This post is produced in association with Game Insight.
Everybody wants to make the next mobile hit — the new Angry Birds or Candy Crush — then rack up the downloads and and roll in the revenue. However, many mobile developers are going about it the wrong way.
They’re inserting “pay walls” that intentionally slow down gameplay — and turning users off of any form of monetization the game has to offer. Or they may shut down games that lose a few players before they have time to mature in the marketplace. These and other knee-jerk reactions kill off any potential to build a long-term relationship between you — the developer — and the player.
Game Insight is not one of those companies who operates on a “slash-and-burn” mentality. As a global publisher and developer of sustainable free-to-play and social games, Game Insight understands the key to success is to earn the trust and respect from its players, which means doing whatever it takes to make a user’s gaming experience enjoyable and hassle-free. That includes making sure a user’s game profile is easy to transfer when they upgrade to the latest iPhone, or transfer their game to Facebook or vice versa. With over 300 million downloads to date, Game Insight’s strategy is undoubtedly working.
Anatoly Ropotov, CEO of Game Insight, talked with VentureBeat about the company’s approach to the mobile gaming market.
“Nowadays, it’s so hard to launch a new game franchise unless you really tick all the boxes,” says Ropotov. If it’s eSports, you have clans. If it’s a new business simulation game, it has to blow your mind. When you have new gameplay experiences like My Country 3D, then it’s all about preserving the brand trust.”
“Too many companies throughout the years have lost that [trust] by shutting down titles or unseating them too early. So, Game Insight is all about the players and we tried to push our gamers from platform to platform, from generation to generation, and we think this is the hardest part — to run at the same pace as platforms evolve. Transitioning your players from social to mobile nowadays and back to desktop and who knows what else — VR or something like that.”
Ropotov also discussed what game publishers need to do to successfully launch their products in international markets.
“Once you launch a new game experience in a certain region, you have to really explain what it’s all about,” Ropotov said. “You have to really culturize and localize the game with local landmarks, local content, and have top-notch customer support.”
“For example, in Japan the expectation of customer experience is really different from the U.S. You have to serve those customers first and ask the questions later — in case a player has done something bad. You still have to appeal to him and then figure out how to deal with him. There are so many small touches and differences. You have to check out how to be successful in those regions.”
For more valuable insight, check out the rest of VentureBeat’s video interview with Ropotov.
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