By Dmitry Bobrov, chief government officer of ZiMAD.
Free-to-play video games are nothing like they was once ten years in the past. Individuals nonetheless get pleasure from these merchandise and play them so much, however on the identical time, the expectations concerning the initiatives’ high quality and LiveOps proceed to develop. It’s not sufficient to launch an replace each six months. As a substitute it’s important to work in your undertaking 24/7, and gamers ought to see that.
Alexander Grishin, Head of ZiMAD’s Magic Jigsaw Puzzles undertaking, shares how his staff has been managing to make the sport content material various, enhance the metrics, and maintain the followers of the world’s largest assortment of digital puzzles hungry for extra content material for over ten years.
The staff is the important thing to success
LiveOps technique represents flexibility and refers to any updates and enhancements together with new content material, occasions, minor actions, a particular provides system, group and person help, and many others.
In 2009, we determined to create a basic puzzle recreation for iPad. Our product was imagined to be distinctive due to its handy interface and a store with tons of content material – i.e. numerous puzzle packs. The sport was introduced as a free-to-play product with a possibility to purchase new puzzle collections within the store.
Naturally, offering gamers with high-quality LiveOps is unattainable with no staff of designers, content material managers, monetization specialists, product analysts, and help managers. And, after all, you possibly can’t make a recreation with out recreation designers, builders, artists, and QA engineers since you received’t have the ability to launch common updates, occasions, and new content material.
Nonetheless, implementing LiveOps means being on the reducing fringe of the cell business. You need to at all times able to be as versatile as doable to regulate to the present scenario.
Common content material updates
The key a part of the work is producing new content material, selling it within the recreation, and holding completely different occasions and actions. All of those comprise a steady course of and should not unbiased actions. A profitable launch requires planning all of your actions, similar to particular packs, occasions, and their launch schedule. Although we attempt to launch one essential replace per thirty days, we regularly find yourself having minor weekly updates. The rationale for this speedy tempo lies within the important variety of third-party SDKs that require frequent updating.
We analyse the statistics on puzzle packs and separate puzzles and punctiliously research person evaluations and suggestions obtained from all accessible channels. It goes with out saying that we pay particular consideration to the numerous world and nationwide occasions, holidays, and releases. We often observe probably the most notable exercise progress through the in-game occasions, particularly over the Christmas season.
Working with IP
ZiMAD has been working with main IPs since 2016, because of which we will entertain our gamers with distinctive content material from Disney, Nickelodeon, Nationwide Geographic, Sony Photos, and different firms. We lately introduced our collaboration with the LIFE journal, and noticed a surge of recent gamers who get pleasure from fixing puzzles which function the world’s legendary images. Working with an IP not solely will increase the variety of digital puzzle admirers—it additionally straight impacts the income. Furthermore, such partnerships assist generate new actions each within the recreation and in the neighborhood.
Particular provides programs
Individuals love shopping for on sale, and there’s nothing dangerous about it because it provides gamers a possibility to buy one thing they need at an inexpensive worth. On the identical time, this implies further work to your staff. So it’s good to put together the infrastructure that allows working with particular provides frequently. In Magic Jigsaw Puzzles, now we have an prolonged particular provides system aimed toward changing gamers into subscribers or paying gamers. We additionally run A/B checks from time to time to enhance the conversion price and enhance the common spend.
Communication with gamers
The Magic Jigsaw Puzzles group is a few years outdated, and it undoubtedly requires a whole lot of work to take care of. Other than the routine duties and speaking with gamers we put together new content material, occasions, evaluations, actions on creating content material along with gamers, questionnaires, exterior options, content material checks and lots of different issues. It’s important for gamers to be concerned and to know that they will contribute to the event of the undertaking.
So, to sum up…
The principle elements to profitable LiveOps:
• Meta gameplay is essential
Updating your meta gameplay will enhance your recreation. Gamers are at all times in search of new content material, new ranges, and new occasions. New gamers keep in the event that they see that the sport is various and frequently provides distinctive content material.
• A/B Checks
Every thing that may be examined and improved should be improved. That’s precisely what makes the sport carry out nicely. All recreation mechanics will carry out finest solely after a number of evolutionary iterations. When you’re not sure about how gamers will reply to modifications, check these new options on a spotlight group.
• Working along with your group
It’s important to at all times be in contact along with your gamers and there to deal with all their questions and considerations in actual time. Even when the sport crashes a caring group supervisor is at all times there to assist and a participant is extra prone to keep within the recreation. And their loyalty would possibly rise too. And don’t neglect about common actions to interact your group.
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About ZiMAD.
ZiMAD is a global firm, developer, and writer of cell video games. The corporate entered the market in 2009 and has gained an viewers of 200M+ customers of its merchandise, with titles similar to Magic Jigsaw Puzzle, Domino On-line and Jigsaw Puzzle Villa. Whereas the staff is distributed across the globe, ZiMAD holds its headquarters in Florida, US.
