Great article! I'm now pondering a few questions after reading.
Stickiness matters for live-service/f2p and less so for premium games. Is there any info about whether storefront algos are weighing the same metrics for both categories?
Are there other ways to predict stickiness other than measuring real-world retention over a prolonged beta test?
Is there a world where a game that's intended to release f2p gets good market signal, but then the devs determine the game is not sticky early enough such that they can argue pivoting to premium pricing?
Thought provoking piece Ryan, thank you. Id love to discuss more on these "signals" you are referring to. If Steam is getting more like TikTok in the way it surfaces games (algorithmically driven), then what signals can marketers gather that are reliable indicator for success? Is it just the same old "Wishlist's", "Follower Count" stuff Simon Carless tracks in his buzz tracker or is there more to it we are not tracking?
Getting out early with your game and testing, learning and iterating is great for some games but maybe not for others. Does this theory hold for AAA console or mobile?
Last if algorithms are king for discovery then does audience interest marketing matter much anymore? When you open your "For You" page on TikTok they show you stuff, if you take action they try and show you more of that stuff the algorithm doesn't care about any of your personal info like Facebook ads were built on, no look alike targeting. If so does a spray and pray tactic (at lease to begin) work best?
Great article! I'm now pondering a few questions after reading.
Stickiness matters for live-service/f2p and less so for premium games. Is there any info about whether storefront algos are weighing the same metrics for both categories?
Are there other ways to predict stickiness other than measuring real-world retention over a prolonged beta test?
Is there a world where a game that's intended to release f2p gets good market signal, but then the devs determine the game is not sticky early enough such that they can argue pivoting to premium pricing?
can't wait for pt2!
Thought provoking piece Ryan, thank you. Id love to discuss more on these "signals" you are referring to. If Steam is getting more like TikTok in the way it surfaces games (algorithmically driven), then what signals can marketers gather that are reliable indicator for success? Is it just the same old "Wishlist's", "Follower Count" stuff Simon Carless tracks in his buzz tracker or is there more to it we are not tracking?
Getting out early with your game and testing, learning and iterating is great for some games but maybe not for others. Does this theory hold for AAA console or mobile?
Last if algorithms are king for discovery then does audience interest marketing matter much anymore? When you open your "For You" page on TikTok they show you stuff, if you take action they try and show you more of that stuff the algorithm doesn't care about any of your personal info like Facebook ads were built on, no look alike targeting. If so does a spray and pray tactic (at lease to begin) work best?
Look forward to you next piece!