Hello!

This week’s GOTW is the smash-hit Disney puzzle game Where’s My Water?. It’s had over 100m downloads on iOS and Android since launch in September 2011, and is maturing into a full-grown Wheel of Value-style IP – with toys, clothing, stationery, miscellaneous forthcoming ‘electronic goods’, and even a new YouTube series.

How does it work?

Clear a path through the dirt to help Swampy the Alligator have his shower! Each level presents you with a new puzzle: how can you get the water from its starting position to your little green friend’s bathroom? You can collect up to three rubber ducks by guiding the water over them en route, and you’ll need to dodge a range of obstacles – like fast-growing moss that blocks your water’s path, and poisonous toxins that will make things rather uncomfortable for Swampy. Success means getting enough water into the shower to give him a decent wash – this is a game for all ages and it’s good clean fun.

(Cue happy Swampy shower dance)

How does it make money?

There’s a free taster version of Where’s My Water? on both iOS and Android that offers 20 levels. But there’s also a premium version (>200 levels) that costs money ($0.99 in the US) and which offers in-app purchases, such as additional level packs and the opportunity to unlock more advanced levels with completing those that precede them.

Why is it particularly interesting?

Disney just announced they’ll be releasing three new free levels every week. That’s a perfect example of how the casual games industry is shifting from products -> services.

Most games used to be released (even on iOS) as discrete, finished products – like a pre-packaged comedy show that was recorded and edited months before. But there has been a rapid shift to the freemium/premium+ model – where consumers can spend money on a range of purchases at any point, even months/years after installing the game. That has turned many casual games companies into service providers. They release new content frequently in order to (1) stimulate purchases and (2) to trigger update notifications which remind users to return to the game.

Disney’s commitment to releasing new levels every week is partly a way of releasing the potential of this service model. And it’s another push in their attempt to move Where’s My Water? away from the hit-driven business model that predominates in casual games, and towards becoming a long-term brand.

So check out the game, or update to the latest version if you played it a while back. And let me know what you think!

Also — this mailing list has grown by 150% since it started (partly through insane viral growth… and partly because I have unilaterally added people). So a lot of you have missed a lot of the previous GOTWs. But fear not! To read all the previous GOTWs, you can now go to the GOTW website.

All best,

Todd