Video games
fromKotaku
1 day agoMarathon On Sale For The First Time Amid Free-To-Play Debate
Marathon is struggling with sales on Xbox, prompting discussions on aggressive user acquisition strategies.
In 2026, we are deliberately prioritizing user growth and teaching better. We'll focus on improving the free learner experience to grow word of mouth and feed our next user growth engines like chess, math and music, even though that moderates near-term financial growth.
For example, CPA models tend to be very popular with on-demand apps or apps with subscription models based on, say, a free trial event. Examples of these include fitness apps (such as Peloton and Obe Fitness) or entertainment or VOD apps (such as Showtime, VUDU etc). In these instances, CPA is preferable as a performance model because it's easier to optimize towards a certain fixed price based upon fixed subscription fees and expected conversion rates.
No marketing strategy can save a bad product, especially in the long run. "It starts with a great product," Houston said at Stanford. "You're not going to push a rock above a hill." Houston said that having a great product comes down to quickly solving a customer's problem. The sooner a new visitor can recognize that your product or service can solve a problem, the better.