“Apps in general I think have left the premium user out in a lot of cases. Either have some very heavily ad-monetized thing which often doesn't work very well or the subscription apps just don't generate as much from ads. Gaming is at the forefront of monetization and I joined the industry in 2013 — it's an amazing industry to follow.”

Subscription apps can adopt season passes, rewarded ads, and one-time IAPs — gaming is a decade ahead on hybrid monetization

Nørvig and Jacob Eiting agree that subscription apps are roughly a decade behind mobile gaming in monetization sophistication. Gaming has normalized season passes, rewarded video, consumable IAPs, and subscription tiers coexisting in a single product. Subscription apps overwhelmingly choose one model and leave users who want to pay less or more stranded. Developers who explore hybrid monetization now are building the playbook others will follow.