Tens of millions of cell video games are on the market battling for engagement, but only some titles handle to combat their approach to the highest. Their secret to success? Mastering the artwork of LiveOps. That’s why, for this 12 months’s Cell GameDev Awards, we’ve been celebrating the achievements of the cell market’s stay occasion champions, wanting on the most progressive methods main studios have saved gamers invested of their pocket-sized interactive worlds.
Selecting who takes house the trophies is rarely a simple job, however this 12 months was significantly difficult for our analysts to evaluate. We noticed video games igniting participant competitors and social interplay via progressive LiveOps occasions, collaborating with beloved IPs to launch all-new gameplay experiences, weaning narrative threads into their content material plans, leveraging seasonal themes to maintain issues contemporary, and extra.
If you happen to’re combating new methods to construct in your present LiveOps technique, our award winners (which embody the likes of Scopely’s Monopoly GO!, Tencent’s PUBG Cell, and Riot’s League of Legends: Wild Rift) may simply have the solutions you’re in search of. On this weblog, we’ll dive deeper into a few of our selections and mirror on the important thing takeaways.
What makes an ideal collaboration occasion?
We’ve written an ideal deal prior to now concerning the super affect collaboration occasions can have on participant engagement. Theming a stay occasion round an IP that’s aligned with the pursuits of your participant base can reengage lapsed gamers, usher in new gamers from the IP you collaborate with, and increase monetization via the sale of IP-based skins, characters, and different gadgets. However what makes for a very nice collaboration occasion?
With round 40% of the highest 10% of grossing titles on the iOS US Market incorporating promotional collaboration occasions into their LiveOps methods, selecting out the most effective is troublesome. All these crossovers come in several styles and sizes too, spanning every thing from vogue manufacturers, automotive, anime, TV, films, and even different video video games.
A few of our favorites final 12 months included Free Hearth wanting Marvel-ous with a Spider-Man crossover, Roblox turning pink with Barbie, and even Nier: Automata’s android 2B slicing her approach into NIKKE: Goddess of Victory. Nonetheless, two collaboration occasions particularly actually captured our consideration.
PUBG Cell used the Dragon Ball IP to provide Battle Royale an Anime Makeover
First up was PUBG Cell x Dragon Ball Tremendous Z, which received our Greatest Collaboration Occasion Award for the midcore market. This huge occasion ran for nearly two months, from July 13 till September 4. It integrated all the standard options in these occasions, together with a battle cross, numerous gacha, and new beauty gadgets themed across the associate IP. Nonetheless, it was chosen for the award due to its complete Battle Royale: Dragon Ball Tremendous sport mode.
The mode gave PUBG’s common map an anime-themed makeover, with gamers flying throughout the battlefield as iconic Dragon Ball characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza – every of which had distinctive talents and improve timber. Gamers may additionally choose up tons of Dragon Ball Tremendous-themed loot scattered across the map, together with armor and Tactical Capsules. There have been additionally portals gamers may use to quick journey, in addition to “wind whirls” used to fly up within the air.
Whereas the mode adopted the identical “final man standing” ideas of battle royale, taking part in it felt like a genuinely genuine Dragon Ball expertise. It demonstrated a wealthy understanding and appreciation for the IP that remodeled what it meant to play PUBG.
Stumble Guys makes use of IP in stay occasions to introduce new gameplay mechanics
Over on the informal Market, Stumble Guys fumbled house with the opposite Greatest Collaboration Occasion Award. In contrast to the remainder of the nominees, Stumble Guys stood out for not only one collaboration occasion however a whole 12 months of them. All through 2023 (and now 2024), Stumble Guys has grow to be a collaborative machine, introducing gamers to every thing from MrBeast, Barbie, Monopoly, Spongebob, Nerf, Rabbids, and plenty of extra.
Impressively, each collaboration occasion is simply as properly executed because the final and acts as the premise for every new season, full with a battle cross and a variety of premium cosmetics. Each collaboration introduces a brand new map themed across the nuances of the IP, lots of which have grow to be a everlasting addition for gamers to take pleasure in, akin to:
- The Barbie crossover was based mostly on a neon pink Dreamhouse map the place gamers race to fetch Barbie’s favourite equipment.
- kuFor the Monopoly collab, gamers sprinted previous GO on a map impressed by the basic board sport.
- The Nerf collaboration turned Stumble Guys right into a first-person shooter, with gamers wielding their very own Nerf blasters in-game.
Stumble Guys understands easy methods to do a collaboration occasion proper and does it proper so regularly that it’s exhausting to tug your self away since you wish to see what it is going to introduce subsequent. Extra notably, it’s enabled Stumble Guys to fend off powerful competitors, with NetEase’s Eggy Social gathering and Tencent’s DreamStar struggling to drum up the identical constant engagement with out their very own stumbling multiverse.
The facility of social and aggressive occasions
Constructing a way of neighborhood is among the greatest methods to retain gamers and drive engagement. Combine that with a way of competitors, and you’ve got an irresistible mixture. That’s exactly what Monopoly GO! achieved with its Associate Occasions, which took house the Greatest Social Occasion Award for the informal Market.
In these occasions, a participant invitations 4 associates to affix them. The catch is that moderately than merely changing into a crew of 5, the primary participant is partnered up with every buddy individually to create 4 groups of two. Every associate occasion has a theme (like baking a cake, for instance), with every crew of two having its personal goal to succeed in (achieved by taking part in the sport and increase occasion forex). Gamers obtain a particular reward in the event that they full the occasion with all their companions, encouraging them to profit from their team-ups.
Social occasions with a joint objective are often based mostly round guilds with upwards of 40 gamers working collectively. Whereas that’s comparatively nice performance-wise, as a result of Monopoly GO!’s associate occasions are a lot smaller, gamers usually take these on with their shut associates, who’re more likely to encourage them to maintain going. This affect is demonstrated within the sport’s efficiency, with the primary Associate Occasion leading to a surge in day by day income final July. Related boosts will be seen every time the Associate Occasion returns, which is round as soon as a month.
We’re not the one ones who took be aware of the associate occasions both. Royal Match, Part 10, Clockmaker, Mission Makeover, and different cell video games have taken inspiration from Monopoly GO! to launch their very own iterations of associate occasions – lots of which have been profitable.
Experiment with stay occasions and establish partaking new gameplay options
On the midcore aspect, the winner was League of Legends: Wild Rift’s Area. On this 2v2v2v2 occasion, fights are damaged down into a number of 2v2 rounds in small arenas, with every crew having a restricted variety of lives. Gamers are restricted to utilizing a restricted pool of randomized Champions, including a component of technique to the gameplay. It’s monetized with an Area Perk Cross that provides additional advantages, akin to a brand new match-to-match development layer with Seasonal Increase upgrading.
Nonetheless, the rationale the Area was chosen because the winner was as a result of it’s a standout instance of the advantages of LiveOps experimentation. Area was really first launched to League of Legends: Wild Rift in November 2024 as a brief addition. It proved immensely fashionable with gamers, leading to will increase of over 100% in Day by day Income within the US iOS market within the days following its preliminary introduction (in keeping with our Stay Occasions Tracker), prompting Riot to convey it again as a full-fledged mode in February this 12 months.
Identical to Riot, you should use limited-time occasions to check new gameplay concepts and options. When you’ve recognized an attention-grabbing idea, incorporate this into your content material pipeline as a small short-term mode or characteristic. If it actually resonates with gamers and drums up numerous pleasure, you’ll be able to construct the idea out additional after which convey it again as a everlasting characteristic. This manner, you’re solely closely investing in options are going to be a success together with your gamers.
Seasonal occasions which can be greater than only a reskin
For cell video games, seasonal occasions like nationwide calendar days and spiritual holidays current a simple alternative to introduce thrilling new content material (assume spooky Halloween ranges or festive winter cosmetics) that may drive participant engagement. Nonetheless, with over 90% of the top-grossing 100 iOS video games utilizing seasonal occasions to spice up income, you might want to do extra than simply reskin an present occasion to face out from the gang.
Part 10 is one sport doing simply that, which is why it received our Greatest Seasonal Occasion Award for the informal market. Its month-long Christmas occasion integrated a variety of various gameplay options that provided one thing for everybody.
The primary occasion, Winter Marvel Roll, was centered round a board sport the place gamers rolled cube to maneuver their token ahead and acquire supplies to customise vacation rooms – combining a minigame and renovation parts. On the similar time, there have been additionally indicators of hybridization with on line casino parts (gamers may spin a slot machine for bonus rewards), alongside co-op duties for guilds and a devoted vacation leaderboard, all of which provided further rewards.
In line with our Stay Occasions Tracker, the sport skilled obtain spikes after the occasion started on 7 December, significantly within the run-up to the New 12 months, with will increase of round 160% between 30 December and 1 January. By way of monetization, the occasion was bolstered via IAP affords that had been accessible all through its period. A few of these, such because the Purchase 1 Pack & Get 1 Free (Christmas) Bundle, which contained cube occasion forex required for the occasion and different items, boosted day by day income by as a lot as 20% whereas lively.
If you happen to’re contemplating increasing your individual Seasonal Occasions, do not forget that not all holidays demand the identical consideration. The cell sport viewers contains billions of gamers based mostly in several elements of the world with different pursuits and beliefs, lots of which is able to solely have fun sure events and nationwide calendar dates. For instance, Thanksgiving will probably be of huge significance to many US gamers, however because it’s not celebrated elsewhere, it received’t curiosity gamers in different areas. In different phrases, establish which holidays will resonate together with your particular viewers and plan accordingly.
Incorporating Narrative parts into LiveOps
Like a gripping e-book or TV present, many cell video games use charming tales and interesting narratives to forge a long-lasting reference to their viewers. As soon as gamers grow to be invested within the destiny of the characters and the sport world they inhabit, they’re more likely to return to see what occurs subsequent. By incorporating narrative right into a LiveOps technique, builders can maintain gamers coming again again and again as they unveil every new chapter of the story.
June’s Journey, the informal market winner of our Greatest Use of Narrative in an Occasion Award, took a moderately daring strategy to story-driven stay occasions. With over 70% of the highest grossing 20% of video games on the US iOS market implementing a battle cross, it may be exhausting to do one thing new on this space, and but right here we’ve a narrative-driven battle cross.
The Travels Cross works like some other battle cross: you progress in the primary sport and slowly transfer alongside the reward monitor. The distinction right here is that the sport’s story is tied to the battle cross; the one approach to see what occurs is to progress via all of the layers. It’s value noting that gamers nonetheless obtain in-game rewards, that are elevated for many who decide into the sport’s premium reward layer, however the primary driver is the precise narrative (the identical for each paid and free gamers).
Admittedly, June’s Journey isn’t the primary sport to try a narrative-driven battle cross. The merge sport, Gossip Harbor, additionally launched a profitable battle cross with storytelling parts. Nonetheless, this wasn’t to the identical extent as in June’s Journey, however gamers nonetheless obtained small nuggets of dialogue as they progressed via. Most notably, these gamers who opted for the premium layer received to see an unique a part of the story in the event that they progressed far sufficient.
What can different builders study from these battle passes? Introducing different parts into stay occasions doesn’t essentially imply constructing utterly new modes or expansive gameplay mechanics. For instance, what if narrative was tied to a day by day login or co-op occasion? With some creativeness, you are able to do a shocking quantity with present options to face out.
Summarising the most important LiveOps classes
Whether or not it’s boosting downloads, bolstering income, or driving total engagement, every of our 2024 Cell GameDev Award winners demonstrates the affect an progressive LiveOps technique can have on a cell title. If you happen to’re contemplating sprucing up your individual stay occasions based mostly on the work of our trophy holders, listed below are the important thing belongings you want to bear in mind:
- Use IP to create new gameplay experiences: PUBG’s Dragon Ball Z crossover was so profitable as a result of it used the crossover to offer an expertise that genuinely remodeled the sport for present gamers whereas additionally layering on the fan service for newcomers interested in the IP. To copy that success together with your collaboration occasions, on the very least, you could have a stable understanding of the franchise you plan to convey into the fold.
- Smaller will be extra impactful for social occasions. By specializing in smaller teams of associates moderately than massive guilds, like in Monopoly GO!’s Associate Occasions, gamers will really feel extra like a part of an precise crew and grow to be extra invested within the objective.
- With regards to seasonal occasions, analysis which nationwide calendar days and holidays will probably be most related to your participant base. For an important dates, look to Part 10’s expansive Winter Marvel Roll for inspiration. For others, a easy reskin of a earlier occasion may suffice.
- If you happen to’re in search of extra uncommon methods to drive engagement, injecting narrative design into present parts can successfully get gamers invested in your sport’s world. June’s Journey and its story-driven battle cross are good examples of how storytelling will be launched into preexisting gameplay options.
For extra on our Cell GameDev Award Winners, take heed to Episode 54 of the Cell Video games Playbook. Remember to additionally try the entire listing of winners and nominees for much more concepts on your personal Stay Occasions.