Creative Mobile: the optimal interval between updates is from 2 to 4 weeks

Today, it is customary to make game services that need to be updated regularly with an eye to user behavior. But what should these updates be? This is what we talked about with the authors of the Drag Racing and Nitro Nation series.

We talked with Vladimir Funtikov, head of Business development and one of the founders of Creative Mobile.

Vladimir Funtikov

Not so long ago, Blizzard was pleased with the expansion of its Hearthstone card game. It was so voluminous that it became an event in itself, for which the American company, of course, prepared the players. But the question is: what should be the "new things"? Should they be so big, maybe very small? How do you make them and why?

We try to update our games regularly, releasing both large and small updates.

About once a year, we almost completely "reshape" the game based on the wishes of the players. This is both new content and a new UI.

For example, for the latest update of Nitro Nation, we completely redrawn the entire interface, changed everything in general, even the structure is different, added a market where players can trade spare parts with each other, and this, of course, not counting new content, cars, and their components.

Such large updates do not just keep the interest, they pull the project up to the latest standards, do not let it become obsolete.

Many games today, including to increase retention, use so-called "events", one-time game events during which the user can receive unique content, some rare bun or just resources. Many developers schedule each event to coincide with the release of the update. How appropriate is it, maybe it's better to do something else?

From our point of view, the main task of the events is to create new short—term goals for the player. Events are one of the most important in terms of retaining and often returning tools.

In our games, we try to create events timed to coincide with any important events in the world, for example, last month Drag Racing 4x4 hosted its World Championship in Brazil. During the event, players were invited to race on the football field and win unique decals to decorate their cars.

It is clear that the regularity of updates directly depends on how quickly the game content burns out. But still: what, in your opinion, is the ideal schedule for updates?

We consider intervals from 2 to 4 weeks to be optimal, but it is worth starting, first of all, from the speed at which it is possible to produce high-quality content. Players get tired of games that constantly require updates, but do not change significantly.

It is a good practice to alternate large updates that add new content and functionality with smaller ones aimed at optimization and polishing.

What are you doing to slow down the burnout of content?

The obsolescence of content largely depends on the initial variability. Take Minecraft, for example, where the main content in the game is simple building blocks, but the game world allows players to use these blocks in millions of different ways, which creates variability. This is what we are trying to achieve with Nitro Nation. There are more than 500 unique parts for each car in the game and it takes a lot of time for players to find the optimal combination.  NN also inherited the gearbox tuning option from Drag Racing. The correct selection of gear ratios can significantly improve the time to complete the distance, but serious research work with each new car is needed for success.

When planning an update or a new feature, we always listen to the opinion of our players. We constantly receive messages by email, on social networks and on the forum with requests to add something to the game. As far as possible, we implement these ideas, constantly modifying the game in accordance with the wishes of the players.

Of course, most often players ask to add new cars. It looks like a very attractive way to maintain interest in the game, provided that the developer has a good relationship with automakers. But even here you need to keep a balance, because after the fans have played enough with the new car, it turns into a dead weight for most players. We prefer to accompany new content with thematic competitions and work with the audience through social networks.

And the last question, it's not so much about updates as about monetization. In Nitro Nation, the player can not only pump the car, but also spend in-game resources to change their appearance, which does not always affect the characteristics of cars. What do players spend more and more often on?

Basically, players spend money on functional things, since visual modifications are relatively inexpensive. Nitro Nation gives a creative person a lot of freedom, allowing them to paint individual parts, place stickers in several layers and create absolutely unique patterns from primitives.  Therefore, the creation of a successful design depends more on artistic taste than on the thickness of the wallet.

Thanks for the interview!