By Dmitry Bobrov, chief govt officer of ZiMAD.
Free-to-play video games are nothing like they was ten years in the past. Individuals nonetheless get pleasure from these merchandise and play them quite a bit, however on the identical time, the expectations relating to the initiatives’ high quality and LiveOps proceed to develop. It’s now not sufficient to launch an replace each six months. As a substitute you must 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 crew has been managing to make the sport content material numerous, enhance the metrics, and hold the followers of the world’s greatest assortment of digital puzzles hungry for extra content material for over ten years.
The crew 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 affords system, group and consumer assist, and so on.
In 2009, we determined to create a traditional puzzle recreation for iPad. Our product was speculated to be distinctive due to its handy interface and a store with tons of content material – i.e. varied 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 inconceivable and not using a crew of designers, content material managers, monetization specialists, product analysts, and assist managers. And, in fact, you possibly can’t make a recreation with out recreation designers, builders, artists, and QA engineers since you gained’t be capable to launch common updates, occasions, and new content material.
Nonetheless, implementing LiveOps means being on the chopping fringe of the cell business. You should all the time able to be as versatile as attainable to regulate to the present state of affairs.
Common content material updates
The most important a part of the work is producing new content material, selling it within the recreation, and holding totally different occasions and actions. All of those comprise a steady course of and should not impartial actions. A profitable launch requires planning all of your actions, resembling particular packs, occasions, and their launch schedule. Despite the fact that we attempt to launch one necessary replace per 30 days, we frequently find yourself having minor weekly updates. The explanation for this fast 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 consumer critiques and suggestions acquired from all obtainable channels. It goes with out saying that we pay particular consideration to the numerous international and nationwide occasions, holidays, and releases. We normally observe essentially the most notable exercise progress throughout the in-game occasions, particularly over the Christmas season.
Working with IP
ZiMAD has been working with main IPs since 2016, due to which we will entertain our gamers with distinctive content material from Disney, Nickelodeon, Nationwide Geographic, Sony Footage, and different firms. We not too long ago introduced our collaboration with the LIFE journal, and noticed a surge of latest gamers who get pleasure from fixing puzzles which function the world’s legendary pictures. Working with an IP not solely will increase the variety of digital puzzle admirers—it additionally instantly impacts the income. Furthermore, such partnerships assist generate new actions each within the recreation and locally.
Particular affords methods
Individuals love shopping for on sale, and there’s nothing dangerous about it because it offers gamers a possibility to buy one thing they need at an inexpensive value. On the identical time, this implies extra work in your crew. So it’s good to put together the infrastructure that allows working with particular affords frequently. In Magic Jigsaw Puzzles, we have now an prolonged particular affords system aimed toward changing gamers into subscribers or paying gamers. We additionally run A/B checks once in a while to enhance the conversion charge and enhance the common spend.
Communication with gamers
The Magic Jigsaw Puzzles group is a few years outdated, and it undoubtedly requires a variety of work to keep up. Aside from the routine duties and speaking with gamers we put together new content material, occasions, critiques, 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 components to profitable LiveOps:
• Meta gameplay is crucialUpdating your meta gameplay will enhance your recreation. Gamers are all the time in search of new content material, new ranges, and new occasions. New gamers keep in the event that they see that the sport is numerous and regularly affords distinctive content material.
• A/B TestsEverything that may be examined and improved should be improved. That’s precisely what makes the sport carry out properly. All recreation mechanics will carry out finest solely after a number of evolutionary iterations. When you’re uncertain about how gamers will reply to adjustments, take a look at these new options on a spotlight group.
• Working along with your communityIt’s very important to all the time 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 all the time there to assist and a participant is extra prone to keep within the recreation. And their loyalty may rise too. And don’t neglect about common actions to have interaction 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 resembling Magic Jigsaw Puzzle, Domino On-line and Jigsaw Puzzle Villa. Whereas the crew is distributed across the globe, ZiMAD holds its headquarters in Florida, US.
