Choosing who takes home the trophies is never an easy task, but this year was particularly challenging for our analysts to judge. We saw games igniting player competition and social interaction through innovative LiveOps events, collaborating with beloved IPs to launch all-new gameplay experiences, weaning narrative threads into their content plans, leveraging seasonal themes to keep things fresh, and more.

If you’re struggling with new ways to build on your existing LiveOps strategy, our award winners (which include the likes of Scopely’s Monopoly GO!, Tencent’s PUBG Mobile, and Riot’s League of Legends: Wild Rift) might just have the answers you’re looking for. In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into some of our choices and reflect on the key takeaways.
What makes a great collaboration event?

We’ve written a great deal in the past about the tremendous impact collaboration events can have on player engagement. Theming a live event around an IP that is aligned with the interests of your player base can reengage lapsed players, bring in new players from the IP you collaborate with, and boost monetization through the sale of IP-based skins, characters, and other items. But what makes for a truly great collaboration event?

With around 40% of the top 10% of grossing titles on the iOS US Market incorporating promotional collaboration events into their LiveOps strategies, picking out the best is difficult. All these crossovers come in different shapes and sizes too, spanning everything from fashion brands, automotive, anime, TV, movies, and even other video games.

Some of our favorites last year included Free Fire looking Marvel-ous with a Spider-Man crossover, Roblox turning pink with Barbie, and even Nier: Automata’s android 2B slicing her way into NIKKE: Goddess of Victory. However, two collaboration events in particular really captured our attention.

PUBG Mobile used the Dragon Ball IP to give Battle Royale an Anime Makeover

First up was PUBG Mobile x Dragon Ball Super Z, which won our Best Collaboration Event Award for the midcore market. This enormous event ran for almost two months, from July 13 until September 4. It incorporated all the usual features in these events, including a battle pass, various gacha, and new cosmetic items themed around the partner IP. However, it was selected for the award because of its comprehensive Battle Royale: Dragon Ball Super game mode.

The mode gave PUBG’s regular map an anime-themed makeover, with players flying across the battlefield as iconic Dragon Ball characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza – each of which had unique abilities and upgrade trees. Players could also pick up tons of Dragon Ball Super-themed loot scattered around the map, including armor and Tactical Capsules. There were also portals players could use to fast travel, as well as “wind whirls” used to fly up in the air.

While the mode followed the same “last man standing” principles of battle royale, playing it felt like a genuinely authentic Dragon Ball experience. It demonstrated a rich understanding and appreciation for the IP that transformed what it meant to play PUBG.

Stumble Guys uses IP in live events to introduce new gameplay mechanics

Over on the casual Market, Stumble Guys fumbled home with the other Best Collaboration Event Award. Unlike the rest of the nominees, Stumble Guys stood out for not just one collaboration event but an entire year of them. Throughout 2023 (and now 2024), Stumble Guys has become a collaborative machine, introducing players to everything from MrBeast, Barbie, Monopoly, Spongebob, Nerf, Rabbids, and many more.

Impressively, every collaboration event is just as well executed as the last and acts as the basis for each new season, complete with a battle pass and a wide range of premium cosmetics. Every collaboration introduces a new map themed around the nuances of the IP, many of which have become a permanent addition for players to enjoy, such as:

• The Barbie crossover was based on a neon pink Dreamhouse map where players race to fetch Barbie’s favorite accessories. 
• kuFor the Monopoly collab, players sprinted past GO on a map inspired by the classic board game.
• The Nerf collaboration turned Stumble Guys into a first-person shooter, with players wielding their own Nerf blasters in-game. 

Stumble Guys understands how to do a collaboration event right and does it right so frequently that it’s hard to pull yourself away because you want to see what it will introduce next. More notably, it’s enabled Stumble Guys to fend off tough competition, with NetEase’s Eggy Party and Tencent’s DreamStar struggling to drum up the same consistent engagement without their own stumbling multiverse.

The power of social and competitive events

Building a sense of community is one of the best ways to retain players and drive engagement. Mix that with a sense of competition, and you have an irresistible combination. That’s precisely what Monopoly GO! achieved with its Partner Events, which took home the Best Social Event Award for the casual Market. 

In these events, a player invites four friends to join them. The catch is that rather than simply becoming a team of five, the main player is partnered up with each friend separately to create four teams of two. Each partner event has a theme (like baking a cake, for example), with each team of two having its own target to reach (done by playing the game and building up event currency). Players receive a special reward if they complete the event with all their partners, encouraging them to make the most of their team-ups. 

Social events with a joint goal are usually based around guilds with upwards of 40 players working together. While that’s relatively great performance-wise, because Monopoly GO!’s partner events are much smaller, players typically take these on with their close friends, who are much more likely to encourage them to keep going. This impact is demonstrated in the game’s performance, with the first Partner Event resulting in a surge in daily revenue last July. Similar boosts can be seen each time the Partner Event returns, which is around once a month. 

We’re not the only ones who took note of the partner events either. Royal Match, Phase 10, Clockmaker, Project Makeover, and other mobile games have taken inspiration from Monopoly GO! to launch their own iterations of partner events – many of which have been successful.

Experiment with live events and identify engaging new gameplay features

On the midcore side, the winner was League of Legends: Wild Rift’s Arena. In this 2v2v2v2 event, fights are broken down into several 2v2 rounds in small arenas, with each team having a limited number of lives. Players are restricted to using a limited pool of randomized Champions, adding an element of strategy to the gameplay. It’s monetized with an Arena Perk Pass that offers extra benefits, such as a new match-to-match progression layer with Seasonal Augment upgrading. 

However, the reason the Arena was selected as the winner was because it’s a standout example of the benefits of LiveOps experimentation. Arena was actually first introduced to League of Legends: Wild Rift in November 2023 as a temporary addition. It proved immensely popular with players, resulting in increases of over 100% in Daily Revenue in the US iOS market in the days following its initial introduction (according to our Live Events Tracker), prompting Riot to bring it back as a full-fledged mode in February this year. 

Just like Riot, you can use limited-time events to test new gameplay ideas and features. Once you’ve identified an interesting concept, incorporate this into your content pipeline as a small temporary mode or feature. If it really resonates with players and drums up a lot of excitement, you can build the concept out further and then bring it back as a permanent feature. This way, you’re only heavily investing in features you know are going to be a hit with your players. 

Seasonal events that are more than just a reskin

For mobile games, seasonal events like national calendar days and religious holidays present an easy opportunity to introduce exciting new content (think spooky Halloween levels or festive winter cosmetics) that will drive player engagement. However, with over 90% of the top-grossing 100 iOS games using seasonal events to boost revenue, you need to do more than just reskin an existing event to stand out from the crowd.

Phase 10 is one game doing just that, which is why it won our Best Seasonal Event Award for the casual market. Its month-long Christmas event incorporated a wide range of different gameplay features that offered something for everyone. 

The main event, Winter Wonder Roll, was centered around a board game where players rolled dice to move their token forward and gain materials to customize holiday rooms – combining a minigame and renovation elements. At the same time, there were also signs of hybridization with casino elements (players could spin a slot machine for bonus rewards), alongside co-op tasks for guilds and a dedicated holiday leaderboard, all of which offered additional rewards. 

According to our Live Events Tracker, the game experienced download spikes after the event began on 7 December, particularly in the run-up to the New Year, with increases of around 160% between 30 December and 1 January. In terms of monetization, the event was bolstered through IAP offers that were available throughout its duration. Some of these, such as the Buy 1 Pack & Get 1 Free (Christmas) Bundle, which contained dice event currency required for the event and other goods, boosted daily revenue by as much as 20% while active. 

If you’re considering expanding your own Seasonal Events, remember that not all holidays demand the same attention. The mobile game audience comprises billions of players based in different parts of the world with varied interests and beliefs, many of which will only celebrate certain occasions and national calendar dates. For example, Thanksgiving will be of massive importance to many US players, but as it’s not celebrated elsewhere, it won’t interest players in other regions. In other words, identify which holidays will resonate with your specific audience and plan accordingly. 

Incorporating Narrative elements into LiveOps

Like a gripping book or TV show, many mobile games use captivating stories and engaging narratives to forge a long-lasting connection with their audience. Once players become invested in the fate of the characters and the game world they inhabit, they’re much more likely to return to see what happens next. By incorporating narrative into a LiveOps strategy, developers can keep players coming back time and again as they unveil each new chapter of the story.

June’s Journey, the casual market winner of our Best Use of Narrative in an Event Award, took a rather bold approach to story-driven live events. With over 70% of the top grossing 20% of games on the US iOS market implementing a battle pass, it can be hard to do something new in this area, and yet here we have a narrative-driven battle pass.

The Travels Pass works like any other battle pass: you progress in the main game and slowly move along the reward track. The difference here is that the game’s story is tied to the battle pass; the only way to see what happens is to progress through all the layers. It’s worth noting that players still receive in-game rewards, which are increased for those who opt into the game’s premium reward layer, but the main driver is the actual narrative (the same for both paid and free players).

Admittedly, June’s Journey isn’t the first game to attempt a narrative-driven battle pass. The merge game, Gossip Harbor, also launched a successful battle pass with storytelling elements. However, this wasn’t to the same extent as in June’s Journey, but players still received small nuggets of dialogue as they progressed through. Most notably, those players who opted for the premium layer got to see an exclusive part of the story if they progressed far enough. 

What can other developers learn from these battle passes? Introducing other elements into live events doesn’t necessarily mean building completely new modes or expansive gameplay mechanics. For example, what if narrative was tied to a daily login or co-op event? With some imagination, you can do a surprising amount with existing features to stand out.

Summarising the biggest LiveOps lessons

Whether it’s boosting downloads, bolstering revenue, or driving overall engagement, each of our 2024 Mobile GameDev Award winners demonstrates the impact an innovative LiveOps strategy can have on a mobile title. If you’re considering sprucing up your own live events based on the work of our trophy holders, here are the key things you need to keep in mind:

• Use IP to create new gameplay experiences: PUBG’s Dragon Ball Z crossover was so successful because it used the crossover to provide an experience that genuinely transformed the game for existing players while also layering on the fan service for newcomers attracted to the IP. To replicate that success with your collaboration events, at the very least, you must have a solid understanding of the franchise you intend to bring into the fold. 
• Smaller can be more impactful for social events. By focusing on smaller groups of friends rather than large guilds, like in Monopoly GO!’s Partner Events, players will feel more like part of an actual team and become more invested in the goal.
• When it comes to seasonal events, research which national calendar days and holidays will be most relevant to your player base. For the most important dates, look to Phase 10’s expansive Winter Wonder Roll for inspiration. For others, a simple reskin of a previous event could suffice.
• If you’re looking for more unusual ways to drive engagement, injecting narrative design into existing elements can effectively get players invested in your game’s world. June’s Journey and its story-driven battle pass are good examples of how storytelling can be introduced into preexisting gameplay features.

For more on our Mobile GameDev Award Winners, listen to Episode 54 of the Mobile Games Playbook. Be sure to also check out the complete list of winners and nominees for even more ideas for your own Live Events.

The post What We Can Learn About LiveOps From the 2024 Mobile Gamedev Award Winners appeared first on GameRefinery.

This has become especially prevalent in the puzzle subgenre, with around 75% of casual puzzle games in the US top-grossing 200 implementing these features. In terms of what this looks like in practice, competitive events in casual puzzle games (as well as the casual genre as a whole) can be roughly broken down into four different archetypes: 

• Solo tournaments 
• Co-op tournaments
• Race events
• 1v1 competitions 

1v1 competitive events, as the name suggests, are events where players go head-to-head against another lone player in a thrilling battle of brains and speed. What’s particularly interesting about this archetype is its rarity. Only 15% of casual puzzle games in the US top grossing 200 have implemented it, despite it proving reasonably effective at boosting performance in several level-based puzzle games.

With that in mind, are mobile game studios missing out on an important opportunity here to boost engagement? Join us below as we analyze some of the most interesting implementations of 1v1 competitive events in top-performing casual puzzle games.

The basic format of 1v1 competitive events

At their most basic level, 1v1 competitive events in casual puzzle games see players competing against a random online opponent over a set time limit to win rewards. These events are typically based on each title’s existing primary gameplay loop, often using similar levels to those users might have encountered when playing alone. These competitive events also don’t tend to require any special currency or paid elements to enter.

These 1v1 competitive events are mainly aimed at players who fit into what we describe as the ‘King of the Hill’ archetype: 

“Kings of the Hill prefer games with a high degree of competition with other players. For this player type, PvP-action is the best (and often the only) way to get the most satisfaction out of gaming. Kings of the Hill enjoy the sense of power resulting from competing against friends, acquaintances, or random people and then outwitting, outmaneuvering, and outlasting them.”

Mobile game developer Playrix is one of the pioneers of this event type in casual puzzle games, spicing up their LiveOps rotation with fast-paced, competitive events.

For example, the Instant Showdown recurring event brings light PvP action to Homescapes. The event, which usually runs on weekends, matches players against an opponent in a head-to-head competition that lasts for six hours. Players aren’t expected to be glued to their phone screen for all that time. Instead, they must simply complete regular levels during that window using as many bombs (a type of in-game booster) as they possibly can — these can be acquired through IAP or by combining five identical puzzle pieces during a level.

Suppose a player manages to use more of these prolific ‘bombs’ during that period than their opponent. In that case, they win the competition and receive a reward – usually a nice set of boosters. Once a round ends, players can start a new showdown with a different opponent to keep earning rewards.

Fishdom is another Playrix game with a 1v1 competitive event incorporated into its Live Event- framework. Like Instant Showdown, the Underwater Polo event sees players go head-to-head to see who can activate the most bomb boosters across normal levels over an hour. Whoever emerges victorious wins a random assortment of boosters.

Recently, Fishdom replaced Underwater Polo with another 1v1 Competitive event called Lighting Duel, which has similar mechanics but slightly changes the scoring rule. Instead of activating bombs, players gather event points by removing puzzle pieces in Match3 levels with the usual Lighting boosters. This adds a fun twist to the scoring as a Lighting booster can remove any one color of puzzle pieces or the whole playing field if combined with another, meaning that the points players get depend on how they use the booster.

The most innovative 1v1 competitive events across the casual puzzle genre: progressive reward systems and incentivizing win streaks 

As more casual games have begun to implement this event type into their Live Events- framework, variations in rules and mechanics have kept things fresh and unique between each title. We’ve pulled together some innovative examples of 1v1 competitive events to show you what we mean. 

Star Blast and Toy Blast 

Peak Games is a big fan of 1v1 competitive events and has been introducing them into titles across its portfolio to varying degrees of complexity. 

On the simpler end is Lightning Duel, a 1v1 competitive event implemented into the soft-launch match3 game, Star Blast, which follows the basic format outlined above. A more unusual example is the 1v1 competitive event Puzzle Duel in their other casual puzzler, Toy Blast. While this match3 title also follows the same basic format, pitting two players against each other who race to use the most boosters over a set period, it twists the formula by incorporating a simple progression reward system. 

When a player wins a game, they are presented with a reward chest full of boosters and the option to move onto a ‘second stage’ against another opponent where they will fight for an even better prize. Should they also win that match, the player can enter a final stage for the top prize, after which the cycle will start over. The losers, meanwhile, are invited to stay on to compete for the same level chest once again against a new opponent. 

Interestingly, the first match in each round of Puzzle Duel is free, but all subsequent matches require players to pay a small amount of soft currency to participate. While this small paywall might seem insignificant, it has a surprisingly strong impact on player behavior. For example, as users only have one free try each round, they’re more likely to give it their all and use up their boosters (meaning they’ll have to purchase more later on). 

Similarly, those players who do opt to part with their soft currency to keep playing will use up their savings, drawing them ever close to that choice between spending or failing. 

Matchington Mansion 

Developer Magic Tavern has taken this idea a step further in Matchington Mansion with its 1v1 competitive event, Bake-Off. Rather than having just three cumulative stages, Bake-Off has a full-blown reward path with clear thresholds players must reach to unlock various items. They advance through the reward track each time they win a match. Should they lose, players are not penalized and are simply matched with another opponent.

Those dedicated enough to reach the end of the reward path are rewarded with a special badge of recognition, which will be displayed on their profile during the event, alongside a chest with even more rewards.

Each iteration of this recurring event lasts for around three to four days, which is significantly longer than the previously mentioned examples; this is to give players sufficient time to advance on the reward path and encourage longer-term engagement. However, each individual 1v1 competition only lasts for 30 minutes, retaining that sense of urgency.

Property Brothers 

An even more dynamic reward system can be found in Property Brothers’ Designer Vs. Designer event. Here, players are matched with random opponents each day, who they compete with to see who is the best property renovator. Players are given an individual versus room to renovate in each match based on set requirements and are awarded points based on how well they can follow those requirements. Whoever racks up the highest score wins.

Like Matchington Mansion, the event utilizes a progression meter with a threshold reward mechanic and requires a soft currency earned in the main game to participate (in this case, Stars, which are earned by completing normal levels). Progression points are calculated based on the results of renovations: winners get three points, while losers drop a point. The rewards up for grabs are mainly soft and premium currency.

Tile Busters 

The Knight’s Challenge event in the mahjong solitaire style puzzler Tile Busters encourages players to maintain a winning streak to earn event points faster. Players earn the most event points when they win a level on their first try and fewer points on the second and third attempts to beat a level. This subtly helps to drive revenue, as players have the option to buy powerful boosters to increase their chances of success or purchase a continue to avoid losing a level.

What is more, Tile Busters has taken a step further in bringing extra competitive elements by introducing the Instant Duel event, making a proper 1v1 synchronous PvP mode with separate gameplay. In the event, players spend soft currency to enter a match against a random opponent, playing the same board synchronously and competing on who clears the board faster. The winner gets soft currency and earns ranking points to climb up the leaderboard, whereas the loser loses their entry fee and -1 ranking point. Moreover, there is a laddered win streak multiplier for the ranking points that players earn from their consecutive wins, and players can pay soft currency to keep it after losing. A higher ranking on the leaderboard gives better reward chests.

Competitive events in other mobile genres 

We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on 1v1 competitive events in casual puzzle games, but that’s far from the whole story. These events have been featured in some other casual games from different genres, complimenting the core gameplay and expanding the event rotation. 

Coin Master’s Coinpetition and Arena of Warriors events 

One interesting example is the casual casino title Coin Master, which has taken the template of other 1v1 events and enhanced it with race mechanics. 

Take the aptly titled Coinpetiton event as an example. Initially, this looks very similar to most of the other events we’ve mentioned; players get paired against a random player in a 30-minute competition and race to see who can gather coins (soft currency) the fastest. However, there is one key difference. In Coin Master, players can actually win before the time limit is up by reaching a set threshold, turning the competition into an exciting sprint for the finish line. 

Coin Master’s other 1v1 competitive event, Arena of Warriors, is largely the same. Players are paired against each other and compete to see who can gather a target number of event points (earned by participating in raids and village attacks) the fastest. After defeating their opponent, players move onto the next stage, competing against a new opponent with a higher point requirement and better prizes – which include currencies, energy points, and special items like seasonal collectible cards.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Arena of Warriors is the UI, which turns the competition into a literal battle – not too dissimilar from a classic fighting game. Each player is represented by a warrior avatar, such as a pig wearing battle armor, which swipes at the enemy as the player moves toward the target threshold. Progression is indicated by each avatar’s health bar, which hits zero once the opposing player wins.

Another great aspect of Arena of Warriors is how it naturally integrates itself within the core gameplay of Coin Master, as it involves spinning the slot machine for a chance to raid or attack other villages. Plus, as three of the same symbols required for raiding or attacking are hard to get, players will usually need to purchase more energy points to be able to spin the slot machine a sufficient number of times to succeed.

Jackpot World – Slots Casino’s Magic Combat event

Having a permanent Coin Master-like mode in a traditional slots game is already pretty unique, and combining that with a robust LiveOps strategy can really spice things up to the next level. 

In recent updates, Jackpot World added a 1v1 competitive event called Magic Combat to its Dreamy Voyage side mode. Magic Combat works exactly like the Arena of Warriors event in Coin Masters. Players are put into random pairs and race to collect the required number of event points within a 30-minute time limit. The winner gets various rewards and advances to the next battle level, which comes with a new opponent and better prizes.

Township’s Explosive Duel event

Explosive Duel, a 1v1 Competitive event, has made its way into Township, a tycoon game with a robust LiveOps strategy. Interestingly, instead of supporting the core gameplay loop like in casual puzzle games, Explosive Duel is implemented as a side event supporting the match3 minigame events. How it works is that players compete against an opponent for a 30-minute period, and whoever gets the highest event score wins the battle. Players earn points by using exploding Dynamite power-ups in match3 levels in the currently running minigame event. 

The minigame events have gradually become a big part of Township’s event framework, so players are incentivized to participate in the event and complete the relevant match3 levels. And, besides the Explosive Duel, Township has implemented additional competitive event types (race and solo tournament events) as minigame-supporting events, which further complements the engagement of players.

Key takeaways: why more developers should consider implementing 1v1 competitive events into their games

All these 1v1 competitive events effectively complement the core gameplay loop of each title, incorporating additional motivational drivers and incentivizing indirect monetization, all without creating too much work for the developers tinkering away behind the scenes. A select few titles have even experimented with this model further to drive direct monetization by implementing features such as win-streak mechanics to encourage booster purchases, as well as monetized retries and continues. 

But the main point is that 1v1 competitive events are quite effective and that more developers should be considering how they can be integrated into their LiveOps strategies so they can reap the following benefits:

• Many developers might be worried about experimenting with player motivations as it might disrupt their performance. This isn’t really an issue with 1v1 competitive events, as they primarily use the same mechanics and content as the main game, allowing developers to see whether there is any positive impact on engagement with minimal risk. 
• If implemented well, a 1v1 competitive event can inspire powerful ad creatives, further boosting the game’s UA by piquing the audience’s curiosity and interest. 
• Adding a brand-new event type with distinct mechanics can provide exciting and refreshing content for new and old players to enjoy, boosting player engagement and retention. 
• As discussed above, 1v1 competitive events can boost revenue performance, as players motivated by direct competitive elements are incentivized to make purchases to help them succeed.

If you enjoyed reading this blog and would like to learn more about competitive events, check out our post on how mobile game developers are driving player engagement with race events here.

The post [Event Spotlight] How Mobile Game Developers Can Boost Engagement In The Casual Puzzle Genre With Competitive 1v1 Events appeared first on GameRefinery.