PREPARING TO LAUNCH - Akamai...PREPARING TO LAUNCH 6 Then in 2013, it was announced that the project...

PREPARING TO LAUNCH 1

Nelson Rodriguez

An excerpt from Frictionless

Build Better Video Games, Attract and Retain Players, Grow Revenue

PREPARINGTO LAUNCH

ART IS NEVER FINISHED; IT IS ONLY ABANDONED.

LEONARDO DA VINCI

“

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It’s impossible to finish a video game.The developmentcycle,unchecked,neverends.Youmaynevergetitjustright,but youcanget it good toenough formarket.Thepursuit ofperfectionmustnotbecometheenemyofgood.

Eventuallyyoumustpreparetolaunch.

Everygamelaunchcomeswithitsownsetofuniquefric-tions – the situations andmoments, consequences and out-comesthatoriginatefromplayers,gamers,anddevelopersthatinterferewithsuccess.Theseinclude:

1. Buildingandsupportingacommunity

2. Leveragingtheimpactofindustryinfluencers

3. Ensuringmaintenanceofatechnologyinfrastructure tosupportgameplayvolume

4. Implementingamultichannelmarketingand brandstrategy

5. Establishingafeasiblepricingstructure

6. Andmuch,muchmore

Overcomingfrictionsisanongoingbattle.Managing,minimiz-ing,ormitigatingfrictionsatlaunchrequirescontinualanalysisandproactivestrategies.

InthiseBook,Preparing to Launch,you’lllearnabout:

1. Settingthestageforasuccessfullaunch

2. Consideringthevariablesthatcanimpactlaunch

3. Recoveringfromfaultylaunches

4. Fixingproblemsthatoccurpost-launch

5. Recalibratingmarketingeffortstomaximize product life cycle

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“Artisneverfinished;itisonlyabandoned.”ThisquoteisattributedtoLeonardodaVinci,andifanyoneoutthereintheworld understands this better (and feels it more) than videogamedevelopers,I’venevermetthem.

Theculminationofnotonlyallyourextraordinaryworkongamedevelopment through concept to crunch, but also youroutward community-building, brand awareness, and engage-mentcomesdowntoonething:Launchingthegame.

It’simpossibletofinishavideogame.Thelongerthedevcycle,themorelikelyitisyou’llrunouttheclockontech,slip-pingdowntheslopetowardobsolescence.Themoretimeyougive your team, themore features andassets they’llwant toincludeandincorporate.

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It’snoteventhedevelopment,though.It’salsoqualityas-surance,specifically identifyingandresolvingbugs.Themorefeaturesyoubuildintoyourgame,themorebugsyou’reguar-anteedtoinadvertentlycreateandfeelobligatedtofix.

You’llnevergetit just right,butyoucan(andmust)getitpastthethresholdofgood enoughformarket.I’mnoteventalk-ingabouttheideaofminimumviablefeatures;I’mtalkingaboutnotlettingthepursuitofperfectionbetheenemyofthegood.Thebestleadersknowwhenit’stime,andtheyalsoknowthatthere’snevertimeenough.

SHIP OR SKIP

LikeIsaid,you’vegottolaunchatsomepoint.Seemsob-vious, right?Yeta lotofstudioswage thearms race (or fea-turesrace,ifyouwill)betweenhurtlingtowardadefinitereleasedateandtheneedtoincorporatefeaturesand,especially,crackdownongame-affectingbugs.

Youneedtopullthetriggeroryou’vegotnogame.

Literally.

However...it’salsothecasethatstudiosthatareinvest-edintheiroverarchingbrandintegrityandthatvaluetheircus-tomers (and their customers’ investment) sometimes have topulltheplug,notthetrigger.

In2007,speculationemerged regardinganewand fran-chise-unrelated“next-genMMO,”a“topsecret”projectbyBliz-zardEntertainment. Itwas beingworked on under the nameTitan.Thegamingspacewentinsane.IfitwasanMMO,woulditbeafantasy?Sci-fi?WoulditbelikeaStarcraftMMO?Whatweretheyuptooverthere?

It took until 2008 for it to be verified by Blizzard as officiallyexisting!

By2011, itwasbeing reported thatBlizzarddeemed theproject tobeplayable.By2012,more than100peoplewerededicatedtotheproject.

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Thenin2013,itwasannouncedthattheprojectwasbeingrebooted,with70percentof the teambeingshifted toother,existingBlizzardtitles.Laterthatyear,thecompanyannouncedthatTitanwasmovinginanewdirection.ItwouldnolongerbeanMMO.Apreviouslyleakedreleasedatewasdismissed.

InSeptember2014,aftersevenyears,Titanwascancelled.

Youcouldtakeafewminutestoscribblesomecalculationsandfigureoutwhatthosesevenyearscost—just inperson-hours!Cancelled?!That’ssuicide...isn’tit?

Maybenot.InearlyNovemberofthesameyear,BlizzardannouncedOverwatchandeyebrows rose.Thegame’sopenbetainMay2016attractedmorethan9.5millionplayers.Thatsamemonth,whenitwasreleased,thegamewasestimatedtohavemadeover$265millionindigitalsales.ByOctober2016,thereweremorethan20millionplayers.InJanuary2017,Bliz-zardannouncedthatnumberwas25million.

Integritypays.

Now, the nine-year Titan-to-Overwatch situation is anedge case, granted, andBlizzard’s got somewiggle room tomake thosekindsofharddecisions.Regardless, ifdeadlineshavebeenpushedandthingsarerocky,thequestionhastobeasked:Shiporskip?

In terms of frictions, the abandonment of an entire gamestood a chance of rocking the faith of Blizzard’s devoted fanbase.But it didn’t. Sure, peoplewere disappointed byProjectTitan’scancellation,buttheaboveexampleshowsthatplayerswhotrusttheirfavoritecompanieslearntotrusttheirdecisions,especiallythosecomingfromaplaceofconcernforthesatisfac-tionof thosecustomers.Thealternative is10yearsofplayerseye-rolling andmuttering about vaporware,with the best-casescenarioagoodgamethathasnochancetoliveuptoa10-yearcrescendoofdesperatehopeandlingeringexpectation.

Obviously,smallerstudiosoroneslackingsolidandfoun-dationalsuccessesbehindthemcanrarelyaffordthosekindsof long-termgambles.Sometimesacompanyjusthastoshipandcrosstheirfingers.

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LOVE THE ONES YOU’VE GOT

Before we jump back into launch, I’ll reiterate a majorthemeofthisbookforamoment:Community-buildingisneverdone—notifyou’reintentonbothretainingyourexistingplay-erbaseandgrowingit.

Gamerswant to feelasenseofvalidation.Theywant tohaveinvestedtheirtimeandmoney,buttheyalsowanttohaveinvested their very selves in a brand that other people alsorecognizeasvaluable.Theywanttoknowtheymadetherightchoiceandthattheyaresmartconsumers.

Theminuteafteranewproductgoesonsaleisoftenthetimepeople in themarketingdepartment lose interest.On tothenext thing, theyvacate theirbattlestationsand leavebe-hindahuskofacampaign.Sometimesittakesamonthortwo,butbyandlargethepartyisover,andthecircustentsareallbeingpackedup.“WhyshouldIspendtimeonyesterday’sbighit?”amarketerasks.“Thepeoplewhowanteditboughtit,andnowthatthey’veboughtit,they’replayers,notprospects.I’mallaboutprospects,baby!”

Inaway,thisreasoningmakessense.Ifyoumarketforaliving,there’snosurerwaytoguaranteeaneedformarketersthantoignorethebigmassofpeoplewhojustpaidmoneyforyourproduct.Afterall, ifyou ignorethemlongenough, they’llhavetobelassoedagaininordertogetthemtobuythenextthingyoucomecallingaroundwith.

Even if we don’t want to be cynical— and believeme,sometimes I wanttobe—amarketerdoesn’tgetpaidforcus-tomerservice;theygetpaidtomovepeopletothecashregisterortogetthemtoclick“buynow.”Oncethey’rethroughtheothersidewiththeirbagandreceipt,theymightaswellbeinvisibletous.Butwhataboutstoppingthemfromcrossingbackthroughthatcashregister?It isnowexceedinglyeasyforanaveragecustomertoturnintoamerchantjustweeksafterbuyingyournewproduct.

Amazon,eBay,BestBuy,GameStop,andmanyotherlo-calshopsencouragecustomersto trade inyesterday’shit for

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a store credit or cold hard cash.Yesterday’s customermightspendthatonyourcompetitor’sproduct.Worsestill,theusedcopytheyputbackintothemarketplacemeansalossofanewsaleforyouwhensomeonesnatchesitupatadiscount.Ignor-ingyourcustomerjustbecausetheyalreadyboughtthegameignorestheneedthatpeoplehavetojustifytheirpurchasesandcontinueabrand-centricbuyingpattern.

Thatsendsamessagethatmighthurtyounexttimearound.There’severychanceyouwillwantthoseplayerstocomebacktoyourbrandinthenearfuture.Ifyouthinkacustomersoldisacustomerforlife,I’vegotafewbridgesIcansellyou.Customershavemorechoicesandmoremethods thanever tocomeandgoinandoutofbrandcommunitiesastheyseefit.Yesterday’sMyspaceuseristoday’sFacebookuser.Yesterday’sBlockbustermemberistoday’sNetflixsubscriber.There’llbeanotherZelda-esqueroguelike-like(-like)inanothermonth.

Customersalsohavetheoptionofjustsayingno.Ortheymight shift media entirely. After all, sure there’s that Conan videogame,butthere’salsoaboardgameandtabletoprole-playinggames.Brandloyaltymightslideofflaterallyintootherrealmsentirely—orintoonesthatarecloseenough.

There’sareasonthatcabletelevisionprovidersadvertiseto their own customers.Sure, a cable company typically hasa localmonopoly,and theprocessofswitching fromcable tosatelliteseemstooprohibitiveforsomepeople.ButcustomersalsohavethechoicetocutthecordorstopwatchingTVandplayvideogamesorreadbooksinstead.

Thisiswhytheperiodimmediatelyafterlaunchmatters.

Alot.

We once spoke to amarketing execwho scoffed at theideaofusingcommunity-buildingtopromotetheirbrand.“So-cialmediaisallaboutcustomerservice,”hesaid,“notmarket-ing.” He’s half right, bless him. Socialmedia is, in fact, bestatcustomerservice.Butusingsocialmediaforcustomerser-viceisalsomarketing.Therearenosteelfencesbetweenyourprospectpoolandyourexistingcustomers.Theycancomeand

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goastheyplease,andtheycansharemessagesfreely.Andit’sthebelievable,notnecessarilytrue,messagesthatproliferate.

Howyouserviceyournewlyacquiredcustomersandhowyouhelpthemblendintoyourcommunityarejustasimportantasagimmickymarketingeventdesignedtogettheattentionofnewpeople.

Bear inmindnotonlyprospective fansbut thosewho’veralliedtoyoualready.

BUILT-IN COMMUNITY?

It’spossiblethatyou’vealreadymadethiseasieronyour-selfandyourbrand.Youmighthavesimplyconstructedcom-munitysupportandplayerattractionright intothegameitself.I’mnotjusttalkingmultiplayersupportasanadd-onbutmulti-playerasessential.

As with most things, there are pros and cons (and fric-tions).Amultiplayer-onlyormultiplayer-focusedvideogameisitselfacommunitybuilder.At thevery least, it’sacommunityenabler.MOBAs,MMOs,andmanytowerdefensegamesre-quiremultiplayer.Mostpeoplebelieveallfirst-personshootersneedtohavemultiplayer,oramultiplayercomponent,tostandeventhebarestchanceofsuccess.

Onthepositiveside,it’seasierforasingledie-hardfantoropeinafewcompatriotswhomightotherwisesitonthefence.Replayabilityapproaches the infinite,andvariability isexcep-tional.Goodmapsandlevelsneverfeelstaidorworn-through;they’re familiarbattlegrounds, thesubtlenuances (andnooksandcrannies)ofwhichhavebecomedependable—somethingtolookforwardto.IobsessivelyplayedtheQuake II mod Action Quake 2from1998until2002andlovedit,eventhoughmostpeopletendedtoonlykeepahandfulofmapsinplayrotation.

Anextraordinarymultiplayergamewithadevotedfanbasecanpersistlongafterbettergamesandphysicsengineshavebeendeveloped.Imean,justthinkofCounterstrike!WhataboutDark Age of Camelot?Afriendofmineadmittedlastyearthat

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hewasstillplayingthatMMO,eventhoughitlaunchedin2001and therearedozensanddozensofnewer,shinierMMOs inthewild.

Onedownsideshouldbeobvious:Departingplayerspullothersawaywiththem.Ifyouloseenoughofyourcustomers,either through run-of-the-mill attritionor asa result of a slowstart or release stumble, your remaining customers are farmorelikelytoalsodepart.Ifagame,especiallyanMMO,can’t maintain a certain population threshold, the whole thing col-lapsesinuponitself,orbrandsupportteamshavetobeshrunktoscale,turningwhatmightoncehavebeenavastandthriv-ing game into a niche piece of nostalgia tailored to a few never-say-diefans.

Thereisanotherpointoffriction,andit’sonethat’splaguedevery single multiplayer-essential game that’s ever been re-leased: balance.You have to balancemaps and levels. Theweaponsneedtobecarefullyweighedagainstoneanother;ifWeaponZ is ridiculously powerful, it needs a slow load-timeor limited ammunition. If a particular character class can ab-sorbenormousamountsofabuse,healandbuffefficacieshavetobecrankeddown.Dark Age of Camelot,whichImentionedabove,had45characterclassesacrossthreedifferentrealms(factions)— and that’smultiplied by the six distinct races ineachrealm,whichcouldbecombinedwithvariousclasses!Allofthosecomplicatedvariantshadtobeconsidered,tested,andre-balancedconstantly.Theworkoffine-tuninggamebalanceisneverdone.

Thisintroducesacompany-sidefrictionintheformofdedi-catedsupportteams.Mostmultiplayer-essentialbrandshaveateamor teamswhoseonly focus is tomaintainserverstability,createandbug-fixcontent,etcetera.Again, there’sa revenuethreshold formultiplayer-integralexperiences thatcampaignorsingle-playerbrandsdon’tneedasmuchafterlaunch.

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MORE PLAYERS, MORE PROBLEMS

Andyet...onthefarsideoftheplayerpopulationspec-trumisthefrictionofhavingtoomanyplayers.Generallyspeak-ing,thisissuewilllikelyonlyariseaseitherafailureofplanningorafailureofconfidence.

WhatdoImean?Let’saddressthefailureofplanningfirst.Thisone’sprettystraightforward:Youknowyou’vegotasolidfranchiseorabrandwithabuilt-infanbase,butyoudon’tes-calategraduallyduringdevelopmentandearlytestingviaalphatesting,betatesting,earlyaccessfeedback,salesforecastingandpre-orderindicators.Noneofthesealonecansignaltake-upatrelease,butthepointisthatmarketershaveplentyofop-portunitiestoreasonablyestimatesales.

Thatmeansensuring technology infrastructure tohandleserverloads,whichisaparticularfrictionatlaunchforMMOsandmultiplayer-essential games. Server limits can affect en-thusiastic players, keeping them from getting into the gamethey’ve paid for.Poor technology on the hardware and data-accelerationsidecanresultinpoormultiplayermatch-making.Inaway,we’vecometoacceptthiskindoffriction,despitethefactthatitmightbethemostfixable.Youcanmakeyourinfra-structurescale.It’snotalwaysaseasyaswavingyourhandsandwhisperingtheword“cloud”threetimes,butthere’sstillnoexcuseformissingthisplanningstep.Playershatethesekindsoftechnicalissues,andhaveeveryrighttocomplain.Technolo-gyshouldn’tgetinthewayofthegame.Thecurseofourworld:Ifyourinfrastructureteamhasdonetheirjobperfectly,nobodywillnoticetheyexist.

There can also be optics issues around the number ofpeoplewho’vepre-orderedandwhoare inopenbetaversusthosewhobuyatlaunchandwhoarestilltheredayslater.Thegap between those two can be huge, as can themedia gapbetweenteasedvideosandcurateddemosandthenewscov-eragethat’smostlyspeculation,positiveornegative.Newsandnewmedia coverage at release provide surges in gamer at-tentionandanticipation...orcanshuntthegameclearofftheprecipiceofconsumerinterest.

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Failuresofconfidencecanfallclosely in linewithfailuresofplanning.Afterall,there’snothingtostoplackofconfidence(oranoverabundanceofit)fromaffectingstrategyduringpre-launchphases,thereverberationsofwhichthencarryrightonthroughtoreleaseandbeyond.

Oneofthebiggestwaysthatconfidenceisfeltatlaunchisinmarketing.Somevideogamepublishersspendhalfasmuchasthecostofdevelopmentonmarketingandadvertisingbud-getsalone.Somespend150percentthecostofproductiononpre-launchandat-launchmarketing!Awarenessandmomen-tumarecritical,obviously,butwhat’shardertocalculateishowmuchtospend,where,andwhen.

PRICED TO SELL

BackwhenIusedtowanderthroughthemall inthemid-andlate‘80sandogletheshelvesstackedwiththenewestre-leasesforNintendoandSEGA,avideogamecostaround$50.Itseemedlikeafortunetomethen. In2015dollars, that$50wouldbeabout$84.

Nowconsiderthis:Anewtriple-Agamein2015costany-where between $65 and $70. That tiny price shift over thecourse of three decadesismind-blowing!

Imean,howcanthatevenbepossible?Everyothercom-modityandluxurygoodhasadjustedoverthedecadestoac-countforchangesin inflationandcostadjustment,aswellassupplychainandproductioncostincreases.It’snowonderthattriple-Agamestudioshavecomeunderincreasingpressureinrecentyearstosellincrediblevolumesjusttobreakevenorbeconsideredasuccess.Twomillionsalesmightbedeemedmid-dling—orevenafailurebysomepublishers’reckoning.

Basically,pricesforvideogameshaven’tchangedmuchin20years,whilethecoststoproducegameshaveskyrocketed.

So how do you contend with the existing pricing struc-tures?Itdependsonthenatureofyourgame,butyouhavetochooseafeemodelbasedonfoistingthefewestfrictionsontoyourpotentialplayerbase.It’sbecomethenorm,forinstance,

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tosellatitleatfullprice($60)andthenintroducequalitycon-tentadd-onsasDLC(downloadablecontent)at regular inter-vals.Howregular?Itdependsonthegameandhowengagingitis,includingitsreplayability,butalsohowquicklyplayerswillbeabletoburnthroughcontentandwhetherhavingnewcon-tentwilltranslatetocontinuedconsumptionandenjoyment.

Manygamesalsoincorporatemicro-transactions,allowingplayerstopurchaseminorupgrades,morein-gameresources,game time,acceleratedor reduced timers,aestheticandcos-meticoptions,andmore.Thisisanessentialmodelforfree-to-playvideogames,includingmobileandbrowser-basedtitles.

Butawordofcaution.In2013,videogamecommentatorandcriticJimSterlingcoinedthephrase“fee-to-pay,”ariffon“free-to-play.”Afee-to-paygameisafull-pricedgamewithfree-to-play (read: micro-transaction) elements incorporated. It’spossibleforamodelofthissorttoworkandnotdriveplayersawayorcauseonlineoutrage,butthestrategyhastobecare-fullycraftedandbakedinfromagame’sinception.Thebundledtransactional aspects shouldn’t be game-disrupting pop-ups,whethernarratively integratedorotherwise,and theavailablerewardsshouldbeofatypethatwon’tcauseuninterestedplay-ersfrustration.Inotherwords,theitemsandbenefitsoughttobe earnable in-game and not exclusive to micro-transactionpurchases,unlessthey’repurelycosmetic.

Asforpricingitself,that’saparticularfrictionwhosewatersyou’llhavetocarefullynavigate.TherearetoomanyXfactorsformetohighlighthere—everythingfromdevelopmenthoursand teamsize, toestimated longevityandcontentexpansionstrategies,totheveryformfactororgamingplatform.Afree-to-playgamemightmakeamintwhileatriple-A-pricedpremiumgamesagsfromhopefulblockbustertoglaringlylackluster.I’vewrittenbeforeaboutfirstprinciples,andthatgoesforbrandin-tegrityaswell.Keepaclearsightonhowyoucanbestserveyour customers while being in the best financial position topushforwardwithnewprojects.

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Chargingmoneyisafriction,makenomistake.But it’sabeautiful,necessaryfrictionthatmakesthegamepossibleandempowersyoutomakemore.

HYPE, NOT HYPERBOLE (PART DEUX)

Don’tworry, this isn’ta retread.As I’venotedbefore, thepurposeofpre-launchhypeistogeneratebrandattentionandthenamassmomentum,allowingfanstonotonlybecomeex-citedattheprospectofreleasebutalsotospreadtheirownjoyfortheproject.Brandfanslovenothingmorethantoshareandexultintheirfavoritecompaniesandprojects,whetherthat’sforaTVshowlikeCommunityoravideogamelikeMiddle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Agame’slaunchisthetimetoweightherealityofthegameexperienceversusthenurturedexpectationsofthefanbase.It’sastrangealchemy,becauseyouneedtostokethefiresofinter-estwithoutburningdownyourbrandwithfalseexpectation.

Making matters worse for studios and publishers is theenormousinfluencethattheaveragegamercanhave.Thefirstpeople to stumble upon janky graphics and creature clippingbugscansee theirvideosof that footagegoingviral,alteringtheirperceivedplaceintheorderoftheuniverse,ifonlyforafewdays.Theeffectsaremagnifiedahundredorthousand(ortenthousand)timesifthepersoncapturingthegame’sdisap-pointmentsisaprominentvoiceamongthefanbase.

It’snotonlyamatterofstudio-orpublisher-sidemisrepre-sentation,willfulorotherwise,butoneofsteppingupandad-dressingthefanbase.Atatimewhenallthedigitalsocialbarri-ershavefallenandanyonecantweetandreachouttoanyoneelse,honestyisnottheonlycurrency.Developers,marketers,andbrandmanagersmustalsobe forthrightand transparent.Fewvideogamesreleasedcanstanduptoaplayer’simaginedversionofit,particularlyifthatfantasizedidealhasbeenges-tatingoverthecourseofyearsandwaswell-fertilizedwithac-tualfootageandwalkthroughsofexcitinggameplaythatnevercametobe.

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Andmost studios andmarketers know this. Sometimes,it’sbettertoholdbackalittle—tolethypebemoreeven-tem-pered,sothatreviewsandwordofmouthatlaunchreallybreaktheexpectationbubbleofplayersandgivethemareasontositupandtakespecialnotice.

D-DAY

So far, we’ve talked about the prospect of and specula-tions orbiting launchday, butwhat happensonTheGloriousDayitself?Atleast,Ihopeit’sglorious.Noonelikesseeingaprojectfail,leastofallthoseofuswho’vebeendeeplyinvestedinforgingbrandsuccessesovertheyears.

Your day one strategy is critical. Things will go wrong.(Thingsalwaysgowrong.)Afterall,noplansurvivesfirstcon-tact,andwhen itcomes tocreativepursuits,all resultsseemuncertain,theoutcomesonlyobviousinhindsight.

On the optimistic side, prepare to be overwhelmed.Youcan’tpredictwhereintheworldyourplayersliveandyoucan’tknowjusthowsuccessfulyourmarketinghasbeen.ResearchandadvisoryfirmForrester found that34percentofwebsitevisitorswillabandon thatsite if theyhaveapoorexperience.That’swhyyouhavetobereadytohostaglobalaudience,ataglobalscale.Thatsaid,it’snotpracticaltoestablishaglobalnetwork of server centers, unless you’re launching anMMOandhaveexcellentdatatosuggestyoucan(andmust)sustainsuchan investment infinancial, technological,andhumanre-sources.Instead,turntoacompanythathasinvestedinareli-ableandflexibleCDN(contentdeliverynetwork)infrastructuretodealwiththemassiveinflux,nomatterwherethey’refromorwhatdevicethey’reusing.

You’llalsoneed tomanageyour fanbasegracefullyandwith alacrity, whether distributing highly sought-after betacodesorkickingoffamidnightlaunch.Yourhardcorefanswilllikelybethefirsttocomplain(loudly)ifyourserversstruggletomanagethecrush.Toavoidthisnightmarescenario,prioritizevisitor trafficandgiveyourearlyaccessandpreorderfirst-in-

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linefansanexcellentonlineandconnectivityexperiencewhilemanagingexpectationsproperlyforeveryoneelse.

It’sreportedthat50percentofvisitorsabandonwebsitesafter just four seconds of waiting for a page to load. Gam-ersmightholdouta little longer,butdoyou reallywant theirfirst engagementwith your game to be coming from a placeof frustration?Again, this is a technical challenge, and you’d better be using the best infrastructure solutions possible tomakesuretheveryfirstexperiencewithyourbrandis justasgoodasthegameitself.

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

Weallknowwhataresoundingsuccesslookslike:Finelylaidmarketinggroundwork, longstandingmomentum,agener-ousandhigh-utilityfeedbackloopbetweenearlyplayersandthestudio, excellent release timing, groundswells of enthusiasm,earlyaccess“let’splay”anddemoplay-throughvideosalreadyoutthere,aproductwithagameexperiencethathitseverynoteteasedandpromised,bigsalesacrossretailanddigitalchan-nels,andconsistentglowingreviewsacrossmedia.

Cry“Hallelujah!”andsoundthesilvertrumpets.

Interestingly,fewplayersnoticeagoodlaunch.They’llof-ten acknowledge a fantastic (or at least loud and explosive)launch, but they’ll definitely take note of a botched or poorlyexecutedrelease,almostgleefully,itseems.

Andso,onthestormiersideofthefence,wealsoknow— alltoowell—failure,ortheperceptionoffailure.Isaypercep-tionbecauseanexcellentgame,releasedtosolidreviewsandstrong sales figures,might still be deemed a disappointmentbyapublisherlookingtohaveekedoutbetterratingsandrev-enues,orby themediawhohadcomethrough thecourseofdevelopmenttoexpectmore.

Of course, the prospect of failure looms throughout pro-duction. Funny howwe don’t anticipate success in quite thesamewayorwiththesameweightthatweenvisionfailure.Re-gardless,Ithinkit’simportanttodiscussfailure,itscauses,and

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theconsequences.I’llbebrief,sincethissubjectcouldoccupyanentirebook,andvideogameorthodoxychangesfast.WhatmightconstituteadesignfailureatthetimeI’mwritingthismightbeasteppingstoneforfuturegameexperienceconsiderationsinanotheryearortwo—orbythetimeyou’rereadingthis.

Theword“failure”occupiesaspecialplaceinourculturalpsyche.Humansare intensely failure-averse,despite the factthatsomeofthemostextraordinarypeopleontheplanetcredittheir past failings for their eventual success.We’ll fight toothandnailnottolose$20,butweoftenoverlooksimpleopportu-nitiestousethatsameenergytomake$100.

Inthevideogamespace,failurescancomefromanynum-berofplacesandcauseallsortsofplayer-frustratingfrictions.Always-onlinerestrictionsmightfeelonerousorbepoorlycali-bratedandintegrated,resultinginlongwaittimesasthegamewrestlesitswaythroughthecrowdedcorridorsoftheinternet.Asectionofyourgame thatwasshowcasedatanexpowasremoved and a backlash ensues. Controller responsivenessmight be kludgy, or actions aremapped to buttons and keysthatflummoxplayerswhoareaccustomedtoadifferent,morestandardsetup.

Someoftheseexamplesoffrictionsareontheplayer’sendofthingsandnotthedeveloper’s,andyoumightthinkthere’slittleyoucandoaboutthem.However,inapreviouschapter,IwroteaboutaCall of Duty 4playerwhoneededaspecializedcontrollerschemeandthestudiopushedoutanofficialsetupforhimandotherslikehim.Inotherscenarios,studioscanleten-thusiasticplayersmodifytheirgametosuittheirplaystylesanddesireddisplaysanduserexperiences.TakeThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.Themoddingcommunityforthatbrandisenormous,andthosemoddersareencouragedandsupportednotonlybyotherplayersbutbythestudioitself,Bethesda.Moddingbothfuelsand inspiresstudios’consumerswhileat thesame timereducingtheresourcesthecompanyneedsduringthesustainphaseof theirbrand. It’sa fantasticwin-win,embracedbyallpartiesinvolved,andthatsortofstrategyisabigpartofwhatthenextchapterisabout,whichispost-launchplayerengage-mentandbrandcontinuity.

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ButIwastalkingaboutfailure.Sohowdoyoucomebackfromaless-than-stellarrelease?

HOW TO RECOVER

Stumbles andmistakes during the launch of your gamemay seem monumental and insurmountable, but they rare-ly are, as long as there’s awill and the resources to correctcourse.Always-online server-side issues can be remediated.Weaponorcharacterclassimbalancescanbepatched.

Let’suseamade-upgamefromthelastchapterasanex-ample.Delve MasteristhegameIdescribedas“aludicrouslypacedtwo-tofour-playerlocalco-opretroplatformerthatusesvoxel technology to allow you to destroy and build yourwaythroughasurrealistworld.”

Allright,sowhatwentwrongwiththishypotheticalgame’shypotheticallaunch?

WecanseethatDelve Masterisalocalmultiplayergame,whichmeansyouneedpeopletogamewith.Andthat’snotanoption;it’smultiplayer-essential.However,that’snotnecessarilyabadthing.Afterall,TowerFallhasadominatingmultiplayerfo-cusandit’sreceivedplentyofaccoladesbecauseofit.Thatsaid,TowerFallwasbuiltaroundthepromiseofpartygamingandwas,atfirst,asix-monthexclusiveona localmultiplayer-supportingstyleofconsole,theOuya.ThedevforTowerFallhaddevelopedhisgamewiththatplayscenarioexplicitlyinmind,andthegamemarketingandmediacoveragehadcemented thataspect intothebuddingplayerbasefromtheget-go.

Sadly,Delve Masterdidn’tdothat,anditcameasanun-pleasant surprise to some customers that the game lackeda single-player experience at launch.That could be a sales-breaking point of friction, but the devs ofDelve Masterweretracking feedback, watching early demo play, and readingpreviews by media and game industry influencers. As theysaw thecommoncriticism, theyworked likemad to rolloutafreeexpansionthatprovidedbothrudimentarybotsinsteadofother players, aswell as a simplebut essential single-player

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campaignmode.Follow-uparticlesandcoverageofthegamemadestrongmentionofthisexpansion,andplayersreturnedtocheckoutandtakeadvantageofthatexperience.

Another issue with that hypothetical game? There wereonly four characters (the maximum number of players pos-sibleatone time),andnoneof themwere female.Recogniz-ing their gaffe, the devs quickly re-jigged and modified theircharactermodelsand releasedapatch—for free,ofcourse—thatwascomprisedexclusivelyoffourdistinctfemalechar-acters thatcouldbechosenfromthemaingame’smenuandplayedalongsideanycharacters,originalornew.TheynotonlyapologizedfortheomissionbutaskedafewprominentfemaleTwitchstreamerstorunalive“let’splay”gamesessionfortheirsubscribersaswellasfansofthegame,awin-winforboththedevsofthegameandthestreamers.

Therearemanymorescenariosthatcouldleadtoaperceivedoractualfailure,butthoseprovideataste.Whileit’sabsolutelytruethatsomeissuescan’tberecoveredfrompost-launch,theaboveexamples(andlotsofothersyoucanthinkof)provethatthereareplentyofwaystogetbackintoyourplayers’goodgracesandshowyourdedicationtothemandthespiritofyourgame.

GETTING IN THE GAME

Finally.You’ve got in your hands the game you’ve beenwaitingyearsfor.Youtearthecellophane,crackthecase,slotthedisc, and . . . “Game is nowupdating.Pleasewait.”Andthesedays?Thatupdatecouldwellbe20gigsormore.(Butonthepositiveside,youdidsayyouwerelookingforanexcusetostartreadingTolstoy’sWar and Peace,right?)

Thisisatechnicalfrictionthatcanturnafanintoareso-lute cynic—anda proactive critic.Backwhen I first got ac-cess to the internet, itwould take40 to 60 seconds for, say,aphotograph to fullyappearonmyscreen. (And if someonepicked up the phone, gameover entirely.) Iwouldwatch theresolutionsharpen,startingfromthetop,thehorizontalloadingcascadingslowlydownwardlikeapagecomingoutofaprinter.

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Nowadays,Ihavetoremindmyselftobepatientwhenwaitingthatsecondandahalfforasmartphoneapptostartup.Timeschange,buthumanbehaviorsusuallydon’t.

Comedysketch-style jokingaboutourentitlementcultureaside,onefactisplainandunavoidable:Peopledon’tlikewait-ing,andtheydon’tthinktheyshouldhaveto.Ifyoumakethemwaitwhenitcomestothemengagingwithyourproduct,you’lllosethemtosomethingthatgivesthemthesatisfactionoffast-er,moreimmediateaccess.Gamerswanttoclickandplay.

Andsure,theymightcomeback,buttheyalsomightnot.Increasingly, players aren’t, evenafter purchasing your prod-uct.They’ve got toomany other options to feel they have towaitaround.ImyselfonlyhavetoglanceatmySteamlibraryandlaughwithgood-humoredembarrassment:I’veboughtdoz-ensanddozensofgames,butI’veonlydownloadedaquarterof them,andI’veonlyplayedhalfof those.Obviously,pricingconsiderationsenterintothepsychologicalcalculusofwhetherpeopleusetheirpurchases,butstill.

So how do you get players to actually play your game?Largeupdatesandpatchesareespeciallyproblematicbecausegames needupdatesandquick-fixpatches.Youcan’tgetoutofthisone.Thisisanunavoidablyharmfulfriction.However,itcanbeshifted tobecomeunavoidablybeneficial.Thatdependsonthenatureofthepatch,whetherit’sexpected,andhowswiftitis.

Let’sstartwiththefirstupdatemostgamerswillsee.

DAY-ONE PATCHING

Nogameisperfect.Evenmoreimportant,nogamecan be perfect.Ifthechoiceisbetweenperfectingadinfinitumandre-leasingandupdatingasneeded,well...it’sjustnotachoice,is it? An unreleased game increasingly costs you money. Alaunchedflawedgamemakesmoney.

Entertheriseandnormalizationofthedayonepatch.

Patches and updates are essential. Back in the 1980swhen Iplayedconsolegames, therewerenopatchesorup-

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dates.When I bought theoriginal Legend of Zelda, thatwasit; that was the game. SEGA didn’t release any updates forSonic the Hedgehog in theveryearly1990s, inpartbecauseitcouldn’tandpartlybecauseitgotrightthoseparticulargameelementsSEGAdeemedabsolutelyessential.

Minimumviableproducthadtobemaximizedviableprod-uctbackintheday.

Thatsaid,gameswerealsosimplerbackthen,andcom-paniesmakingthemhadmoretimetopolishthemandensurethoroughQA.Thebugsthatcouldbeinadvertentlyintroducedwereabiteasiertofind,replicate,andeliminate.Honestly,IcanonlyrecallafewsmallerrorsfromoldNESandSEGAgames,andnoneoftheonesIpersonallyhappenedtostumbleacrosswereinanywaygame-breaking.

Butasinternetaccessbecameubiquitousandbroadbandspeedsturnedfromatrickletoadeluge,certainlyingeekandnerdhouseholds,always-ongamingexperienceswerenolon-gerseenasanimpedimentandwerenostrangerthanhavinganalways-plugged-intoaster.

This leadsme back towhat Imentioned before; namely,that day-one patches have been normalized. This is a goodthing.Thisiswhatmakesitpossibletoshiftupdatingandpatch-ingfromunavoidablyharmfulfrictionsandconvertthemintoun-avoidably beneficial ones.Players knowpatchesandupdatesarerequired.They’renotbeingcaughtoff-guardbythemerefactthatyouneedtointerruptorpre-empttheirplayexperience.

RECORD SCRATCH

Justthen,Ipurposefullyusedawordtoseeifitwouldmakeyoustopforasecond.I’lldrawyourattentiontoit:“interrupt.”A disruption can force companies out of status quo plateausandstirupprogress,propellinganindustryorsocietyonwardandupward.An interruption, though, isgenerallyundesirable—veryundesirable. Imagine, if youwill, sittingdownat yourfavoriterestaurantandpreparingtogototownonthefantasticmeal thatwas justsetbeforeyou,stillsizzling.You’vewaited

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40minutesanditlookslikeitwasworthit,butasyougototakeyourfirstdeliciousbite,someonejamsasigninbetweenyourmouthandyourfork.

“STOP.Mealmustnowupdate.”

Icouldfeelmybloodpressurerisingjustwritingthat.

Whenitcomestoplayexperiences,beverycarefulnottointroducetheserecordscratchmoments—incidentsthatruinimmersion,pacing,ortheflowofthegame.Suchinterruptionsincludeuntenably long loadscreensorsudden, jarringquick-timeeventsinastory-focusedgame.Doesyourhackingmini-gamefitwiththethemeandstyleofyourdesignedplayexperi-ence,ordoesitleaveyourplayersscratchingtheirheadsinthefirstinstanceandthenignoringallotherengagementopportuni-ties?

Don’t jamastopsigninyourplayers’ faceswhenthey’reheavily invested inwanting to loveyourproduct.Smooth thewayforthem;don’t interjectfriction.Therearesolutions,bothtechnical and design-centric, that can greatly reduce or hidesomeofthesefrictions.Youjusthavetoprioritizethem.AreyouusingthebestCDN?Haveyoubuiltyourgametoallowseam-lesssideloads?

THE DEATH OF CURIOSITY

Icouldjustaseasilyhaveincludedthistopicintheprevi-ouschapter,butitworkswellhereasitdealsdirectlywithgameplay,andusuallygameplayasitunfoldsearlyon.

It’s become a sticking point for some players—mostlyoldergamerslikeme—thatmoderngamesinvolvetoomuchhand-holding. “It’s too easy,” they lament. “Why even botherplayingandtryingthingsout if thegamejusttellsyouexactlywhatyouneedtodoeverytimesomethingnewisintroduced?”These gamers are used to video games that were made to drop the fresh player right into the game, without any walk-throughs,voice-overs,cutscenes,orintroductions.I’llgiveyouanexample:

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Fade in: A simple room. There’s a character in the cen-ter of the screen. There’s a sword nearby, glinting and easy to spot. On the other side of the sword is the one exit that opens onto an enormous world.

In this scenario, there’s zero hand-holding.A player willtestmovement,pressavailablebuttonstoseewhathappens,movethecharactertotaketheonlythingpresented—inthisexample, a sword— and then wander through the only exitfromthebland,incentive-freeroom.Thecontrastbetweenthatroomandthevastandsprawlingworldbeyondwasstarkandobvious. Itwouldbe likewalkingoutofyourbathroomtofindyourself in themiddleofacityyou’veneverbeen toorseenbefore.Goodluck!

Now,contrarytohowstraightforwardthisseems,itcanbetoughtoqualifywhetherthatexampleI justgaveisanavoid-ablybeneficialfrictionoranavoidablyharmfulone.SincethatexampleisbasicallythestartoftheoriginalThe Legend of Zel-da (1986), and that game launched one of themost popularandbest-sellingfranchisesinvideogamehistory,wemightfeelcompelledtosaythatit’sobviouslyabeneficialfriction!

Again,though,it’sallamatterofwhenyoufirstembarkeduponyourgaminglifeandwhatageyouwere,yourexpectationsofgamedesignandvideogameprecedents,thecomplexityofagame’smechanics,andtheexpectationsbuiltupthroughouttheproduct’sdevelopmentandmarketingcycles.

Tutorialsarethenormingamedesignnowadays.Butwhydidourexpectationsofdesignandour introductions togameexperiences change—orevenhave to change?Oneof thebiggest drivers of the need formore curated introductions togameplayandprogressionisthecurrentcomplexityofcontrol-lersandgamemechanics.

Thereweretwobuttonsonmanyoriginalgamecontrollers,plusamovementpad.Easypeasy.Comparethattoastandardcontroller nowadays, like those for theXboxOneorPlaysta-tion4.Eachhastwoanalogsticksformovementandcameracontrol, four thumb buttons, two triggers, and two bumpers.

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Oh,andaD-pad,whichwastheoldmovementpadfromthosebygonedaysof the ‘80s.Andsomehavetouchscreens.DidImentionyoualsousetheanalogsticksasbuttons?

Itcanbeeasy toseewhymostcontemporarygames in-cludeatutorialorearlymechanicswalkthrough.

Butnowwegettotherealissue:Howintrusiveisthisset-up?Doesitcallattentiontoitselfor istheexperiencenestledintoplayitself?Doesthegamestartwithrudimentarypuzzlesandenemies,allowingyoutocometogrips(punintended)withmovement and basic actions, or do you feel hemmed into aspectator-style“here’showyoupushbuttons,”blatant,in-your-facetutorial?

Some fans,bothcoreandcasual,bemoan thatmore in-trusiveand immersion-breaking tutorialasbeing thefirstofathousandcutsthathasled,generally,tothe“deathofcuriosity”invideogameengagementandinteraction.Optionsareplenti-ful,though.Theeasiestistoasktheplayeratstartupwhetherthey’d likeatutorial,ormakeitpossibletoskipthetutorialatanypoint.Youcouldincludeasortofcompanionordevicethatprovides your players with an in-game, narrative-appropriateinformationand reference resource.Thismight take the formof theGhost inDestiny, a holographic heads-up display thatcanbequeriedorthatwillalertyouifyou’redoingsomethingridiculous, or something like a souped-up version of thePip-BoypersonaldevicefromtheFalloutseriesthatmightprovidemapsandlogsofpasteventsandrecordings.

At the heart of it, youwant to construct your play expe-riencesuchthat theplayersare teaching themselves throughthe joyof discoveryandduringactual play . . . or theyhavethestrongandstill-immersedsensethattheyare.Thiskeepstutorial-styleengagementinthebeneficialquadrantoffrictionsandnotintheharmfulone.

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DANGER, W1LL R0B1N50N, DANGER!

Beyond the actual game itself is a vast and complex—dare I say borderline inscrutable — system of systems thatconspire to deliver your customers’ gaming experience. Thisincludesyourgamemarketingsitesanddigitalstorefronts;thedelivery of games and downloadable content (DLC); the es-sentialaccelerationofdata,includingupdatesandpatchfiles;intelligentmatch-makingalgorithmsforcompetitivemultiplayer;andmaintainingup-to-the-secondleaderboardsandrefreshedscoresandrankings.

Theever-growingand-shiftingdata involvedisextraordi-naryand, forsomecompanies,overwhelming.And thebetteryoumanageit, thelessyourplayershaveanyideathatsuchsystemsevenexisttoservethem.

Accompanyingsuchinformationinfrastructureistheneedtosecureeverythingfromhomepagestoforums,gameserverlogins,andplayer identitydata,nomatterwhere in theworldyourplayersareorwhatdevices they’replayingon.Compa-nies like yourshave faced tonsof threats:more than65percent have comeup againstDDoSattacks, 38 per cent haveknownthethreatofaccounthacks,over35percenthaveseenattemptedattacksagainst theirwebsitesandstorefronts,andmorethan17percenthavefacedattemptsatcontenttheft.

People,gamersnotleastofall,livetheirlivesonline,andthey’re invested deeply in digital spaces. You possess usernames, addresses, purchase histories, credit card data, andmore.Idon’tneedtotellyouthepotentialforlossofbrandin-tegrityasaresultofhackingandtheft,yetonly66percentofgamecompaniesproactivelybudget tosafeguardagainstse-curitythreats.

Datasecurityand informationassurancearchitecturearecritical.Oneof thebiggestcausesofplayerchurnandgameabandonmentisbrandinsecurity,whetherknownorperceived.Morethananyotherfriction,adatabreachorhackisnotonlydisruptive, it’s abortive. Players will either go on hiatus (andpossiblyneverlookback)orstopplayingentirely,atenormous

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costtotheaffectedcompany,andprioritizeplayinggamesonanotherplatform,at leastuntil they feelconfident in thecom-pany,itshardware,anditsabilitytoprotecttheirmostvitalre-source:theplayersthemselves.

Ofcourse,therearegamechallengesbeyondthetechni-calfrictionsofdataacceleration,assuredconnectivity,andse-curity,andwe’vecertainlylookedatafewofthose.Butit’sre-allyimportanttoknowthatit’snotallaboutwhat’sinthegameitself.Someofthereallycontentiouspointsoffrictionarefoundintheunseentechnicalanddigitalspacesthatunderlietheplayexperience.Giveyourplayerbasethefast,flawlessexperiencetheyexpect.Youhonestlycan’taffordnotto.

Allright,let’sshiftgearsabitfromtechnologyenablementanddataassuranceto...

STOP THE PRESSES!

OnadrearydayinNovember2007,adozenofthemostinfluentialanddiscriminatinggamingbloggersflewintoSeattle,Washington.Allof themhad taken timeoff fromtheir real-lifejobsandtheirfamiliesattherequestofoneofthelargestcor-porationsintheworld.Theyhadtakenthreedaysoutoftheirpersonal schedules to spendeighthours locked ina fluores-cent-litconferenceroom.Afterthis,theyspentarainyeveningoutsideaBestBuypumpingupacrowdofconsumersuntiltheweehoursofthemorning.

Theyweren’t there fora jobofferor forasecretgovern-mentmission(more’sthepity,huh?).Theyweretheretopre-viewHalo 3.Theywererecruitedintothemarketingeffortwiththesimplepromisethattheywouldgettoseesomecoolstuffandthateveryonewouldknowtheygottoseeitfirst.

Sowhat ifyourproduct isn’taneagerlyanticipatedvideogamelikeoneintheHalofranchise?Whatifyouarethebrandmanagerforagamefromasmallerstudio?Well,theexamplestillapplies:Givesomegamingenthusiastsearlyaccessandinvolvethemasearlyaspossibleinyourmarketingcampaign.Whynotshipoutsomebetacodesforthemtosharewiththeir

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owncommunitiesweeksbeforeyourgamegoesonsale?Whynotorganizeaneventtogetthemalltogethertoaskquestionsand commiserate? If you’ve done your homework and haveidentifiedtherightevangelists,there’sagoodchancethatmostofthoseenthusiastsaregoingtotellanyoneandeveryonetheycanaboutyournewtitle.Imean,whynot?They’reoneofthefewpeopleintheworldtotrysomethingthatnooneelsehas.Ah,thepowerof“Ihavesomethingandyoudon’t...but,man,lemmetellyouallaboutit.”

Severaltimesayear,dozensupondozensofonlinevideofeedsstreamlivecoverageofmidnightlauncheventsforsomeofthebiggestgamesoftheyear.Inallbutafewcases,thevideofeedsarenotsponsoredinanywaybythepublishersandde-velopersofthosegames.Nope,thosevideofeedsareinitiated,funded,andhostedbyyourdedicatedcustomers.Establishedbloggersandupstartvloggersandvideo-makersdedicatetheirown timeand resources to spendeveningsat their localBestBuyorTargetwithcamerasat theready,allsotheycaninfecttheirfellowfanswiththesamekindofenthusiasmandjoytheyfeelbybeingatthelaunchofabelovedoranticipatedtitle.Thesefanstreatretaillauncheslikered-carpetmoviepremieres.Hav-ingattendedseveralofthesefanexperiencesourselves,wecantellyouthat thepassion ispalpable.Eventhebestmultiplayergamescanbedownrightisolatingwhencomparedtothefeelingofcamaraderieand fellowshipyou’rebathed inwhenstandingwithhundredsofotherecstaticfansawaitinganewandmuch-anticipatedrelease.

Theleaderswhobuildtheselivestreamswanttobeapartofsomethingspecial.Manyofthemarealsolookingtogetno-ticed.Theywant to have their own identities associatedwiththeseculturalevents.Theygo togreat lengths tomakesuretheworldseesthecommitmentandpassionontheirsleeves.It’s inyourpowertodenythemorempowerthem.It’s inyourbestintereststomakesurethatexcitedfansoverallandbrandleaders specifically have every avenue opened for them todiscussyourgamewithandexpandyourbrandcommunity.Ittakesasmuch(andsometimesmore)efforttocloseyourselfoff

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tofancommunities.Letthemsingyourpraisesandkeepyourcarefullybuiltmomentumgrowing,right intoandthroughyourgamelaunch,aswellasthoseimportantweeksafter.

EVERYONE’S A CRITIC

It’simpossibletotalkaboutatitlelaunchwithoutdiscuss-ingtheothersideofattention:reviews,scores,andcriticisms.Thesearevitaland inescapableelementsofyourproduct re-lease,buttheycaneachbepainfulandintroducepointsoffric-tionforpotentialcustomers,affectinghowtheyviewtheprod-uct and are converted to buyers in thewake of your game’srelease.

Criticscanbeattractedearly,justasfansandcommunityleadersare.Infact,manycriticsseparatethemselvesfromthefanbasebyvirtueoftheirharshorcriticalappraisal,eveninthefaceofpopulismandravingenthusiasm.Andpopulismcangobothways.Thereareplentyofpeoplewhoarehappytohatesomethingbecauseothers love it,especiallywhentheyknowhowsocialmediacanbump“thehaters.”Ifagamehasa9/10ratingacross17sitesandonereviewergaveita6/10,canyoureallytellmeyouaren’tgoingtoclickthroughtothatarticleandseewhat’sgoingon? It’sa formofengagementviaprovoca-tion.

Also, youmight think reviewers are the same as critics,butthey’renot.Well,notalways.Theirroleisn’ttodrawatten-tion to specificmechanicsor themes,or to contrast stylesorinfluences.Reviewers typically look at the gameoverall, andcategoricallyorinwaystheythinkothergamersdo,sotheycandescribeandcritiqueitforprospectivebuyers.They’relookingforasummativeview,nottodeconstructthegameexperience.

Bothreviewersandcriticsarecrucialtoinboundandpas-sivemarketing (afterall, they’redoing it foryou),but reviewsandcritiquescangoofftherailsifyourgameishardtounder-standor leaves toomuch room for interpretation.Evenwhenyouseepositivefeedbackthatmisunderstandsyourintentions,it canbehard tohear.Thishappened to JonathanBlow, the

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creatorofBraid,which isconsideredoneofthefirstbreakoutindiegames.Hewaspleasedthatplayersenjoyedthegame,buthebecamedistraughtandpensiveoverthefactthatmostpeople didn’t seem to understand its underlying core, whichwasanartisticandabstractedexpressionofMr.Blowhimself.

THE TREE AMONG THE WEEDS

Todigalittledeeperintotheissueofsprawlingdiscussionsandrigorousdeconstructionsofyournewly launchedbrand, itcanseemreallyhardtouncoverthevalidandhelpfulcriticismsamongallthenoisethatfansacrossonlineplatformsarecapa-bleofgenerating.Trustednewssitesandyourownbrandcom-munitiesareexcellentplacestostart,though.

Theideathatnocriticismisworthlisteningtoifit’snegativeis,let’sfaceit,absolutelyridiculous.Weliveatatimewhenasmallquick-fixpatchcanpotentiallyresolveacriticalgameplayissue that’splaguingaprominentsubsetofyourplayers.Youneedtoknowthataparticularproblemexistsandpossessthecapacityandresources toaddress it.Again,havingareliableandfastcontentdeliveryplancankeepyouresponsivetoyourplayer baseand their evolving needs—andearn you someseriousbrowniepointsfromthosewhoarewatching.Andwhenitcomestobeingcritical,someone’salwayswatchinghowyouperformandrespondtosurgesinplayerfeedback.

SO . . . SUCCESS?

Let’s not jump the gun, huh? Success isn’t determinedat launch,butratherovertheentirelifecycleofyourproduct.Keeping the players you have and growing entrenched fancommunitiesovertimeiswhatyou’reallabout.

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There’s no perfect game launch, and there’s no perfectdevelopmentprocess.Butrecognizingandmanagingpointsoffrictionandworkingactivelytoreduceandeliminatethemwillbuildabufferoftrustbetweenyourcompanyandyouraudienceofplayers.

Let the countdown begin!

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