How Diversified Are The Largest Game Publishers?
Hereโs the monthly revenue distribution of some industry giants. Tencent NetEase Playrix Scopely King Supercell
Anton Slashcev
Brawl Stars: Monthly Revenue Increased By 500%
Brawl Stars' monthly revenue increased by 500%. From $9M to $57M. How did they achieve this in one year? Here are the key updates that made a massive impact:1. Goal Setting and Engagement Mechanics โข Double Starr Dropsโข Brawl Togetherโข Trophy League2. Awesome Battle Passes โข Packed with cool rewards and collabs3. Diversified Gameplay with new PVP and PVE events: โข Wipeout 5v5โข Trophy Escapeโข Knockout 5v5 Data Source: AppMagic
What Percentage Of Game Time Are Players Socially Engaged?
Here's the breakdown of social presence in popular games: โข Zynga Poker (with Core): 85%โข Monopoly Go: 70%โข Board Kings: 70%โข Coin Master: 67%โข Dice Dreams: 27%โข Animals & Coins: 18%โข Solitaire Tripeaks: 10%โข June's Journey: 9%โข Candy Crush Saga: 7%โข Royal Match: 5%โข Zynga Poker (without Core): 5%โข Fishdom: 4%โข Best Fiends: 0%โข Solitaire Grand Harvest: 0%Statistics are based on 10-hour playtests for each game, during which all moments where the player sees avatars or names of other players on the screen were counted.Data Source: Playliner
Want To Be A Top 1% Game Producer?
Here are 20 harsh truths you need to embrace: ๐ญ. ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐โณ You must be a gamer to understand gamers.๐ฎ. ๐ข๐๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐โณ Hiding errors creates secrecy and distrust within the team.๐ฏ. ๐ก๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐โณ Every choice comes with uncertainties and trade-offs.๐ฐ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐โณ Chasing mythical insights can lead to failure.๐ฑ. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐โณ No game is perfect from the start. Iteration is key.๐ฒ. ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ปโณ Cool ideas are common; cool execution is rare.๐ณ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐โณ Treat them like valued guests, or theyโll leave.๐ด. ๐๐๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ดโณ If the game isnโt fun, no features or monetization will save it.๐ต. ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น, ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ดโณ If you canโt make a small game work, more resources wonโt help.๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ […]
Squad Busters: Revenue Drop by 50%
Is it time for Supercell to worry? ๐ In June, daily revenue fell from $1.2M to $600k, a 50% drop. โณ This was expected as the initial spike was due to organic downloads from pre-registrations.โณ A decline was anticipated once those settled and user acquisition shifted to paid traffic.๐ But in July, daily revenue dropped another 50%: from ยฑ$600k to <$300k.This isn't just normalization: User Acquisition canโt attract enough traffic at this price. The game probably is far from reaching profitability. Why did the decline happen again? โข Very low medium- and long-term retentionโข Day 30 retention does not exceed 3%โข For comparison, Brawl Stars has nearly 20% Day 30 retentionCauses:โข Insufficient gameplay depthโข Weak further gacha mechanicsโข Lack of contentโข UX problemsIt's time for Supercell to take more decisive measures to improve the game.Data Source: AppMagic
80 GameDev Tools Cheat Sheet 2.0
Thanks to all community members for their valuable feedback on the previous version of this list, which helped create the improved 2.0 version:
How to Increase Game Retention?
Here is a step-by-step algorithm for making a decision: 1. Enhance the Tutorial: Ensure the FTUE is clear and concise. 2. Engage Players Early: Make the game's start fun and intuitive. 3. Consistency in Gameplay: Match gameplay with creatives and ASO. 4. Clear Goals: Make sure players understand their tasks. 5. Add Engagement Mechanics: Include features like win streaks and daily bonuses. 6. Optimize Stability: Ensure technical stability and smooth performance. 7. Adjust Difficulty: Continuously improve difficulty, UX, and gameplay. 8. Monitor and Fix Churn: Use analytics to identify and fix high churn points. 9. Introduce Progression Systems: Provide leveling and character upgrades. 10. Add Variety: Introduce new mechanics over time. 11. Increase Content: Ensure there is enough content for players. 12. Enhance Rewards: Engage players with valuable rewards. 13. Social Features: Enable player interaction. 14. Balance Economy: Keep the […]
8 Essential Skills for Game Producers
Master these to become a top producer: 1. Vision Creation ๐ - Craft a clear direction for the project- Convey and inspire the team with your vision- Align with stakeholders 2. Industry Knowledge ๐ - Understand gaming industry trends deeply- Perform continuous competitor analysis- Be well-versed in a broad range of references 3. Game Design ๐จ - Master game design principles- Understand project economy and balance- Be skilled in user flow and UI/UX- Find fun and work with game loops 4. Technical Understanding ๐ป - Familiarize yourself with game engines and technologies- Know game development processes- Understand technical constraints and possibilities- Communicate effectively with technical teams 5. Product Thinking ๐ง - Grasp the product goal for each feature- Prioritize development based on product impact- Understand player needs and pain points 6. Leadership ๐ - Inspire, motivate, and guide your team- […]
Improve Monetization or Engagement?
This is the main question when developing a new feature in Live Ops. Monetization: โณ Improve monetization to increase revenue from the player directly. Examples: โข Battle Passโข Piggy Bank and new offersโข Holiday Eventsโข Loot Boxesโข Casino mechanics (Roulettes, slots)โข Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Engagement: โณ Improve engagement by increasing retention and/or playtime, hoping to indirectly boost revenue. Examples: โข Daily Bonusโข Win Streakโข Social Features (Clans, Friends, Leaderboard, etc.)โข Happy Hoursโข Meta-related Features Both approaches aim to eventually improve LTV, but in different ways. Is it possible to improve both at the same time? In most cases, no.Trying to enhance both often leads to zero results.
Are Downloads and Revenue Indicators of Success?
Downloads and revenue are not indicators of a game's success.Many large games operate with a negative ROAS throughout their existence.Despite impressive numbers, they often bring their owners nothing but losses.So why do studios continue to buy traffic for such games and lose money?Here are several reasons:โข Hope for profitability: Belief in a turnaround during the live-ops phaseโข Competitive strategy: Securing traffic share to force competitors to bid higher.โข Inflating valuation: Boosting overall ARR before selling the company.โข Attracting investments: Demonstrating potential to draw in investors.โข Misjudgment: Sometimes, it's simply foolishness. :)There are rare cases where buying traffic for a loss-making game makes sense.But it's mostly an attempt to create the illusion of a successful game for investors or stakeholders.Profit > Volume
10 Game Monetization Models
Hereโs a quick overview of 10 different models, each with its pros and cons. 1. Premium Pros:- Immediate revenue upon sale- Complete experience for players Cons:- High price can deter players- Heavy reliance on initial launch success 2. Free-to-Play Pros:- Large player base- High revenue potential through in-game purchases Cons:- Challenges with user acquisition- Requires constant updates 3. Subscription Pros:- Predictable, steady revenue stream- Encourages long-term engagementCons:- Requires ongoing high-quality content- Achieving profitability can take years 4. Ads-Based Pros:- Free for players, large player base- Quick profitability Cons:- Poor user experience- Short engagement span- Volatile ad revenue 5. Hybrid Pros:- Flexibility to cater to various player types- Diverse revenue streamsCons:- Complexity in managing and balancing methods- Risk of overwhelming players 6. DLC (Downloadable Content) Pros:- Extends game lifecycle- Provides post-launch revenueCons:- Requires ongoing development- Balancing free content and paid DLC […]
15 Red Flags For Game Producers
If you hear statements like these - RUN! ๐ฉ 1)ย "The more meetings we have, the faster tasks get done!" 2) "I don't care about player feedback; we just make money." 3)ย "I don't need market research; I have a Vision." 4)ย "I don't need a Vision; I have market research." 5)ย "We won't use new tools; everyone is already used to Excel!" 6)ย "We need to add AI because everyone else is adding it." 7)ย "I listen to those I like and ignore the rest of the team." 8)ย "I don't trust my team and personally check every task." 9)ย "If I'm crunching, everyone must crunch." 10)ย "I could do this task faster myself; why does it take the developer so long?" 11) "I don't have time to play other games; I'm busy developing our game." 12)ย "No one is indispensable; the team is just parts of a big […]