secrets to social game success
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Secrets to Social Game Success Sebastian Nußbaum
(Senior Product Manager)
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About wooga
Founded January 2009
Funding: Founders, Balderton Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures Tenaya, Highland Capital (total of $32m+)
International team of 110 from 20 countries in Berlin
Key stats
6 games on Facebook; 41 million monthly active users
Biggest european social game developer / #3 on FB
Only 10%of users from advertising
70% of users are female (age 20-60)
Sebastian Nußbaum
Lead Product
Happy Hospital
Unannounced game
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4
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A hit game is not always a hit from
start
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Brilliant idea!
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CTO & CEO are convinced!
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Skilled Team!
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DAU
Time
Desired game lifecycle
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DAU
Time
You launch…
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DAU
Time
The first days look promising…
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DAU
Time
The first week looks even better …
Hooray!
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DAU
Time
…and all of a sudden
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Lets take a look at typical game
lifecycles
Typical game product lifecyle: Social City by Playdom
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0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
02.03.2010 01.06.2010 30.08.2010 29.11.2010 27.02.2011 28.05.2011
Mill
ion
s
DAU
Mar-10 Aug-10 Feb-11 Jun-10 Nov-10 May-11
Typical game product lifecyle: Millionaire City by Digital Chocolate
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0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
19.05.2010 18.08.2010 16.11.2010 14.02.2011 15.05.2011
Mill
ion
s
DAU
May-10 Aug-10 Feb-11 Nov-10 May-11
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1
01.02.2011 03.03.2011 02.04.2011 02.05.2011 01.06.2011 01.07.2011
Mill
ion
s
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Typical game product lifecyle: Monopoly Millionaires by EA
DAU
Feb-11 Apr-11 Jun-11
Typical game product lifecyle: City of Wonder by Playdom
DAU
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Iteration is critical!
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Design Prototype
Usability test
Good?
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Usability testing
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Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible
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Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible • Test with the right profiles
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Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible • Test with the right profiles • Only 3-5 users are needed to find the
major usability issues
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Example: Bubble Island
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0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
Mil
lio
ns
DAU
650.000
Example: Bubble Island
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After a few weeks of playing:
All levels were played OR
Level became too difficult
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Solution: Level of the week
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0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000
DAU
0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000
DAU
Level of the week
MW Screenshots 1
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Launch Monsterworld in May 2010
Launch
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DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
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DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
Lets focus on detail and
iterate!
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Iteration: Optimize the Tutorial
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Example: 1.3% drop is deemed unacceptable and game is optimized accordingly
Step
New users (last 24h) 38.863
01 - Flash begin (0%) 93,0%
02 - Flash complete (100%) 86,5%
03 - Tutorial – first harvest completed 82,7%
04 - Tutorial – first planting completed 82,5%
05 - Tutorial – Mr T’s magic applied 81,1%
06 - Tutorial – second harvest compl. 79,8%
07 - Level 2 reached 79,6%
08 - Tutorial completed (plowing) 79,4%
09 - Level 3 reached 78,8%
10 - Level 4 reached 77,5%
11 – Level 5 (or higher) reached 77,2%
Iteration: Optimize the Tutorial
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Iteration : Balancing
3min 5min
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Iteration : Advance UI
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Iteration: Bugs & performance
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DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
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DAU Monsterworld till November 2010
Iteration & polishing
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Lets focus on monetization!
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Time limited offers
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Time limited offers
Average
TLO‘s
Details matter!
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Small issues can have a huge impact!
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Small issues can have a huge impact!
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+22%
Small issues can have a huge impact!
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What about the pricing?
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Magic Wands
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Old
Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
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Old
New
Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
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Old
New
+ 24 %
Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
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Consumables are great!
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Woogoo
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Woogoo
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Roberta asking for products
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester
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Crafting with woogoo
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Crafting with built factories
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Roberta asking for products
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester
Crafting
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester
Crafting
Crafting
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I NEED MORE!
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woogoo pump
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woogoo pump
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester
Crafting
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Woogoo pump
Crafting
Harvester
Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Button added
Crafting
Harvester
Woogoo pump
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Cross…what?
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DAU Monsterworld till June 2011
Focus on monetization
Iteration & polishing
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DAU Monsterworld till September 2011
Focus on monetization
Iteration & polishing
Diamond Dash
Cross promo
Flow Concept
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Dif
ficu
lty
Time/ Skill
Too hard
Too easy
Source: Murphy, C.
Future: more in-depth gameplay
?
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Challenge the player But give him all the
tools to win!
So every game is fixable!
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Or?
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DAU
Time
I did everything you said and
still…
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Be sure to have the basics right!
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Be sure to have the basics right!
The theme: Know your target group!
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Female (70%)
Male (30%)
(age 20-60)
Use tools: Know whats hot!
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What about the core?
The game core loop
The game core loop
Keep it simple/ Few steps (4-6 max)
Fun 1 time – Fun 1000 times
Requests tied to it
Strategic depth
Have your checklist!
Common loop mistakes: Disappearing rewards
Core game loop
Common loop mistakes: Adding features wont fix a broken core game loop
Feature1
Feature2
…iterate the core till it is fun!
…iterate the core till it is fun!
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Ask yourself!
What does the user expect?
Why is it not working?
How does the user play?
0
500.000
1.000.000
1.500.000
2.000.000
2.500.000DAU
And that’s where we are!
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Join the wooga team
wooga.com/jobs
Thank you!
Sebastian Nußbaum Senior Product Manager
wooga.com/jobs