building the pipeline for fun - game development
TRANSCRIPT
Building the pipeline for Fun
Amar Chittimalli Founder/CEO - FaunaFace, Inc@chitimalli
Background- Building games for more than a +11 years
- Digipen - Game Dev - Programming
- Casual, Social, Mobile & CMO games
Smash Wars [Soft Launched]
- #SmashTillYouCrash- Endless Surfing Fun- CAN, AUS & IND
Game Of Suits [Pre-Launch]
- 1st PrizeWinner for 10K GDC-Next - 2014- Match 3 meets Poker- Casual, Mobile, Social
Takeaways for building the FUN pipeline
● Your FUN pipeline has three elements : Team/Tools, Game , Players
● Your FUN pipeline starts and ends with your : Customer/Mkt
● Your FUN pipeline has two sides : Pyramid & Funnel
● Your FUN pipeline is built Iteratively : Build, Share, Measure, Refine
What is a Fun pipeline? What does it consist ?
Your Fun pipeline is a process that Three core elements
“Team+Tools” “Game” “Player/Mkt”
Team +
Tools
Fun Game
+
Retention Game
Market
+
Players
Shipyour Game
Player is Acquired
Monetize &Retain
Use tools Build a Game
Start & keep knowing your Player and the Mkt
The Half Life of a Mobile game is ½ to 2 years - compared to other entertainment medium (Music, Movies, Games)
The shorter the ½ life, the more power creator has, as there is more demand for new content.
: David Helgason (Founder of Unity - Unite 2013)
Returning vs New Players
● Returning players monetize well● Its easier to engage returning players● Lowers your acquisition cost for next game● Build a community & give player the tools to share● Ex: Everyplay
Overview to build a FUN pipeline - - Its Iterative
Pre-Launch
1. Analyze the App store and identify your customer2. Design the core game mechanics3. Pick the right tools to start building your game4. Prototype - Play-Test, Beta-Test & Pre-Launch your game
Post Launch
5. Launch your game6. Measure for retention & monetization & get feedback7. Refine by prototyping or adding features and GoTo Step:5
FUN
You cannot measure FUN in One GO!
Few recommended stages to build you FUN pipeline
GAME CUSTOMER
● Prototype Inhouse & Friends
● Alpha Friends & PlayTesters
● Beta External Testers
● Pre-Launch Beta, One Language
● Soft Launch AppStore - Few countries
● Global Platform New platforms or new regions
● Full Launch Localized UI and GamePlay for Max FUN
Your FUN pipeline is a TWO way road!
The Pyramid [Building your Game] Pre-Launch
● Core Game● Retention Game● Super Fan Game
The Funnel [Operating your Game] Post-Launch
● Acquisition● Retention● Monetization
The Funnel side of FUN pipeline is equally important, if ignored the party is a short one
The Funnel - Operating GameThe Pyramid - Building Game
Core LoopFREE
Retention Game$
Super-Fan Game$$$
- Central point for engagement-Free & unrestricted access forever-Short, around (1 to 2) min
Ex:One Run in JetPack, Subway Surfer
-Encourages Players to Come back-Various Game play modes
Ex:Leveling up, New Content.. etc
Whales: Measure Time by Money
Post Launch, Multiplayer, &, Tournaments, Higher Level
Ex: Guilds in MMO, Community,
Acquisition
Retention
Monetization
Paid install, organic, PR, ad’s, virality, cross-promotion
Bad retention, leads waste of $$$ spent on acquisition
-Monetization, doesn’t limit players FUN.
-Goal is to identify super-fans and let them spend TIME == MONEY
Src: GamesBrief
Few considerations to build your game Pyramid
Once the Game Design is finalized. Make you consider some of these into
● Choose your Tech based ○ Game design○ Art style
● Think Cross Platform - Start with one● Consider A/B testing [Prototyping]● Analytics is a must● Multiplayer & Social● Offline Support
Game Design
ARTUI
Game Dev
FUN
Few consideration to build your game Funnel
Features needed for operating your Funnel: It’s all about knowing your Player
● Player Accounts - Know your Player/Auth ● Virtual Goods Mgt - Monetization● Data Mgt - Player and Game Data● Cross multiplayer platform - Retention● Social & Messaging - Virality● Game promotions - Deals and Offers● Analytics & Attribution analytics - Measure your cost and engagement● Cross Promotion/News - Quality and easy user acquisition● Many more ...
Consider these before picking a Service
Goals : User Acquisition + Retention + Monetization
● Cost per month● Ease of Integration● Designed for any game?● Tutorials and documentation● Custom game code?● Server to Server interaction?● Great dashboard● Analytics● Full access to your PlayerData
Few services for managing your game Funnel
● Playfab○ Free, Runs on AWS, Built for game, Pay for Add-On, Server-to-Server
● GameSparks○ Freemium, [Pay per MAU],
● Soomla ○ Free, Open Source - Need to share your game data to other games anonymously]
● Yahoo/Player.io ○ Yahoo Games Net [Player.io] [Rev Share 0% - 5% - 10%]
● Heroic Labs ○ YC company (pretty New)
● Build Your Own [non-gaming]○ Amazon Mobile :○ Parse.io /Facebook Compare: goo.gl/Qbz7xD
More Tools & Blogs for mobile game (recommended)
App Annie - Market, Appstore Insights
Pocket Gamer - Discovery/News/Events/Res
TouchArcade - Mobile Game reviews
Game Insight - Mobile/News/Discovery
Game Sauce - Interviews/Postmortem tools
Chartboost - Dev success stories
Game Analytics - Analytics & Dev Blog
Soomla - Tools/Open source
DeltaDNA - Measure, Analyze, Engage
LeanPlum - A/B Testing & Analytics
Saltr - Customize in real time
HelpShift - Mobile CRM
Soomla Grow - Analytics & Whale Report
Pre-Launch - Beta Testers
Takeaways for building the FUN pipeline
● Your FUN pipeline has three elements : Team/Tools, Game , Players
● Your FUN pipeline starts and ends with your : Customer/Mkt
● Your FUN pipeline has two sides : Pyramid & Funnel
● Your FUN pipeline is built Iteratively : Build, Share, Measure, Refine
