· 3 min read

2013 in Review

There’s a saying floating around the Internet which goes something like this: “Time does not pass, it continues.” And, boy, at GameAnalytics it certainly felt like the passing of days just exploded into an avalanche of change, good news and snowball effects in 2013.

Going Free

The biggest move for GameAnalytics last year was the fact that we became completely free. This turned the GameAnalytics tool from “just another analytics service” into a means of promoting analytics in games as an industry standard. But we did not stop there. We took our role as trend setters seriously. To this end, we launched this blog, whose Getting Started section features some of the best (and only) articles on game analytics from renowned researchers in the field. And to ensure our accessibility to small and big game developers everywhere, we became one of the few official Unity partners that handle analytics services.

Features, Features

All of this went on even while we were continuously improving our product and trying to fine tune the tension between complexity and simplicity that is so critical to all analytics tool. Here are some of the best features we introduced last year:

  • We developed the dashboards, a unique way of visualizing metrics and sharing them with your team.
  • Heatmaps made the leap from the Unity editor to their own online section.
  • We took a shot at user acquisition by teaming up with HasOffers and their MobileAppTracking service.

Meanwhile…On the Blog

Titles rose and fell in the gaming industry in 2013, and we tried to analyze their success (or lack of it). For example, Candy Crush Saga from King was one of the most downloaded free apps and the top-grossing app of 2013. We invited several experts to contribute to our attempt to explain the game’s addictive nature; renowned “deconstructor of fun” Michail Katkoff was just one of them.

But we sometimes took matters into our own hands, as well. You should not miss the series of articles analyizing the top-grossing games on the Apple Store. If you’re more into the fun aspects of game analytics, try our piece on the lazy nature of player brains. Or even better, try our advisor Anders Drachen’s findings on player names in World of Warcraft.

To Wrap Up

Overall, it was a great year. We made a lot of friends and clients, some of whom you can meet in our exclusive interviews. These developers range from jack-of-all-trades superstars to small studios who like to think big (genetics big even).

 At this point, you may complain that we have talked so much about the past and mentioned nothing about the future. Rest assured, we have a wealth of new surprises in store for you this year. We want to continue our (so far smooth) journey towards the democratization of game analytics. And this definitely involves dedication, creativity, and pampering those people that have been by our side on the journey thus far.

News: GameAnalytics Goes Free

The GameAnalytics blog Getting Started on Game Analytics section

News: Announcing our official partnership with Unity

News: Introducing the Dashboards

News: Introducing browser heatmaps

Landing Page: GameAnalytics teams up with HasOffers

Beating Candy Crush Saga by Michail Katkoff

An analysis of the top grossing games on the App Store

 

Don’t make me think applied to game design 

Fun Facts about World of Warcraft Character Names

Interview: Whittaker Trebella on Pivvot

Interview: Flying Monkey Interactive on Strangelings