimes, players just want to talk – maybe they’re lonely, or something is bothering them, either in the game or in life.
What can be done?
Why not chat? After all, we’re all human!
Being Heard!
Support agents and developers work closely together. Without the right tools, an agent is ineffective. Their value lies in their systemized knowledge and the tools that help them quickly understand who is writing, why they’re having a problem, and how to solve it.
Every player wants to be heard and understood. This is a matter of respect for both the player and the game and directly affects key performance indicators such as long-term retention, paying player retention, and, as a result, monetization metrics like ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) and ARPU (average revenue per user).
Let your players be heard!
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Check out devtodev demo for in-depth analytics and solutions. See how you can optimize player retention, boost in-game purchases, and ensure long-term success in the competitive world of F2P gaming!
