"Pavel Ignatov and Andrey Apanasik from Balancy on the 2024 results: 'We released the branch functionality and went beyond Unity'"

We continue to wrap up 2024 with teams that are gaming-related or within the gaming sector. Up next is an interview with Balancy, which specializes in LiveOps. We spoke with the company's CEO and CTO — Pavel Ignatov and Andrei Apanasik.

Andrei Apanasik and Pavel Ignatov

How was the year for the company? What achievements would you highlight?

Pavel Ignatov: This year was very productive for our team. Balancy grew significantly in all aspects — number of clients, active players, and revenue. We now partner with major teams like Lion Studios (Applovin), Kwalee, Joygame, Nukebox, and many others. Growth presents new challenges, but the team handles tasks well and adapts to changes efficiently.

Andrei Apanasik: As for the platform itself, Balancy is becoming more powerful and functional. In recent months, we have:

• Released the branches feature, which is a revolutionary solution for similar tools. Branches address one of the main issues for teams actively working with LiveOps — simultaneous work on multiple features and game versions without conflicts. Now game designers and monetization managers can develop new features on separate branches and conveniently merge changes. This feature also allows for the gradual updating of game balance (partial rollout). As of today, only Balancy offers such a convenient solution among LiveOps platforms;

Visualization of the branches feature

• Expanded beyond the Unity engine. Balancy now supports games on custom engines developed in C++, and also offers an SDK for Cocos.

Pavel Ignatov: We actively share our accumulated knowledge and experience in LiveOps with a wider audience. Here are some educational projects we managed to implement this year:

1. Published the book "Best Practices for In-Game Stores". This is the first of its kind dedicated to game stores. It went viral in major media and social networks. It has been downloaded over 3,000 times. The book can be downloaded for free by anyone.
2. Launched an educational webinar series on our YouTube channel. In these webinars, guest experts from leading companies (like Scopely) share secrets of LiveOps.
3. Became official mentors in the three-month Google Play’s Indie Games Accelerator (IGA) program. We support budding studios and help them develop their projects.

The book "Best Practices for In-Game Stores"

I am proud that this year we not only improved our product and metrics but also contributed significantly to the industry.

How has the LiveOps market changed over the year?

Pavel Ignatov: In 2024, LiveOps continued to be a focus area, just as it had in previous years. This is due to the ongoing challenges of launching new hits in the post-IDFA reality. Statistics show that 83% of new games shut down within the first three years, and only 5% survive for more than seven years (data from the Good Games Don’t Die report by Superscale and Atomik Research).

We continue to observe a trend towards hybridizing the economy. Developers are handling this well. Publishers, who previously earned solely through advertising, are successfully transitioning to in-app purchase (IAP) models and consistently releasing new hybrid and casual hits. They now have proven frameworks and tools for segmentation, event launches, offers, and A/B testing. I am proud to say that many industry leaders benefit from Balancy.

Has the practice of working with gaming companies changed? If so, how?

Pavel Ignatov: We’ve noticed studios are becoming more receptive to using ready-made LiveOps platforms. There's a decline in the belief that developing proprietary tools is the only option. Such solutions are not always the most flexible or cost-effective. Through discussions with studios, we discovered that even creating a basic solution can take a team about two years and cost around a million dollars. And that’s just for basic functionality, which significantly pales in comparison to Balancy’s capabilities. Additionally, any proprietary solution requires ongoing support and a team for maintenance, diverting resources from game development itself.

It’s also worth mentioning that the challenging market situation prompts gaming studios to more carefully choose software. Now, real growth in monetization metrics provided by a tool is prioritized over brand popularity or friendly relations with a provider. In this context, case studies are especially important, and we are pleased that many clients openly share their achievements. For example, the studio Game Garden managed to increase store revenue by 41% in a couple of months with Balancy. This is a great example of how Balancy is not just a convenient tool but a real driver for LTV growth.

What trends in LiveOps do you expect to strengthen or emerge in 2025?

Pavel Ignatov: In the context of current trends, more focus is being placed on personalization. User segmentation (grouping by characteristics such as spending capability, time spent in the game, etc.) remains a game’s foundation. However, developers are increasingly asking how to offer each player the most suitable individual content, offers, and events in real-time. Achieving this effectively remains challenging, but AI technologies promise to help.

We plan to actively integrate AI into Balancy to provide developers with tools for analyzing player behavior and automating personalized offers. For instance, AI can automatically segment audiences based on more complex parameters and predict which promotions or offers are more likely to engage a specific player. This will not only enhance campaign effectiveness but also improve the user experience.

The formats and mechanics of special offers continue to evolve. Their purpose is to capture the attention of players who are often spoiled by an abundance of content. Alongside popular mechanics like chain deals, progress offers, and piggy banks, new ideas are emerging. For example, delayed reward offers encourage players to return the next day, or customized offers where players can select their own rewards. Special offers are becoming true entertainment or mini-games themselves.

Left: Special offer from the game Merge Lords encouraging players to return in subsequent days for rewards. Right: Special offer from Coin Master where players choose part of their rewards for completing an offer.

What are the company’s plans for the coming year?

Andrei Apanasik: We have already created a comprehensive platform that addresses the main developer needs in LiveOps. With Balancy, they can launch events and special offers, segment audiences, conduct A/B testing, and manage game balance and content. Now we aim to:

1. Enhance campaign effectiveness by providing deeper analytics for LiveOps activities directly within the platform. With the implementation of AI-based tools, we plan to offer developers even more opportunities to optimize their games.
2. Add a new module with social elements — leaderboards, achievements, friends, and guilds. This will help studios increase player engagement and build a stronger community around their games.
3. Expand Balancy’s accessibility to more developers by releasing new SDKs for various engines.

We are confident that the next year will be just as productive for our team. We invite all developers to join us on this journey and create exciting and profitable games together.