Royal Revolt Post Mortem

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Post Mortem Royal RevoltHow a publisher and a developer joined forces to develop a successful mobile game franchise

All content in this presention flaregames GmbH

POST MORTEM

Kurz erklren, worber der talk geht. Und was royal revolt ist.2

Its all in the mix!

I am a developer.I am a publisher.

Kurze Selbstvorstellung von euch beiden. Und was zur jeweiligen Perspektive sagen.3

THE PUBLISHER SPEAKS

so we needed:

more games, especially in 3D

but from trustworthy devs

flaregames in early 2012:

a few games in development (2D only)

expertise in marketing and monetization (idling)

successful financing round in progress (money to spend)

Klaas: 4

THE DEVELOPER SPEAKSOur situation in early 2012:

wanted to do a F2P mobile game

had some ideas and dev expertise

so we needed:

a partner with mobile publishing expertise

a partner with F2P expertise

project financing

Pete: console-like gameplay. Shorter dev-time. Smaller projects. Toyed with the idea of self-publishing. But: rather focus on development.5

We liked keen because, they...

are very good multiplatform devs

are dedicated to quality

have strong dev pipelines, own 3D technology

are experienced and hands-on can-do guys

they reside an hours drive from flaregames HQ

We liked flare because they...

have inhouse development and understand game dev

have solid monetization expertise

are experienced hands-on guys

were also looking for long-term cooperation

are led by the owner

Met klaas before. Felt like we had the same mind-set.7

We liked flare because they...

have inhouse development and understand game dev

have solid monetization expertise

are experienced hands-on guys

were also looking for long-term cooperation

are led by the owner

Und nun zur ersten Frucht der Zusammenarbeit: Royal Revolt.8

We wanted a mid-core game...

that was roughly in the field of Tower Defense

that was 3D and colourful

that followed the monetisation concept of Army of Darkness

was without multiplayer (our server tech was not ready)

had the potential to be rolled out on multiple platforms

was character-driven

?

We offered a cute take on TO...

cartoony for mass appeal and not too hardcore

colourful, yet reduced to not confuse the player when many units are shown

charming, yet edgy enough to become a brand

reduced optical complexity for small screen sizes

straight gameplay

I am a developer.

Fights were inspired by asterix and obelix.10


11


12

How we work together

I am a developer.I am a publisher.

Kurz was zum Verhltnis, enge Zusammenarbeit, regelmige Checks, aber keine klassische Publisher-Attitde, gemeinsame Anstrengungen.13

How we work together

Game Design.Art.Code.Audio.

Consulting.Marketing.PR.Monetization.Platform Holder Relations.

Dev methods. Prototyping.14

Timeline of production

Brainstorming End of 2011, early 20123 months of prototypingStart of production in March 2012Soft launch in Canada in August 2012Worldwide release: 27.9.2012

After launch:

Android VersionWindows Phone 8 & Metro VersionAmazon versionMac versionMore contentGoogle Birthday LevelBonus-missions: Equinox, Easter, Bamboo, Daily Challenges

Bisschen was zur produktionszeit und zur versionshistorie: erst ios, dann quasi alles15

Angry PrincePrince HarmingRaiding PrinceRushing PrincePunching PrinceStriking PrinceAngry PrincePrince HarmingRaiding PrinceRushing PrincePunching PrinceStriking PrinceKingdoms AttackKick 'em OutLord BogsmartLord CrusherSir Crusher

Why Royal Revolt?

War of the KingdomsRoyal AttackRoyal CrownThe Royal CrownWar of ThronesKingdoms AttackThe Golden CrownThe Golden KingdomPrince Vs. Greedy UnclesPrince Vs. the Greedy KnightsTake the Castles!Game of KnightsCastle HeroCastle Quest Chaos CastlesCrashalot Destructalot

Battle CastlesBogsmartCastle BattleCastle ButtkickCastle ChaosCastle CrusadeCastle CrushGate CrasherHero at the Gate

Ist das nicht ein doofer name? Kann doch keiner aussprechen. Vielleicht, aber hey, das waren die anderen Namen, die wir erwogen haben... Vielleicht ein paar Worte dazu, dass wir dem Thema Bedeutung beimessen bei RR waren das noch einfach Brainstormings, spter haben wir versucht, daraus Prozesse zu machen.

16

We almost forgot iconic enemies...

Focus group tests. 17

We almost chose the wrong icon...

Kurz was zum icon-prozess, mit beispielen. Und die hbsche anekdote, dass apple uns das finale icon vorgeschlagen hat.

18

Experiments in marketing

Bisschen was zu koops, netzwerken, format.

19

Experiments in Marketing

TV-Werbung

20

The game came out and...

Groe features bei apple (und spter bei Google). 1 Mio Downloads in 10 tagen. 21

The success:

4,5 * on average in the AppStores80+ score on average in media reviewsgood game

12 M downloadsgood media recognitionsome awardsgood platform relationsestablished a brandROI-positive

In krze: gutes game, gute production values, gute reviews, gute features, gute downloads22

The failure:

no real storyno softlaunch on Android / W8App-size too big

weak monetizationcouldnt buy profitable installsunpronouncable namesocial features too late

Das ist sicher noch nicht optimal. Mehr Daten?23

Lessons learned:

Windows is a blue ocean, Amazon didnt work out:

Windows! 24

Lessons learned:

Platform holder relations are keyNaming needs a processSocial features should be in from the startSingle Player Games are hard to monetizeBetter monetization needed to scale marketing

Agile development worked outSession length should be shorter, yet meaningfulContent slicing: Dont let player burn through too fast1 currency is not enough

Vielleicht gemeinsam aufsagen.25

But more importantly, we learned about skills/roles

To achieve real success in the mobile market you need to

have someone who does monetization and eventshave someone who speaks to the platformshave someone who does performance marketinghave someone charged with brand-buildinghave someone charged with social featureshave a dedicated task force for server technologyhave someone charged with deployment and locahave a support unithave a tough dev team able to deliver quality

And all these roles have to communicate daily and as frictionless as possible.

Kernfolie: frs developen und publishen von mega-hits braucht man skills, die nur publisher/developer gemeinsam entwickeln26

Lessons learned:

Platform holder relations are keyNaming needs a processSocial features should be in from the startSolo games are hard to monetizeApp marketing is harder than expected

Agile development worked out???

So. Kurz ansagen, dass bei Royal Revolt 2 alles besser werden soll. Aufzhlung in den nchsten Slides.27

Brief for the sequel

multiplayer instead of solocitybuilder gameplaycompetition and leaguescomplex economy (3+ currencys) aimed at a more mature audience

production value even better than Royal Revolt

longer soft launch to nail things down

use infrastructure built by flaregames


Timeline of production

Start of production in Q1 2013Soft launch in Canada in October 2013Worldwide release: 26.2.2014

After launch:

Android Version, Google Birthday LevelFirst update within 3 weeks

Upcoming:

Windows Phone 8 & Metro VersionMany more updates

Bisschen was zur produktionszeit und zur versionshistorie: erst ios, dann quasi alles29

Expand the gameplay

Introducing the castle. Attack gameplay is taken from RR1 and proven already so we concentrated on the castle.30

Expand the gameplay

Build a parcour. No enough variance in pre-set defense, so the idea was born to have the player build his own defense, thus coming full circle to Tower Defense again. 31

Expand the gameplay

New character: meant to be playable at first, now the advisor. 32

Prototyping in Unity

Prototyp in unity. Saved much time. Prototype auf iPad zeigen?33

New server architecture

In the meantime we had developed TW at FG, with the clear goal to develop robust server architecture that could be reused in other games. 34

More than a great gameF2P success requires combining a great game with great service

League of AwesomenessPublishing, Live Operations

which requires a complex technical and business infrastructure

More than a great gameLeague of AwesomenessGame Layer

24/7 Dev OpsPublishing Infrastructure

Shop ServerData MiningSupport ToolsVirality ToolsPromo ServerPlatform PluginsBusiness Operations

Promo & EventsMarketingBizDevCommunityAdSalesData Analytics

Requires infrastructure AND people using the infrastructureShop incl Fraud ProtectionTracking + Analytics, continuous optimizationAll services for iOS, Android, Windows Phone + Windows 8Ready-made plugins to integrate with your game36

In-depth analyticsExample: sales of an item package by user lvl and payer status

Tweaked content to make it more attractive at lvl 26+

37

In-depth analyticsExample: likelihood of progression to higher pricepoints

Individually segmented discounts to induce buying of higher price points

38

In-depth analytics

In den ersten 10 tagen wurden 744 millionen brote gegessen dabei gab es im spiel kein brot zum launch. Erst die datenanalyse im softlaunch hat dazu gefhrt, dass dieses feature eingefhrt wurde.39

Expand monetization

3 currencies: 1 hard, 2 soft

soft currency buys: troops, buildings, spells

hard currency buys: scrolls, speed-ups, soft currency, build space, worker slots

strong focus on packages and monetization events

players gets much hard currency for free at first and are encouraged to spend it fast

Monetization with hard currency (gems) and special offers. Things to buy: speedups, buffs, soft currency I+II, build space40

Expand monetization

Monetization with hard currency (gems) and special offers. Things to buy: speedups, buffs, soft currency I+II, build space. Better segmenting, better tracking. Sonderangebote in spitzen segmenten: beispiele.41

Expand monetization

Monetization with hard currency (gems) and special offers. Things to buy: speedups, buffs, soft currency I+II, build space42

Position the game darker

We started out with the prince has grown up after that initial communication, the word PRINCE was never used again, it was always KING. 43


In softlaunch we even used the subtitle KING vs KING to stress the multiplayer aspect44


Changed the predominant colour from blue to red. Changed the hair from brown to black. Toyed with Tournament as a subtitle. 45

Show trailer46

Virality: FB and beyond

Offen sagen, dass wir weniger social waren als geplant, aber immerhin haben wir schnell die FB page grobekommen. Um die sich jetzt eine dedizierte kraft kmmert.47

Exclusivity on iOS

48

Exclusivity on iOS

Feature, apple untersttzung49

How to get featured

Talk to the platform holders regularlyShow them what yourre doing: art, videos, prototypesOffer exclusivity, even if its temporary Promise marketing spend (they like TV!)Ask their advice, when given follow itImplement platform-exlusive features (controllers, G+ etc.)

Give them the type of polished game they crave!

50

Marketing

BILDER VON JUSTIN

51

Successful release:

No server breakdowns!4,5 * on averageHonored with Features by Apple and Google1.5 M installs in the first 10 days

But:

Slightly overambitious first update


Successful release


Successful release


Again, this is how we work

To achieve real success in the mobile market you need to

have someone who does monetization and eventshave someone who speaks to the platformshave someone who does performance marketinghave someone charged with brand-buildinghave someone charged with social featureshave a dedicated task force for server technologyhave someone charged with deployment and locahave a support unithave a tough dev team able to deliver quality

And all these roles have to communicate daily and as frictionless as possible.

Kernfolie: frs developen und publishen von mega-hits braucht man skills, die nur publisher/developer gemeinsam entwickeln55

Contact us!

flaregames GmbH, Kaiserstr. 146, 76185 Karlsruhe, Germany

flaregames.com | twitter.com/flaregames | facebook.com/flaregames

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Royal Revolt Post Mortem