Blood Brothers 2 explores how to make a sequel to a game people refuse to stop playing

Most games have the courtesy to almost stop existing when their sequel comes out.

Developers have the option to keep the server lights on for heavily multiplayer-focused games for years after release, but even the developers behind the most popular first-person shooter expect player interest to increasingly drop off after six months. Not so in the mobile development, where a successful hit could last as long as the company that made it. Brands like King have little reason to invest in a direct sequel to a game like Candy Crush when no one has stopped playing the existing title. So how does the team behind Blood Brothers 2, a follow-up to a very successful mobile role-playing game, expect to take advantage of the brand name without splintering the fanbase? I spoke with DeNA senior producer Hidde Tonegawa about the project via email and how he hopes to pull of this numbered sequel.

According to Hidde, the best place to start with making a new game that could possibly detract from the old is with tracking fan feedback. Analysis of player behavior and preference began well before Blood Brothers 2 was greenlit. By the time DeNA put a sequel into production, they were able to justify most of their changes with fan criticisms.

“[We had] a lot of time to speak with and listen to our players, both about what they like and do not like,” wrote Hidde Tonegawa. “With the sequel, we took the opportunity to provide many things to our community that we weren’t able to include in Blood Brothers. We took ideas and suggestions from our fanbase and incorporated them into the sequel, and that has been very well received.”

The makers of Blood Brothers 2 are seeking to maintain player attention across multiple games by trying to make each game as distinct as possible, while still holding onto a central brand identity. Anyone that has played Candy Crush Soda Saga is familiar with this concept. The art design of Blood Brothers 2 is vastly different than its predecessor, a “fresh and edgy yet unmistakably Blood Brothers” direction. The shadows may be harsher and the colors darker, but overall the game retains a Western-inspired dark fantasy aesthetic.

Another method employed by the developers to bridge the two games is to make the events of Blood Brothers the distant history of Blood Brothers 2. Some characters and familiar landmarks make their return from the first game, but the designers made a conscious decision to set the story a full century after the events in the original. Returning players will get the franchise references, and new players will not have to fear needing to learn giant amounts of lore.

Above: Advancing Blood Brothers 2’s plot 100 years kept things fresh for newcomers but still relatable for franchise veterans.

Image Credit: DeNA

“Blood Brothers and Blood Brothers 2 share a common world, mythos, and many characters,” Hidde Tonegawa wrote. “…our legacy players can really connect with the story.”

Early returns suggest that the existing Blood Brothers has retained its fanbase after the launch of its sequel, and continues to attract new players. The original demand for change in the game’s formula has created a subset of mobile gamers that have latched onto Blood Brothers 2 as an additional experience which they play in addition to the first.

“We knew this community was still enjoying Blood Brothers, but after a while many were eager for a new twist on the formula,” wrote Hidde Tonegawa. “While we may have a few players move from BB to BB2, we always have a healthy influx of players that try the original Blood Brothers and fall in love. We’ve also received a ton of feedback from players who enjoy playing both BB and BB2 concurrently.”

The lifespan of a mobile game presents quite a conundrum for those looking to build on their success. The durability of strong IP can be a double-edged sword: great for long-term probability if you can somehow manage to innovate long enough within the same game. For DeNA and Blood Brothers 2, expanding their fantasy RPG meant iterating on its predecessor while still distancing the new game enough to not put off new players. Now there is just the matter of whether or not they ever want to make Blood Brothers 3.