Why do some games fail to monetize?

We spend a lot of time highlighting best practices, but it’s equally valuable to learn from failure and inspect some of the most common issues that can cause a game to underperform.

Poor goal setting

Players need to have a clear goal that they’re working toward (for example, I want to build a team of all-star footballers; I want to rescue Optimus Prime; I want to build a city as good as this). If a player cannot understand what they wish to achieve, they will not understand why they should keep playing, what content they wish to acquire, and why they should care about any of the rewards and offers on hand.

Aspirations and long-term goals often shift over time. What starts as the main goal on day 1 is likely to evolve by day 7 and is almost guaranteed to change by day 30. For example, in many competitive multiplayer games, early on, players are driven by the desire to explore, make progress, unlock new content/playstyles, and...