In this article, we'll get into the pitfalls that catch innocent game professionals like you by surprise over and over again. I get into the hidden dangers and the little-known traps, and I get into the assumptions that could lead to the destruction of everything you’ve worked hard to build.
Ready? Let’s get into it.
Tip #1: Don’t Divide Your Community
Your players will find out who you're treating the best.
You’ve heard me talk about the merits of audience segmentation a thousand times, so maybe this feels a little off-brand. But bear with me. While it’s one thing to divide your playerbase into smaller groups to better understand behaviors, needs, and wants, it’s a totally different thing to divide them and make them aware of the division.
Nobody wants to feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick. It’s your job, as a game producer, to be observant without being opinionated. Although you may know which group of players spends the most money, don't forget about the others.
They deserve your time as well.
Like a parent with two kids, don't show preference or give one of your kids the better present this Christmas.
Whether they’re paying or not, whether they’re regulars or not, every player’s experience should be a priority. And that means every player should come into your game knowing they’re just as valued as everyone else.
It’s a pretty simple concept, and I have every faith you understand what I’m saying -- and dare I say, already agree with it. Which is great. But around here, we do more than just throw around theory. So let’s take a look at what it means for your practice.
Avoid Pay-to-Win: If you’re literally handing the players who pony up and spend the key to the game, you’re not just turning off the masses -- you’re also collapsing the point of playing the game. If you remove the need for strategy, skill, and experience, you remove the need for consistent gameplay. And the desire to play at all.
In Western markets, the consensus of players is to rebel against games that are wholly play-to-win because they blatantly prioritize the transaction ahead of the spirit of gaming. When the people who design the game are making it clear that only the players who dig deep into their wallets will have the wherewithal necessary to win, the sense of excitement -- and commitment to putting in effort -- is depleted.
Prowess no longer matters. And that kills games faster than any monetization drought you’re going through.
Be Specific with Content: Following the avoiding play-to-win at all costs notion, you need to be hyper-specific with your content delivery. While offering early access to exciting content releases -- for a price -- is fine, selling things like premium map DLC’s is not. You should never be giving away important milestones, required-to-win tools, or level-passing intel via your game store.
The point is to have an equal playing field, where all players -- regardless of spending history or potential -- have the same possibility of progressing. So use content to your advantage when it comes to exciting your audience and providing offers they want to spend on, but don’t use it to decide who wins and who loses. Keep the spirit of a meritocratic competition alive and your game will reward you. With its staying power.Enforce Camaraderie: Every game needs competition, but the truly remarkable games go beyond investing in the competitive spirit. They invest in the community spirit. Because they know that their players -- like all humans out there -- are attracted to community. They’re compelled to come back to the places they feel welcome. And guess what? With some strategy, you can get that community spirit going strong.
Rather than pitting your players against each other at every turn, give them opportunities to share. To rely on each other for success and fun. Some examples? When a player spends on a 100% XP boost extender, automatically send a 10% mini bonus to their teammates. If an area of the game is locked behind paid access, give players the chance to spend for their own entry -- or to sponsor a friend.
Players that buy larger offer bundles might earn free gifts to distribute as they please; when their peers receive those gifts without having to spend money of their own, they don’t just feel included. They feel compelled to follow suit: to spend their own money and gift the people around them with perks of their own.
Proof that this works? In Team Fortress 2, one of the most popular for-sale items was a gift box that sent a reward to a random person on the server -- without any possibility of it going back to the buyer. People love to give. And when they get, they’re reinvigorated to give even more.
The moral of the story is, you have the power to create the type of world players will love. So will you create one that’s fueled by competition, money, and greed? Or will you create one that champions an even playing field -- where players are encouraged to share camaraderie alongside their genuine love of the game?
Corny as it may be, the difference is stark. And it’s entirely up to you. (And your LiveOps.)
Tip #2: Don’t Over Announce & Under Deliver
Be as exciting with your delivery as you are with your pitch.
You might think this tip is common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many games lose steam -- and their hard-won real estate -- because they don’t make it a priority. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s a big duh that under-promising and over-delivering is the way to go.
But from the inside of a game? From the LiveOps control room, the marketing room, and the investors’ room? Not getting caught up in the grandeur of enticing players with awesome claims is far trickier.
I’m not saying that you can’t wow the socks off of your audience in your marketing campaigns, and I’m not saying that you can’t sing the praises of your newest content release loudly. All I’m saying is that, when you do those things, it better be true.
It better have the substance it needs to back it up. To get your players saying, you know what? That was worth it. I’m glad I bit and downloaded the game; I’m glad I bit and spent $15 on the boost bundle.
That’s the goal. That’s what you’re aiming for. And that’s the trickiest target to meet. Because in today’s day and age, your audience isn’t exactly wowed easily. They have thousands of games all around them, making big promises and showing big displays of grandeur. They’re smart. They’re desensitized.
They know what real substance looks like, and they won’t settle for anything else.
You might think I’m exaggerating the importance of this tip here, but let me assure you: I’m not. Because should your claims not align with your offerings, and should your promises not align with what you’re putting on the table, your audience will react like this:
They Will Leave: As in, they’ll exit the game -- and not return. If you’re not meeting the description you’ve advertised, you’ve lost their attention. And it’s incredibly hard to get it back.
They Will Tell: As in, they’ll tell their network that they were disappointed. Friends, family, social media followers -- they have no reason to hide their displeasure, and they’ll want to help the people they like avoid the same disappointment.
They Will Resent: If you’re doing more than just not providing a fun game experience, like making false advertisements about offers or outright lying about aspects of gameplay, then you’re moving into dangerous territory -- and your players will respond in kind. They’ll feel betrayed, slighted, and they’ll want to give you a taste of your own medicine. Maybe that’s publicly describing the betrayal, maybe it’s writing a game review or Tweeting at members of your team. Whatever it is, it can get ugly -- especially when there’s real resentment present.
They Will Refute: And on the monetization side of things, their distrust, annoyance, and even anger will cause them to demand a refund on their purchase. Maybe the bundle didn’t affect their gameplay the way the offer promised it would, or maybe the expensive boost didn’t improve their standing the way they expected. Marketing offers is important, but false advertising is dangerous -- and won’t just lose you monetization traction in the short-term, but will also lose you players in the long-term.
So there you have it: the exact reason behind why audience disappointment and regret cost you. It’s about making sure your marketing stays grounded (despite your instinct to talk up the fruits of your labor -- which you should, but carefully), and it’s about ensuring your substance is up to par.
Do that, and you won’t need to worry about any of those actions. You’ll be sitting pretty with an excited audience that can’t wait to spend some more.
Tip #3: Don’t Overlook the Technical
Keep a firm technical foundation. Fast load speeds are key.
Going into your liveops, your main concerns are probably 1) releasing cool enough content, and 2) getting enough players into the game to see it. I get it: those are the biggest, fastest-moving parts, and they have the shiniest sense of appeal.
But I’m here to tell you that the success of both of those factors relies on a sound foundation. A sound technical foundation. And if you overlook the significance of having your technical base squared away, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable. (To cracks, crashes, and worse: total audience disappointment.)
So how do you get proactive to make sure that doesn’t happen? You craft a list of questions -- and make sure the answers, at every point of new release, are the answers you want to be seeing. Here’s a sample list to get your mind moving:
How long is the user spending on the initial loading screen?
Does the game download only what it needs and when it needs it, or are your players getting charged intensely for their bandwidth?
Is the game’s performance consistently smooth throughout play sessions, or does it falter at the most intense, climactic junctures?
You might think that tiny technical hiccups or three second-long delays aren’t all that detrimental to the overall value of your game, but you’d be
