If you take a close look at the leading casual, puzzle, and casino games, you’ll notice that most of them have a piggy bank feature.
In fact, for many of them, this feature is one of the top-selling in-app purchases.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into piggy banks in games, their purpose, types, and effects on game monetization. Also, we will share a few examples of piggy bank implementation from some of the world’s top mobile game titles.
Let’s start with the basics.
What are Piggy Banks in Games?
Piggy banks in games work very similarly to those in everyday life.
While playing a game, players typically earn some type of currency (e.g. coins or gold). When the game has this feature, a small part of the players’ earnings goes to the piggy bank, filling up over time.
Once the piggy bank is full enough, players can open it.
But, instead of smashing it with a hammer, to access their earnings, they need to make an in-app purchase.
Pricing and Value
Just like discounted offers, bundles, and battle passes, piggy banks in games are supposed to bring players more value than standard store offerings.
They are usually not too expensive.
In most games we played and analyzed, the prices of piggy banks range anywhere between $1.99 and $4.99.
Note that piggy banks are not meant to be a primary revenue source for games, but rather an additional income stream.
According to Unity’s recent research, piggy banks are the 9th IAP category by total revenue percentage. This puts them behind features like currencies, battle passes, and ad removal, but ahead of gacha, starter packs, lives, etc.
Timing and Engagement
When it comes to monetization, timing is everything.
When players start playing a game, they won’t encounter a piggy bank right away.
This will happen after some time when players reach a certain level of engagement and immersion in the game. Developers wait before introducing piggy banks until players become invested in the game and start considering ways to accumulate more currency.
Also, know that piggy banks are rarely a player’s first purchase.
So, instead of targeting first-time spenders, developers typically focus on making the piggy bank feature appealing to existing spenders.
Psychology Behind Piggy Banks
The popularity of piggy banks is deeply rooted in — human nature.
The appeal of piggy banks in games can be explained through different psychological factors, and here are the main ones.
1. Familiarity
As soon as players see a piggy filling up with currency, they know exactly what’s going on without any rules or explanations. Therefore, engaging with this mechanic feels intuitive and engaging.
2. Sense of Ownership
As players play and progress through the game, the piggy bank offer gradually becomes more valuable.
Since this happens as a result of their efforts, players perceive it as something they own and invested in. This creates a psychological effect called the endowment effect — the tendency to value something more simply because we own it.
3. Sense of Achievement
As the piggy bank fills up with currency and the game displays this progress, players can develop a strong sense of achievement. This is a satisfying process that makes some players more likely to make the purchase and access their savings.
Examples of Piggy Bank in Popular Games
We’ve played three different games from the puzzle and casino genre to see exactly how they incorporated piggy banks.
Hexa Sort
Hexa Sort is the latest hybrid-casual hit by Lion Studios. In this game, players must arrange hexagon tiles by color on a board, which then merge and disappear.
The game monetizes with a blend of ads and IAP features, including a piggy bank.
The piggy bank feature appears once players reach level 7. From that moment on, it fills up with a share of currency earned through gameplay, which is displayed with a progress bar. The piggy becomes available for purchase only when players reach a set savings goal.
Until this happens, the game doesn’t reveal its price.
Interestingly, despite a relatively high price ($4.99), the piggy bank is the 3rd most popular IAP in this game (Sensor Tower, iOS, US). This is better than the average for this type of offer and shows that the developer did a great job in designing and balancing the offer and making it attractive to players.
Gardenscapes
Playrix uses piggy bank features in almost all of its games, and Gardenscapes is no exception.
But, in this match-3 game, it comes in a slightly different form.
Instead of a classic piggy bank, players save money in a feature called Gold Reserve. Although the form is different, the principle is the same. By completing match-3 levels, players collect gold, a part of which goes to the safe.
Once they reach a set amount of gold, players can purchase the Gold Reserve at $2.99. Unlike Hexa Sort, Gardenscapes makes players aware of the price right away.
This feature is also very popular with players. According to Sensor Tower, the Gold Reserve is the 3rd best-selling IAP in the game (iOS, US).
Slotomania
It’s hard to imagine a better match for a savings feature than casino games, where everything revolves around money.
Slotomania, Playtika’s casino hit, has an interesting piggy bank placement.
To visualize player progress, the game takes players on a level road to “Slotocity”. As players progress through the game, they unlock different features on the road. When they reach level 25, they unlock the second feature on the road — a piggy bank. From then on, a part of the winnings from the slot machine goes to their savings.
In this game, players can purchase the piggy from the moment it appears at a relatively low price of $1.99. The longer they wait and continue playing, the more they save in it.
But, there is a twist.
Once players reach level 45, the game hands out the piggy bank for free. With this move, the developer demonstrates the value of the piggy bank, encouraging players to purchase it later in the game.
Implementing Piggy Banks in Games
What should you pay attention to when integrating a piggy bank into your game? How do you ensure it aligns with your broader monetization strategy?
Here are some things to keep in mind in this process.
Exploring Options
While their basic principle is always the same, you can get quite creative with piggy banks.
For example, you can create special event-themed piggy banks around important in-game events. Another option is to create multiple piggy banks where players can collect different items (e.g. currency, boosters, cards, etc).
The form of the offer is also versatile — besides the traditional piggy bank, it could be a safe, treasure chest, vault, etc.
These are just some options to choose from when designing a piggy bank feature for your game. Therefore, make sure to explore different options to find the one that matches your gameplay experience and might be attractive to your players.
Setting Rules and Currency Caps
As you can see in the examples above, piggy banks can appear with different conditions and circumstances.
Some of the things the developer needs to determine when integrating a piggy bank include:
- Availability for purchase. While some developers allow players to purchase them immediately, others keep them locked until they reach a minimum savings goal.
- Maximum amount cap. Games usually have an upper limit on the amount of currency players can accumulate in the piggy bank. Developers decide on this amount, and the majority of purchases happen when the piggy reaches full capacity.
- Progress visibility. Some games show players the exact numbers of their savings progress, while others rely on visual indicators only.
Balancing With Other Monetization Features
When adding piggy banks in games, it’s important to consider how they fit the broader monetization strategy.
Balance is the key here.
Implemented properly, piggy banks should complement, not overshadow other IAP features, ads, and subscriptions.
To make sure a piggy bank doesn’t cannibalize other IAP features, the rewards from it should be appealing — yet not too generous. As for pricing, it’s most important that players perceive the offer as a good deal.
Generally, it’s recommended to stay within the $1.99 to $4.99 price range, determining the final price through testing and optimization.
Piggy Banks in Games: Wrap-Up
Hopefully, this guide has helped you better understand the role and impact of piggy banks in games.
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