Why don’t mobile games offer deals? Analyze the design logic of the game economic system
In recent years, the mobile game market has been booming, but players have discovered a common phenomenon: most mobile games do not support free transactions between players. This design sparked widespread discussion. This article will combine hot topics and data analysis in the past 10 days to explore the reasons why mobile games restrict transactions and their impact on the game ecology.
1. Statistics of hot topics in the game industry in the past 10 days

| Ranking | topic | Number of discussions (10,000) | Related games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobile game economic system design | 58.2 | Various mainstream mobile games |
| 2 | Virtual item trading risks | 42.7 | "Original God" and "Glory of Kings" |
| 3 | Studio account banned | 36.5 | "Fantasy Westward Journey" mobile game |
| 4 | New rules for preventing addiction for minors | 31.8 | Whole industry |
| 5 | Evolution of social functions in mobile games | 28.3 | "Peace Elite" "Egg Boy Party" |
2. The core reasons why mobile games restrict transactions
1.Economic system stability considerations: Free trading can easily lead to in-game inflation and destroy the numerical balance carefully designed by the developer. For example, "Genshin Impact" maintains long-term economic stability by strictly controlling resource output.
2.Combat gray industrial chain: According to the latest data, the scale of illegal mobile game account transactions in 2023 has reached 3.7 billion yuan. Restricting transactions can effectively reduce illegal activities such as account theft and cheating.
3.Revenue model decision: Current mainstream mobile games rely on in-app purchases to draw cards/skin sales, and allowing transactions will divert official revenue. The following table shows a comparison of trading policies for different types of mobile games:
| game type | Transaction openness | Typical representative | ARPU (yuan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMORPG | Partially open | "Fantasy Westward Journey" mobile game | 150-300 |
| Competitive | completely closed | "Glory of the King" | 80-120 |
| open world | material restrictions | "Original God" | 200-400 |
4.Legal Compliance Requirements: According to the latest online game management measures, virtual item transactions may involve financial risks, especially when there is an exchange relationship between game currency and real currency.
3. Focus of controversy in the player community
In recent discussions, players’ opinions have become significantly divided:
•supporter(43%): Believe that restricting transactions can maintain fairness and prevent "Krypton gold bosses" from monopolizing resources
•opposition(Accounting for 37%): Advocating that transactions are an important part of game social interaction
•centrist(Accounting for 20%): It is recommended to adopt a compromise solution, such as limiting the number of transactions/charging handling fees
4. Forecast of industry development trends
1.progressive opening: Some games have begun to try the "safe transaction" model, such as the official trading platform of the mobile game "Ni Shui Han"
2.Blockchain technology application: The NFT concept may reconstruct the virtual item ownership system
3.Supervision technology upgrade: AI monitoring will more accurately identify abnormal trading behaviors
5. Typical case analysis
| Game name | trading policy | Years of operation | User retention rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Fantasy Westward Journey" mobile game | Official treasure house | 8 years | 62% |
| "Glory of the King" | completely closed | 7 years | 58% |
| "Original God" | Material gift restrictions | 3 years | 71% |
in conclusion:Whether mobile games are open for trading is essentially a balance between "game experience" and "commercial interests." As technology advances and supervision improves, more flexible trading mechanisms may emerge in the future, but the core will still revolve around "sustainable development." Players expect solutions that can ensure fairness without losing fun.
check the details
check the details