Live Operations, also known as Live Ops, is an essential element of game development that guarantees a game's uninterrupted and long-term prosperity. It encompasses the supervision and upkeep of live games, which includes observing player engagement and deploying new features and updates. According to a survey conducted by Newzoo, a leading provider of market intelligence in the gaming industry, 77% of game developers consider Live Ops to be crucial for the commercial success of their game.
In this live game operations guide, we will delve into the primary duties and approaches of Live Ops, with an expertise of our game producers and live ops team and examine how it can influence the overall quality of gameplay.
1. What Game Live Ops Are (And Aren’t)
Game Live Ops, or Live Operations, encompass more than adding new content or updates to a game. Live Ops specialists monitor player behavior and metrics, troubleshoot and fix problems, and build a positive relationship with players through community management. While Live Ops work closely with game development, their focus is on the ongoing management and maintenance of a live game, which differs from creating and designing a game from scratch.
For iLogos, Live Ops is a system for creating and delivering the right content to the right users without releasing a new version of the game. The most efficient way for us to implement liveOps is to use remote configs. Even if the game is offline, the remote configs can be stored on the device. We use it for - Tailored events, Adapted Discounts, Item distribution for different types of players, balances etc.
2. What is the main goal of LiveOps?
The main goal for Live Ops refers to managing and maintaining live games post-release. This involves overseeing player behavior and metrics, detecting and addressing problems, introducing new content and updates, collaborating with the development team, and fostering a positive relationship with the player community.
- LiveOps is needed to make money.
- To make game economy improvements.
- Iimprove Retention as it stimulates players to come back at certain times and Participate in a variety of activities.
All in all, the main objective of Live Operations is to incriase the game income and enhance player engagement through a variety of means.
3. Why It Might Be The Secret To Success For Your Games
Live Ops can boost game success for several reasons. It improves:
- player experience
- engagement
- retention
- community
- monetization opportunities
By working with analytic specialists and offering targeted deals, Live Ops can reduce User Acquisition campaign costs.
Eventually, game developers can ensure long-term success by adopting Live Ops strategies.
4. Ways To Implement Live Ops Into Your Game
Most of the time, players don’t like updates and hate forced updates. So, the idea behind LiveOps was to improve the game performance and bring the best value to the players without an update. This goal can be achieved through admin panels which can change balance, in-app offers, resources and pretty much any aspect of the game configuration.
- New Features: Regularly adding new features and content. This can include new levels, characters, gameplay mechanics, and updates to existing features. Keeping the game fresh and engaging will make players more likely to continue playing and spending money.
- Exclusive Content: Offering exclusive content, such as special items, characters, or levels, that can only be obtained by players who have reached a certain level or completed specific tasks.
- Live Events: Live events, such as tournaments or in-game challenges, can be a great way to implement Live Ops. They can also be used to offer exclusive content or other rewards to players who participate.
- Bundles: Bundle offers, such as discounted packages of in-game items or exclusive content, can be a great way to implement Live Ops.
- Support: Providing excellent customer support is a critical aspect of Live Ops. This includes responding to player feedback, troubleshooting issues, and providing helpful information and resources. Players will be more likely to continue playing and spending money by providing excellent support.
- A/B Testing: A/B testing is a way to test different game versions with a small percentage of players to see which version performs better. This allows Live Ops team to make data-driven decisions on updates, new content, and other changes to the game.
All these steps can help increase player engagement and retention by providing a sense of value.
Generally, we have an admin panel that provides player behavior information, changing their states, bans, and progress history. There is also a tool for editing remote configs for players.
For special offers or AB tests, we use Deltadna and Firebase a lot. In general, the tools are potentially good not only for offers but also for everything that has criteria of targeting, parameterization, schedules, and any kind of rewards. The logic itself will have to be written by the devs.
5. Creating the Game You Want with Live Operations
Creating the game you want with Live Operations involves doing some prep work, planning the Live Ops strategy and executing it. This includes: determining the types of updates and new content that will be implemented, monitoring player behavior and metrics, building and maintaining a positive relationship with players through community management, and executing monetization strategies.
6. Why It Should Be Built Into Your Game’s Design
As mobile gaming constitutes a substantial share of the worldwide video gaming industry and is anticipated to produce more than $100 billion in revenue by 2023, it is essential for developers to consistently improve their mobile games and respond to user requirements.
Incorporating Live Operations into a game's design can help increase player engagement and retention, improve the player experience, identify monetization opportunities, and provide better long-term planning and analytics.
Live-ops offers a means for developers to gain more control and versatility, allowing them to optimize their games and stay ahead of competitors. Additionally, it enables developers to make swift adjustments based on user feedback.
This can ultimately lead to the success of a game in the long term.
7. Secrets To Optimising Your Mobile Game Live Ops
There are several secrets to optimizing your mobile game Live Ops. In summary, to optimize your mobile game Live Ops, focus on player retention, use A/B testing, monitor player metrics, communicate with your players, personalize the experience, optimize monetization, and constantly analyze and adjust your strategy. Let's examine each of these points in more detail:
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- Focus on player retention: Prioritize retention over acquisition by analyzing player behavior, identifying areas where players are struggling, and implementing updates and new content to keep players engaged.
- Use A/B testing: Use A/B testing to test different updates and features with a small percentage of players to see which perform better. Use the data to make informed decisions on what to implement.
- Monitor player metrics: Continuously monitor player metrics such as retention, engagement, and monetization. Use this data to identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven decisions.
- Communicate with your players: Build and maintain a positive relationship with players through communication and engagement. Respond to player feedback, create and moderate forums, and run social media accounts.
- Personalize the experience: Use data about players' preferences and behavior to personalize the game experience for each player. Update missions, implement double experience, time limited content or events, different time limited locations with new currency.
- Optimize monetization: Continuously analyze player spending habits and identify opportunities for revenue generation. This can include in-app purchases, ads, and other monetization strategies.
- Upgrade payment mechanics: Try to involve various features such as special offers, promotions, shopping cart additions, and unique mechanics like slots, piggy bank, or a system where completing five rewards leads to a paid one in the center, unlocking two valuable rewards upon payment. These payment mechanics are utilized in conjunction with an event calendar, which includes a variety of events such as live events, time-limited events, and cross IP events.
- Constantly analyze and adjust: Continuously analyze the data and adjust your Live Ops strategy accordingly. This will help ensure that your game is always engaging and retaining players.
By following these secrets, you can ensure that your mobile game is running smoothly and that players are having a positive experience.
8. Why are monetization monitoring and analysis so important?
To avoid revenue loss, it's crucial to understand a product deeply and analyze monetization metrics from various angles. Check platforms, countries, and paying user segments based on total purchases, purchase categories, and conversion points. It's best if your monitoring system sends alerts when metrics deviate from the norm using the three-sigma rule and metric sensitivity.
9. What is the cost of sustaining LiveOps?
The cost of maintaining live-ops can vary greatly depending on the size and complexity of the game, as well as the specific live-ops strategies. Some common expenses include:
- Development costs: Adding new features, events, and challenges to a game requires development resources, which can be costly.
- Server costs: Live-ops require a stable and reliable server infrastructure to support the increased player activity.
- Tools and Platforms: Many live-ops strategies require using specialized tools, such as analytics platforms, that come with a subscription cost.
- Marketing and Advertising: Promoting live-ops events and updates to players can be costly, especially if you use paid advertising channels.
- Community management: Managing and engaging with the game's community can be time-consuming and require additional staff, which can be costly.
- Legal and compliance: Some live-ops strategies may involve running sweepstakes or contests, which can require legal and compliance expenses.
Overall, it isn't easy to estimate the cost of maintaining live-ops without knowing more about the game and the specific implemented live-ops strategies. However, it is possible to have a rough estimate by considering the above expenses.
Successful liveOps is only possible when the core gameplay has good retention by itself. Also there is a limitation of the running cost of the team. It is not a support cost, it is almost a full development team with an ongoing traffic acquisition.
10. Is it more cost-effective to do it in-house or use a third-party outsource solution?
Handling it in-house can provide short-term cost savings by avoiding the need to pay for third-party services. However, it can become more expensive in the long run, as it may require hiring additional staff or investing in specialized tools and platforms. Additionally, if your in-house team lacks experience, developing an effective Live Ops strategy may take more time and resources.
On the other hand, outsourcing to a third-party Live Ops service may be more expensive, as you will need to pay for their services. However, it can be more cost-effective in the long term, as these agencies have the necessary expertise, tools, and experience to efficiently handle Live Ops. This approach can save time and resources, enabling your in-house team to focus on core development and other game areas.
Ultimately, the best Live Ops approach will depend on your game's specific requirements and circumstances, and it's essential to carefully consider all relevant factors. Consulting with Live Ops experts and conducting a cost-benefit analysis before deciding is advisable.
Learn more about Live Ops services and iLogos Game Studios.
FAQ
What Are Live Ops?
Live Ops, short for Live Operations, refers to the ongoing management and development of a game after its launch. This includes adding new content, hosting events, and making updates to keep players engaged and coming back to the game.
Why Are Live-Ops Important For Mobile Games?
Live Ops are important for mobile games because they help increase player engagement and retention. By regularly adding new content, implementing exclusive content, and hosting live events, developers can ensure that the game is engaging and keeps players coming back for more. Additionally, by addressing issues and implementing updates in a timely manner, developers can improve player satisfaction and loyalty.
How To Implement LiveOps Into My Game?
There are several ways to implement Live Ops into a mobile game. These include:
- Adding new features and content to keep the game fresh and interesting
- Offering exclusive content to incentivize players to keep coming back
- Hosting live events to create a sense of community and excitement
- Offering bundles and support to monetize the game
- A/B testing to determine what updates and features perform best
It is also important to incorporate Live Ops strategies and features into the design of the game from the beginning, so that the game is optimized for engagement and retention from the start.
