Antecedents of Continuance Intention and In-App Purchase Intention in Free-to-Play Mobile Games

Purpose: Since its launch in 2016, Pokémon GO has maintained a dominant position in the location-based augmented reality game market. Although past research has mainly focused on the initial acceptance of the game, studies examining continued use and in-app purchase intentions remain limited. Because many free-to-play game providers aim to encourage users to spend money in the app, understanding users’ purchase is crucial. This study investigates the antecedents of continuance and in-app purchase intentions. The antecedents are categorized into two dimensions: approach and avoidance factors. The approach factors include social interaction, competition, and attitude toward random rewards, while the avoidance factors comprise cost for mobile game participation and attention switching. Research design, data, and methodology: This study employed an online survey method. A total of 272 validated responses from Pokémon GO players were collected and analyzed by SPSS and AMOS software. Both measurement and structural models demonstrated good fit indices. Results: The results showed that social interaction had a significant effect on continuance intention but not on in-app purchase intention. Competition also significantly influenced continuance intention but did not significantly affect in-app purchase intention. Attitude toward random rewards showed significant effects on both continuance intention and in-app purchase intention. The cost for mobile game participation significantly affected continuance intention but not in-app purchase intention. Attention switching did not significantly influence continuance intention, whereas it significantly affected in-app purchase intention. Finally, continuance intention did not have a significant effect on in-app purchase intention. Implications: Even though individuals use a location-based augmented reality game with free-to-play model, users would not spend money in the game app. Game providers should strengthen approach factors and mitigate avoidance factors to increase user's continuance intention and in-app purchase intention.