Developers Overcomplicate Live Ops Games.

Developers overcomplicate live ops games. Listen, it’s not complicated(!) at all:Seriously, it does look complicated,But if you lay high quality foundations,You can make it very simple to succeed. Avoid:✧ Rushed first time user experience,✧ Early game paying player conversion,✧ Real money centered game economy,✧ Copy paste linear content.Instead, focus on:✦ Absolutely flawless new user experience,✦ Proven core game mechanic,✦ Day 1-7-30 retention focus content,✦ Fun but challenging progress.Focus on your players,and watch your complications go away.Your metrics will get better over time.Cheers!PS: There are absolutely masterpiece examples of these games.Special thanks to Anton Slashcev, Sergei Vasiuk and Yağız Gür for inspiring this topic! hashtag#videogames hashtag#gamedevelopment hashtag#mobilegames hashtag#gamedesign

Gökhan Üzmez September 17

Journal

Boosting Your Fun in Royal Match!

While playing Royal Match, I stumbled upon this awesome Royal Boost offer! For just $4.99, you get double rewards for an hour, plus a collection of handy boosters. 🧨 These short-term boosters are super popular in casual games, helping drive monetization. However, many other genres tend to skip them due to concerns about limited engagement or aesthetics. 🤔One cool idea to spice this up could be offering a free trial period for the boost, while also adding some extra progression or gamification rewards. 🏆 This would amp up player involvement and make the offer feel even more valuable!What do you think? Could this approach work in other genres too? 🚀

Michael Kopelovich September 5

Journal

Trending Live-Ops Events: Team Up for Rewards!

Welcome back to another edition of my LiveOps segment! Today, I’m diving into two fantastic examples of social events in mobile games that are all about teamwork: Dragon Nest from Royal Match and Music Box Partners from PiggyGO. 🐉 Dragon Nest (Royal Match)In this event, players join forces with their friends to raise dragons. The goal? To work together and complete the Dragon Nest, earning Magic Balls that contribute to unlocking the Grand Prize. This event beautifully integrates collaboration and competition, making it an engaging way to keep players connected and motivated. 🎶 Music Box Partners (PiggyGO)Music Box Partners takes teamwork to the next level by encouraging players to complete music boxes with their friends. Players spin to earn points, and if they land on the "Partner" slot, they can send points to their partner. Completing all music boxes unlocks […]

Michael Kopelovich August 19

Journal

Trending Live-Ops Events: Choose Your Reward

Welcome back to my segment on Live-ops events in mobile games! This week, we're diving into a cool event concept: Letting players choose the complexity and reward. Let’s explore how it works and why it’s so effective! ❓ What Makes These Events Effective? ❓ How They Work: Players are presented with three different choices: Small, Medium, or Large.✅ Small Reward: Typically includes basic in-game resources.✅ Medium Reward: Often adds a mid-tier bonus or collectible item.✅ Large Reward: Usually comes with high-value items and bonuses. ❓ Impact on Players ❓ When these events first appear, most players probably go for the biggest reward, which means they need to spend more resources like lives, energy, or coins. The interesting part is how behavior changes in future events. Players may choose rewards more wisely, making the event more engaging and increasing their playtime […]

Michael Kopelovich July 31

Journal

Cross-Promotion Done Right in Seaside Escape

I just stumbled upon a brilliant example of cross-promotion in a game called Seaside Escape by Microfun. This merge game integrates the promotion of another game from their studio portfolio in a way that feels natural and seamlessly part of the live-ops experience. 👏 What Makes This Cross-Promo Special? 🤔 Microfun has created a special "event" within Seaside Escape, complete with an icon and timer just like any other in-game event. When players tap on the icon, a pop-up screen appears advertising their new game, Merge County, along with an offer wall featuring different missions. Completing these missions in the new game rewards players in Seaside Escape, making the promotion feel like an integrated part of the gameplay.Check out the recording 👇 This method of cross-promotion not only introduces players to a new game but also enhances their engagement by […]

Michael Kopelovich July 24

Journal

Trending Live-Ops Events: Grid Scavenger Hunt

Welcome back to another edition of my segment on Live-ops events in mobile games! This week, we are exploring an intriguing event concept: the Grid Scavenger Hunt. Let's dive into this versatile event's mechanics, impact, and potential! What is the Grid Scavenger Hunt and Why is it Effective? Event Mechanics:✅ Players earn scissors by completing orders, which are used to remove tiles in a grid.✅ Some tiles contain event items needed for progression.✅ Rewards like energy and chests are given for collecting all items. A progress bar tracks additional rewards.✅ Players can obtain extra scissors through special event monetization offers or by using hard currency, adding a sink for in-game resources.Impact and Versatility:✅ This event stabilizes midweek revenue drops rather than causing spikes.✅ The Grid Scavenger Hunt is a flexible tool for patching event schedules and providing fresh experiences.✅ From […]

Michael Kopelovich July 22

Journal

What connects Game and States Economies?

What connects Game and States Economies? Game economies frame monetization as governance does for business:• Player Trading• Purchase Limits• Dynamic Pricing• Reward Distribution• Virtual Assets Balance• Virtual Resource Funding• Virtual Currency Inflation ControlA Game Design defines ↳ the ecosystem where a game can exist.LiveOps operates↳ this system in the most optimal way. E.G.: LiveOps tracks trades and modifies currency value to stop inflation.Wish to play & learn economy at school 🔥Imagine students learning economics through managing virtual game economies. This approach could revolutionize education, making learning • practical, • engaging, • and fun.

Sergei Vasiuk July 10

Journal

Live Ops Feature Pipeline: A Complete Guide

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the process: I. Pre-Production: 1. Concept 💡• Identify feature goals• Specify aspects to improve or develop• Provide references• Define the target audience• Set KPIs and profit forecasts2. Specification 📋• Describe all mechanics, states, user flow, and corner cases• Ensure interaction with other features• Prepare UI/UX mockup• Balance calculation• Team presentation3. Planning 🗓️• Scope estimation: Evaluate the scope of mechanics and art assets• Milestones: Define key milestones• Sprint planning: Break down tasks into manageable sprints• Risks: Identify potential risks II. Production: 4. Development 🛠️• Develop feature components (code, art, UI, level design, VFX, sound, etc.)• Implement key parts• Focus on core user flow and primary use cases5. Prototype 🧪• Initial build with only key mechanics & tutorial• Use draft or placeholder art• Evaluate overall game feel and adjust vision6. Iterations 🔄• Feedback iteration: Refine the feature […]

Anton Slashcev July 1

Journal

Engaging Players with Milestone-Based Live Ops Events

In the world of social casino games, live ops events have become a cornerstone of player engagement and retention. These events, popular in games like Coin Master, Monopoly Go, and Dice Dreams, offer players a series of milestones to achieve, each providing exciting rewards. This article delves into the mechanics and benefits of milestone-based live ops events, highlighting their structure, implementation, and customization. Through detailed examples and insights, we’ll explore how these events keep players coming back for more. Continuous Engagement through Live-Ops Calendars One of the defining features of successful social casino games is the constant presence of live ops events. These games ensure that there is always at least one event live at any given time. By scheduling events to usually last between 24 to 96 hours, developers maintain a steady stream of engagement opportunities for their players. […]

Michael Kopelovich May 28

Journal

Live-Ops Product Management: Cycle Breakdown

Product management during the live-ops stage is very much like maneuvering ships in the open ocean. 🌊Here’s a breakdown of the cycle, complete with sailors' analogies to keep you anchored! ⚓️🌟 1. Vision (1-10 years)Objective: Define the long-term purpose of the productParticipants: Executives, Producer/Product Managers, StakeholdersAnalogy: Guiding Star 🌟🧭 2. Strategy (6-24 months)Objective: Outline key directions to achieve the visionParticipants: Product Manager, Executives, MarketingAnalogy: Compass 🧭🗺️ 3. Roadmap (3-12 months)Objective: High-level plan for major milestones and deliverablesParticipants: Producer, PM, Heads of DepartmentsAnalogy: Treasure Map 🗺️⚓ 4. Milestones & Releases (1-2 months)Objective: Detail the next release with features and contentParticipants: Producer, PM, QA, Team LeadsAnalogy: Anchor ⚓🚢 5. Sprint (1-3 weeks)Objective: Plan the work for the next sprintParticipants: PM, Team Leads, Heads of DepartmentsAnalogy: At Full Sail! 🚢🛠️ 6. Daily Operations (daily)Objective: Execute tasks and monitor progressParticipants: Development, Design & QA, […]

Anton Slashcev May 13

Journal

Mobile Games Live-Ops Cheat Sheet

The ultimate goal of any product changes in a game is to increase LTV. However, LTV is a rather general metric, and changes in it are hard to measure after each individual update.🎯 Therefore, it's better to focus on improving 4 fundamental metrics, each of which will ultimately enhance LTV - either directly or indirectly, over time. 4️⃣ Key Metrics: 1. Retention2. Playtime3. Conversion to paying user4. ARPU (Daily / Weekly)🔍 Once you determine which metric you want to influence, you should choose an appropriate aspect that can be improved in this regard.> For example, improve the game Meta to enhance long-term Retention.Some aspects of the game can influence several key metrics simultaneously:> For instance, exciting competitions with other players can both increase ARPDAU and Playtime 🏆And some changes might improve one metric at the expense of another:> By increasing […]

Anton Slashcev May 6

Journal

Boosting Virality with Irresistible Free Subscriptions

Empires & Puzzles Game by Zynga has an innovative approach to attracting new users and increasing the virality. Through friend invitations, players can obtain a subscription! By inviting friends to join the adventure and helping them reach level 10, the inviting player unlocks an exciting reward—a subscription to elevate their gaming experience. The more friends the player invites, the longer his subscription duration becomes, with a staggering potential of 120 days of free subscription. Engagement Milestone determination. The new user must reach level 10. Determine what level a new player needs to reach in your game to understand the benefits of the game and be more likely to stay in it. Reaching this milestone allows players to fully grasp the game's benefits, making them more likely to remain actively involved and committed to the experience. Retention Retaining existing users becomes […]

Oxana Fomina July 17

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