Introduction
Incentivizing the release of a highly anticipated product can tick a few boxes. Firstly, it can be a stroke of genius from an advertising perspective as it gets people talking about the product in more detail and with more excitement. Today we will explore how colossal gaming companies will use pre-order codes, premium currency, and other innovative extras to maximize their game’s revenue during their release and the following few weeks.
There are dozens of different purposes for these bonus codes. Still, they all have the same goal: to get people talking about the release and to spread the word about the game between friends and family to generate the most publicity possible.
Pre-Order Bonus Codes
Picking up from a successful blueprint courtesy of the iGaming industry, many console gaming companies use pre-order bonus codes to generate even more publicity for their upcoming release. If the pre-order bonus codes are of a high enough value and standard, they will cause the gaming community to discuss the release in great detail.
Word-of-mouth advertising is a more authentic way to reach potential consumers than a direct advert from a television program or YouTube clip. While there’s no doubt that they work, a pre-order bonus code is unique because it whips up discussion and debate before the game is even released, meaning it’s relevant and more impactful when it finally hits the shelves, proverbially speaking.
Many games that offer pre-order bonus codes usually have enough notoriety and a high enough reputation to advertise their game globally. However, there’s not one set method for successfully promoting a product, and pre-order codes are just one of the many methods that can be effectively used at a relatively small cost (compared to traditional advertising) to squeeze out an extra 10% of profit.
This includes colossal titles such as Call of Duty, which often uses its incredible reach and brand to generate even more hysteria with high-value pre-order bonus codes. For companies operating in the tens of millions of dollars worth of profit margins already, this is a significant amount and worthwhile enough to put considerable time and effort into ensuring pre-order bonus codes are of the best quality.
Online Casino Bonus Codes
Using codes and bonuses to generate hysteria isn’t unique to the gaming industry, and it’s something many sectors have done extremely successfully already.
For example, the digital casino industry is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide. As a result, hundreds of providers operating in the space will use no deposit bonuses to attract potential customers to sample their games without spending money.
Premium Currency Bonus Codes
This type of code works much differently from a pre-order code. Premium currency bonus codes are usually specific to in-game play, allowing you to purchase items within the game. One of the most famous examples of a premium currency bonus is when people use coins on FIFA to trigger unlocked players in the game.
Although real currency exchanges hands for these tokens, the gaming provider will often supply more coins than the value of the currency in a bid to draw people into this version of the game.
Over the years, this has drawn controversy, as many courts across several international borders have stated that EA Sports offered unregistered gambling games. So there is a dubious grey area when it comes to premium currency, and gaming providers have to be exceptionally careful they are not in breach of any rules; otherwise, they can end up with enormous fines.
However, this is probably the most notorious version of premium currency. We imagine that EA Sports will think it isn’t worth it, given the fines they eventually had to pay. Many gaming providers have struck a delicate balance with this bonus code. Given that EA Sports is the biggest-selling gaming franchise in one of the world’s biggest gaming markets, they may have weighed up the benefits from the negatives and believe this publicity paid off.
While they don’t quite carry the same sort of excitement as a pre-order bonus code, they can allow players to access intriguing extras within the game that they may not have otherwise discovered so that it can add to the excitement of the whole experience. But, of course, it depends on the type of game you’re playing too. As a result, the bonuses can vary wildly and can range from reasonably basic codes to ones that can shine a fresh angle.
Extra Bonus Codes
Many other bonus codes can fall under this miscellaneous category, depending on the type of game you are playing. Many big games will offer bonus codes, but some more minor games also provide bonus codes to generate dialogue about their titles. Mobile gaming is one of the fastest-growing marketplaces, and many of the most popular games you can play on your phone can often download for free on the App or Android store.
Given that many of these games are free to play and immensely popular, these developers can keep people’s attention and consistently come back to play their games because of the bonus codes they offer. It doesn’t matter whether it is a simple code to unlock a new character or level or a more impactful code that can open the doors for something more impressive.
Who doesn’t like the idea of getting something for nothing? Especially if it’s a bonus code that revolves around our favorite pastime.
Extra bonus codes within free mobile gaming are a massive hit as they can be distributed quickly by players and draw in people who may have never played or even heard of the game.
Conclusion
So, are any of these codes worth it? On the whole, we would say yes. If you’re looking into bonus codes when you play free mobile games, you have nothing to lose a lot of the time, so because there isn’t an upfront cost, the idea of whether it is worth it is a bit of a redundant question.
When it comes to other types of bonuses that are more ambiguous, such as the premium currency bonus codes that have landed certain providers in trouble, it is best to approach them with more caution. But, again, it all depends on the bonus type and what you’re using the code for.
So long as you are using it to enhance your gaming experience and obtain special features, it doesn’t draw into any gambling grey area. Therefore, you can fully utilize and maximize their potential without worrying about negative consequences.
If you use bonus codes in gambling, this isn’t applicable. However, suppose you’re enjoying a console or mobile game, and some bonus codes offer a scenario that could be depicted as gambling. In that case, it is always best to double-check before spending too much money on the bonus code.