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#User Acquisition
Winning mobile game ads: Creative tactics to boost user acquisition
If you missed our webinar, you can watch the full recording on LinkedIn or read this recap of the key takeaways. UA in 2024: Adapting to privacy and platform changes Shifts in privacy regulations and platform policies have transformed the UA landscape. From Apple’s SKAdNetwork to evolving MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner) tools, UA Managers and Growth Marketers are redefining their approaches to maximize the impact of limited data. Our panel of experts shared how they’ve adapted, focusing on creative testing, budget optimization, and campaign structuring to maintain performance and compliance. They emphasized staying agile and collaborative: Ensure ad schemas and budgets are adjusted to optimize revenue tracking. Focus on creative assets to better appeal to target audience and ensure cultural and language relevancy. Acquiring high value users rather than focusing on large volume. Work closely with legal teams to navigate...
#Case study
Tower Defense Simulator: Perfecting balance with GameAnalytics’ Data Suite
Tower Defense Simulator (TDS) is a popular strategy game on Roblox, first launched in 2019. Created as a school project, it has since become a massive success with over 3.4 billion visits and an average concurrent user count of 12,000 to 15,000 players. As a tower defense game, TDS emphasizes strategic gameplay, where players must build and upgrade towers to fend off waves of enemies. The game operates on a LiveOps model, regularly introducing updates, features, and events to keep its audience engaged. LiveOps plays a central role in evolving the game, enabling TDS to constantly gather player feedback and iterate to refine the experience. TDS relies on Roblox Analytics to track key metrics like retention, engagement, acquisition, and revenue. For example, funnel events in Roblox Analytics are used to track tutorial effectiveness and identify drop-off points during onboarding. This...
#User Acquisition
Meet them where they are: Using market research to inform your game ads targeting
Once your game is published, you’re always looking to grow your player base. But it’s not just about quantity; it’s about quality. Acquiring users who genuinely resonate with your game is vital to building a sustainable, loyal player base. Therefore, finding the right audience quickly is crucial when acquiring new users. The faster you identify your core players, the more efficiently you can allocate your marketing budget, maximizing ROI and attracting high-quality players likelier to stick around. So, how do you go about identifying these users, and how has targeting evolved to meet new challenges? The shift in targeting: How privacy changes reshaped the landscape In recent years, user acquisition targeting has undergone quite a shift. Changes to Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) policy have led to a new realm for mobile marketers, affecting the ways you can reach and...
#Case study
Midnite’s Strategic Use of GameAnalytics for Game Development Mastery
Midnite Games, founded by brothers David and Julien in 2020, has made a name for itself in the gaming industry, particularly with its hyper-casual classic, Slices, which boasts over 65 million downloads. Initially collaborating with publishers, the studio has recently shifted its focus to self-publishing. Their dedicated team currently includes two developers, two designers, two 3D artists, one producer, and a creative director. As of August 2024, Midnite is working on two games, each at different stages of development. Midnite Studio’s analytics methodology The studio has been using GameAnalytics since 2015 and it has since become David’s go-to tool for conducting gameplay analysis and health monitoring. Using Custom Dashboards, Health and Funnels, he is able to answer questions like: Where does churn occur and what causes it? How can we improve the conversion rate for specific events? How can we...
#User Acquisition
Using competitor intel to optimize your game ad creatives
MarketIQ helps bridge this gap by offering clear insights into what’s working across formats, platforms and more. UA Managers get the metrics they need for data-backed decisions, and Game Marketers get insights on trends and creative strategies to keep campaigns fresh and engaging. As competition is fierce, marketers are hyper-focused on ROAS and want metrics that deliver high-performing campaigns without wasting spend. MarketIQ makes this easier by allowing them to efficiently compare ad performance, analyze top creatives, and spot trends across networks, cutting down on time spent but keeping results high. Additionally, the need for creative inspiration and access to data that shows how different creatives capture attention has been inaccessible to most. With MarketIQ, you can dive into leading creative examples and understand what users respond to, shaping ads that are both targeted and impactful. There is not just...
#User Acquisition
Boost game discoverability with MarketIQ
Game discoverability continues to be a big challenge for studios of all sizes. With an ever-changing landscape of new policies, data restrictions, and a growing competitive environment, it’s the #1 challenge for indie developers and #2 for AAA and AA developers (Game Developer Audience Insights, August 2024). Creating a successful game is no easy task. From initial concepts to launch day and beyond, it requires continuous testing and iteration to find the balance between creating an enjoyable game and running a (hopefully profitable) business. Keeping a keen eye on the performance of your game is step number 1, but to power those insights you need a statistically significant sample size of players to begin with. Bringing us quickly to the first hurdle of game discoverability. To help solve this obstacle, we’re excited to announce MarketIQ – a powerful advertising and...
#Case study
Data-driven decisions in educational VR: The impact of GameAnalytics on GRX Immersive Labs
We’ve had an awesome experience because it’s pretty seamless integrating the API. It’s very easy. We don’t need to worry about the calls or how to integrate properly. We just add the plugin. – Saurabh Saxena, Lead Developer at GRX Immersive Labs. GRX Immersive Labs, a pioneering creative studio, specializes in immersive storytelling and culturally-driven educational experiences. The studio has expanded into developing interactive technologies, including video games. Their latest project, supported by Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, focuses on creating an engaging educational experience that teaches students how to create music. By blending immersive media with culture and social emotional learning, GRX empowers students to connect with their heritage while developing valuable creative and technical skills. Saurabh describes: In the app, students can move through a vibrant, interactive world, creating drum beats, playing the piano, and accessing a library of...
#Ads & Monetization
Creative ways to make your hybrid-casual game more profitable
In-app purchases and advertising aren’t the only ways to generate revenue for your hybrid-casual game. Let’s explore some alternatives.
#GameAnalytics Updates
Recent releases & Legacy tool sunset: What’s new and what’s next
The legacy version of GameAnalytics (V2.5) will no longer be available from 1st of October. We’ve been gathering feedback from users of our legacy platform to identify functionality they miss in the new platform. Most of the requested features are now available, with the remaining areas either in development or set to be released soon. Read on to learn what has been added and what’s coming next. Our previous updates GameAnalytics V3 now live GameAnalytics H1 Update: New Product Improvements GameAnalytics’ Journey to Analytics Excellence – H2 2023 Updates and Improvements Recently added Current day Viewing live data was only possible via our real-time feature, showing data from the last 24 hours. Now, you can view all metrics for the current on-going day (UTC). Select the current day manually or click the toggle in the date picker to disable/enable. Metrics...
#Marketing & Publishing
What do publishers do for mobile games?
This article was originally published on the TapNation’s blog. Mobile gaming has become a thriving industry, with a multitude of games vying for the attention of players. In this competitive landscape, mobile game publishers bridge the gap between game developers and their target audience. They are the ultimate pirates that will launch your games and scale them to new heights. Mobile game publishers serve as a vital link in the gaming ecosystem. They offer assistance in various areas, such as financing, scaling, distribution, and monetization. Their expertise and resources can significantly impact a game’s success in the market, whether domestic or international. Benefits of Working with a Publisher Partnering with a mobile game publisher brings a multitude of benefits to developers. Publishers provide access to industry expertise and market knowledge, offering invaluable insights that can shape the trajectory of a...
#Guides
Top resources and guides for building a multiplayer mobile game
When developing a mobile multiplayer game, there’s an added layer of complexity. It’s not just the technical challenge of connecting the players together, but every element of your game is affected – from the monetization to the gameplay itself. With that in mind, we’ve brought together the tools and resources that’ll help you make your multiplayer game. Which engine is best for multiplayer games? Most engines feature multiplayer support in one way or another, whether it’s built-in or a plugin. Unity. Despite recent concerns, Unity is still the go-to choice for many mobile developers. Not only do they have guides on their website, they also have tons of the backend tools and features you’ll need to make your multiplayer game run smoothly. Defold. Completely free and open source. Defold is a very lightweight engine that’s perfect for mobile games. But...
#Data & Analytics
Game data pipeline: Building vs buying
As a large number of studios, publishers, and game developers are heavily relying on data to guide their decisions, they need to decide between building or buying. But which one is more efficient? To assist you in understanding the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), we broke down the following key considerations: Setup requirements Cost calculation Team needs and recruitment
#Ads & Monetization
Exploring monetization: Using data to guide decisions
The GameAnalytics monetization series: Exploring game monetization: Traditional strategies Exploring innovative game monetization: Alternative approaches Exploring monetization: Maximizing game revenue Exploring monetization: Using data to guide decisions ______________ Why is revenue data important? Having access to data is important for optimizing your monetization strategies and ensuring their effectiveness for several reasons: Insights into player behavior: By tracking purchase events and other business metrics, game developers can gain deep insights into player behavior. This includes understanding which items or features are most popular, how often players make purchases, and what factors influence buying decisions. Performance evaluation: Data allows developers to evaluate the performance of different monetization strategies objectively. They can measure metrics such as conversion rates, average revenue per user (ARPU), and the lifetime value (LTV) of players. Optimization and iteration: Armed with data, developers can iterate and optimize their monetization...
#Editor's pick
Game data pipeline: Building vs buying
As a large number of studios, publishers, and game developers are heavily relying on data to guide their decisions, they need to decide between building or buying. But which one is more efficient? To assist you in understanding the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), we broke down the following key considerations: Setup requirements Cost calculation Team needs and recruitment
#Editor's pick
Mobile gaming benchmarks for Q1 2024
Uncover the industry’s performance with Q1 2024 benchmarks. Explore key metrics like retention rates and session engagement to benchmark your games against industry standards. What’s inside? Retention benchmarks for casual, classic, and mid-core games Session length benchmarks for games launched in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Session count benchmarks across 15 game genres
#Editor's pick
Grow your revenue with Xsolla Web Shop for Mobile Games
“Xsolla anticipated this seismic shift earlier this year, when we launched multiple products that are being actively used by some of the world’s largest game companies to increase profit and build closer relationships with their mobile and pc players. We’ve now combined these products and learnings into an elegant new solution called Xsolla Web Shop for Mobile Games,” said Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla. Through Xsolla Web Shop for Mobile Games, developers can expect significant revenue growth and can reach new players in new geographies previously unavailable to them. This solution solves many challenges developers face; such as discoverability, declining profit margins, lack of control over the user experience, access to localized payment methods, cross game marketing, more efficient user acquisition, effective collaboration with creators and influencers, and much more. Three industry-changing announcements make this opportunity more timely than ever:...
#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
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...