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Insights and tips about the games industry
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#Data & Analytics
Retention Rate Secrets to Reduce User Churn
Out of all the many mobile industry benchmarks, it’s important to keep player retention rates top of mind. Retention allows marketers to understand when, and perhaps why, a user leaves their game — which gives you the ability to slow the rate down and keep your users around. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of mobile game retention rates and some of the secrets game marketing pros deploy to reduce churn, as well as look at how you can learn from your retention metrics. What’s The Point of Retention Rate? Retention rates are a key indicator of game growth and its health. Not only does a game with better retention likely mean players enjoy using it, but good retention also means it can generate revenue quickly. In the meantime, low retention means rapid user churn, lower user reviews, and...
#Tool & Product
Introducing GameAnalytics Pro – Your Gateway to Deeper Insights
We’re excited to share news about a new initiative we’re rolling out – GameAnalytics Pro. This step towards a paid offering comes from a place of necessity and aspiration. Our aim has always been to provide reliable, insightful tools to help your studio thrive. And to continue improving and expanding our offerings, we are introducing this new premium tier. With GameAnalytics Pro, we intend to augment our service via new tools tailored to meet the evolving needs of your studio. The new premium offer is completely optional. We remain fully committed to our free offering, ensuring every studio, big or small, continues to have access to solid analytics tools at no cost. GameAnalytics Pro is an extra option for those wanting to dive deeper into their data. Why are we launching Pro? The introduction of Pro is a significant move...
#Case study
Insights in Action: VRMonkey’s Rise Fueled by GameAnalytics
VRMonkey, formerly known as Naked Monkey Games, embarked on a journey into VR a decade ago. Although their activities initially evolved around developing smartphone games, in 2015, after encountering Oculus Rift DK1, they decided to pivot fully into VR and AR development. Today, this indie studio comprises 40 dedicated team members who work on their own IPs and collaborate with renowned VR studios worldwide, including The Munky – creators of Drunkn Bar Fight. Among VRMonkey’s portfolio, their co-development of Drunkn Bar Fight stands out as one of their most successful ventures. This game is among the top 20 selling VR Games of all time, and it maintains a steady audience, with more than 100,000 MAU. During peak seasons and featured store placements, this number rises to 200,000 MAU. Harnessing the Power of Analytics VRMonkey recognized that they must fuel their...
#Marketing & Publishing
Influencer Partnerships: The Key to Expanding Your Game’s Reach
Working with social media influencers can open up an ocean of new players for your games. But who are the best influencers to work with? How do you go about finding them? And how can you get in touch with them?
#Ads & Monetization
The Cost of Entertainment: Are Games Getting Too Expensive?
A big topic we see today is people complaining about the price of games for what they’re getting. But why is that? Are studios becoming too greedy? Or are business models evolving so quickly that players can’t keep up with the trends? Let's find out.
#Game Design
Creating VR Experiences: Challenges and Solutions for Designers
Making a VR game is still no walk in the park. It’s very different to what you may be used to building. So what are the top game design conventions that don’t currently translate well to VR? And what can you do to overcome these? Let’s break it down.
#Case study
Roamer Games: Powering Game Development by Combining GameAnalytics and AI
Roamer Games is the new kid on the game development block. They are all about creating a mid-core strategy game that would give you the thrill of Civilization in just a five-minute gaming session. Early in the production, their team figured that to create a hit title, they needed to understand players’ behavior on a granular level. That’s where GameAnalytics’ data tools came into the picture. This case study breaks down how Roamer Games used GameAnalytics combined with AI technology to level up their game development. Understanding Roamer Games’ Needs and Challenges The game Roamer Games had in mind was a cross-platform but mobile-first marvel. Think iOS, Android, and WebGL. It’s a blend of Civilization and Clash Royale – a strategy with a dash of action. The studio needed the lowdown on how gamers played their game right from the...
#Ads & Monetization
Top Ad Formats: The Best Performing Ads in Mobile Gaming
In the ever-evolving landscape of mobile gaming, advertising has become a crucial revenue stream for developers while also providing players with engaging content and rewarding experiences. Mobile game ad formats have come a long way, offering a variety of options for both developers and advertisers to reach their target audiences effectively. In this article, we’ll explore five popular mobile game ad formats that have gained traction in recent years and that will help you reach the top! Interstitial Ads Interstitial ads are full-screen advertisements that appear at natural breaks in gameplay, such as between levels or when transitioning from one screen to another. These ads are typically displayed for a few seconds and can include images, videos, or interactive elements. Interstitial ads are known for their high visibility and effectiveness in capturing players’ attention. Key Features: Full-screen ads. Appear during...
#Guides
The Game Developer’s Handbook to Mastering Data Solutions
Data is the key to success in the ever-evolving landscape of game development. Explore this guide to transform your data into insights using our turn-key data solutions. What’s inside? Our comprehensive guide explores cost-saving strategies and real-world applications for advanced use cases. Learn how to seamlessly integrate data sources, unlock detailed player insights with Player Warehouse, access real-time data with Raw Export, and ensure data privacy compliance.
#Marketing & Publishing
Managing Expectations: The Art of Building Hype the Right Way
You want your players to be engaged with your game, but you don’t want to accidentally break the trust you’ve built up. When developers overpromise and don’t deliver, it can damage their relationship with their audience. Here are our top tips for building hype safely.
#Guides
5 Steps to Building Discord Community
Building a community for your games is crucial to getting new players and keeping them loyal. And Discord is now the number one place to go. But how can you get the most out of this social media platform? Here’s our guide.
#Game Deconstructions
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – A Masterclass in Sequel Design
Tears of the Kingdom adds another tenet to its game: Creative exploration. And that’s why it appeals to absolutely everyone. We look at exactly what we can learn from Tears of the Kingdom and how its design philosophy helps the game appeal to every type of gamer out there.
#Case study
How GameAnalytics Empowers HyperVR’s Immersive VR Games
Analytics is a crucial ingredient to perfecting your games. But it can be a pain if it’s not available for you in one place. That’s why HyperVR use GameAnalytics.
#Editor's pick
2023 Roblox report: Behind the data with GameAnalytics
Download a comprehensive report of Roblox player behavior and game performance based on GameAnalytics data from 2023. This report highlights critical benchmarks and insights to help Roblox creators optimize their games. What’s inside? Devices analysis Players’ daily session frequency Average revenue spent per user Session length and count benchmarks Retention benchmarks Revenue benchmarks
#Editor's pick
The Game Developer’s Handbook to Mastering Data Solutions
Data is the key to success in the ever-evolving landscape of game development. Explore this guide to transform your data into insights using our turn-key data solutions. What’s inside? Our comprehensive guide explores cost-saving strategies and real-world applications for advanced use cases. Learn how to seamlessly integrate data sources, unlock detailed player insights with Player Warehouse, access real-time data with Raw Export, and ensure data privacy compliance.
#Case study
Developing a #1 VR MMO: Ramen VR’s Journey with GameAnalytics
Discover how Ramen VR used data-driven game development to launch "Zenith: The Last City", which became the #1 bestselling game all major VR platforms—including Meta Quest/Rift, Steam and PlayStation VR.
#Editor's pick
Using AI to Supercharge Your Game Art Design
Discover how tweaking AI tool settings can help you generate varied art styles, produce better concepts, and speed up the process from prototype to final design. With AI on your team, creating unique game art has never been easier or faster.
#Editor's pick
Event Design & Tracking Guide for GameAnalytics
Learn how to create an adaptable tracking plan, enabling you to unlock richer insights and maximize the value of your data within GameAnalytics.
#Editor's pick
From Zero to Hero: Tracking Key Success Pillars in Gaming
Our COO, Allison, recently joined Mobvista for the first episode of their "From Zero to Hero" video series. Watch the video today for a detailed overview into tracking three essential pillars of gaming success: Acquisition, Engagement, and Monetization.
#Editor's pick
How studios use DataSuite to find hit games
Learn how successful publishers evaluate hundreds of games per month, to find the next hit game.
#Editor's pick
Among Us VR dev talks about how to create immersive worlds
VR is all about immersion. It’s about allowing players to lose themselves in more than just a game, but a new world. You have to build VR experiences the right way to make this happen. This goal is always top-of-mind for Schell Games. In this interview, we spoke to Schell Games’ Vice President of Product, Charlie Amis, to learn their story. “For VR, you want to make the player feel like they’re actually in the world you’ve created. This isn’t as true or a high priority in PC and console games. If people start to lose that sense of presence and immersion, then a lot of the reason they put the headset on is hurt. They want to go to another world or be someone new. So you need to help them feel like they’re really there and really that...
#Editor's pick
GameAnalytics H1 Update: New Product Improvements!
It’s been a busy time since February, when the largest update in GameAnalytics history was launched. Read on for more information about what’s changed recently, and new functionality coming to the platform very soon.
#Case study
How TapNation uses DataSuite to increase the LTV of 19 hit games by 50% in only 6 months
Smashing obstacles with Giant Rush While they’ve seen huge improvements using DataSuite across their portfolio, one game stands out in particular: Giant Rush. (And not just because the character is huge.) The title has now reached over 140 million downloads. And, through a series of A/B tests and insights from the data they collected, they’ve been able to increase the LTV by a whopping 200% over six months for this specific title. “It’s because we A/B test every day,” Philippe Grazina from TapNation says. “We ask questions like: When are players leaving the game? For example, the boss in Giant Rush. If we spot that they’re leaving at the same point every time, we know we need to make a change. Small details like that really help.” Through these granular insights, TapNation can iterate and improve on their game step...
#Editor's pick
How to Build a Data Warehouse for Games from Scratch
Over our last couple of blogs around data warehouses, we’ve explained how they let you analyze data from across your portfolio and look at what insights you can gather from them. Now, we’ll dive into how to build a data warehouse. What steps do you need to take and what resources will you need? To figure this out, we’ve rounded up the costs, steps, and tools we think you’ll need to get started. Please note, that we haven’t included the cost of running an engineering department (which you’ll need), which can end up being a lot of $$$. What do I need to get started? Before you start, you’ll need to ensure you have the right people. You’ll likely need a software or data engineer, and perhaps an architect or DevOps engineer. You’ll also need to budget for tools like...