MMOexp Monopoly Go: The monetization strategy wasn’t groundbreaking

[Calista]

One of the biggest pivots came when Scopely leaned into Monopoly Go Stickers the social aspect of the original board game. Ferreira and his team realized the magic of Monopoly wasn’t in rolling dice or buying properties—it was in the laughter, arguments, and rivalries it created around the table.

So the mobile version had to recreate that social magic. But instead of limiting interaction to in-game strangers, Monopoly Go! encouraged players to connect with their real-life friends and family. “We built the game around your real social graph,” Ferreira explained. “That was a game-changer.”

This social-first design helped the game build incredible stickiness. With players coming back daily not just for the game itself, but for the social connections it facilitated, retention soared. Today, over 10 million users log into Monopoly Go! each day.

The monetization strategy wasn’t groundbreaking—free-to-play with optional in-app purchases—but the way Scopely executed it was. Ferreira said the company focused more on player engagement than short-term revenue, and the payoff was massive. “We saw retention numbers we’d never seen before. That alone was enough to tell us we had something special.”

The game’s live-service model has also helped fuel ongoing success. Scopely constantly refines the gameplay using player data, balancing the experience and rolling out events, seasonal content, and crossover collaborations. Major partnerships with brands like Marvel and Star Wars have expanded the game’s appeal far beyond traditional gamers.

But Monopoly Go! also arrived during a volatile time for the gaming industry. The post-pandemic slump saw many games lose active users. Ferreira acknowledges that the competition for attention is fiercer than ever—not just from other games, but from cheap Monopoly Go Stickers social media, streaming platforms, and real-world entertainment.