Maximising Player Engagement: Essential Strategies for Live Service Games
The team at Helpshift, a Keywords Technology, share some key considerations for supporting and elevating your players’ experience in the months and years post-launch.
The rapidly changing landscape of live service games places additional complexity on support teams and requires a lot more operational expertise. Frequent game updates and the introduction of new content increase the risk of bugs and, subsequently, the influx of player issues. Agile and flexible tools have become indispensable in keeping players happy. A support system strategy should be considered early in the game development lifecycle to ensure the retention of the players you worked so hard to drive to your game.
At Keywords Studios, our Live Services teams believe your video game's launch marks the beginning, not the peak, of its content lifecycle. Following game launch, keeping players invested and engaged in a game, months or even years, after its release requires a strong player support strategy. Below, we delve into some of the key tips for elevating your players’ experience post-launch.
Keeping Players In The Game
Live service games (LSGs) are designed to engage players for months and years after their initial release. To maintain this engagement, modern support systems that provide in-game assistance are crucial. Traditional support methods, like email-based systems, often push players outside the game, which can decrease retention. By offering instant support and troubleshooting within the game, you ensure a seamless and satisfying experience for your players.
Perhaps even more compelling than allowing players the convenience of not having to leave the game is the ability to maintain important context that would otherwise get lost via email or other traditional support channels. In-app support preserves account information and device/version metadata, crucial for effective automation and workflows. Integrated and contextual support experiences speed up resolution times since the problem can either be fully resolved with automation or a lot of the work like account validation can be frontloaded before reaching an agent.
Additionally, contextual experiences provide richer feedback and bug reporting for the product team. By keeping everything within the app, support processes become more efficient, accurate, and beneficial for both players and the brand. This, in turn, is key to a truly integrated experience, allowing AI to leverage all available data instead of a few disparate data points, thereby offering a flawless support experience.
Leveraging Support Data to Create Engaging Games
Support data is a powerful tool for game developers aiming to enhance player retention and engagement. By gathering and analysing feedback and sentiment data, developers can identify what keeps players invested in their games. On the other hand, a lack of actionable data and poor communication between support and Live Ops can hinder the creation of a game that players truly enjoy.
Integrating player support within development teams, along with dedicated “Game Champions” who understand support interactions, enables efficient handling of feedback, bug reports, and suggestions. This collaboration ensures a constant flow of information, allowing for continuous game improvement and optimisation.
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Rewarding Your Players
Sustaining engagement requires making players feel rewarded for their continued participation. Daily login bonuses and timed events are popular methods to encourage players to keep returning to the game. However, if these rewards are not implemented smoothly, they can lead to frustration. Bugs that prevent players from collecting rewards can have a negative impact on retention. Fast and efficient troubleshooting is key to preventing such setbacks and maintaining player satisfaction.
Path to Success
Player support is a cornerstone of successful live service games. Providing seamless and efficient support directly within the game helps retain players, maximise engagement, and increase monetisation opportunities. The collaboration between game development and support teams fosters a continuous flow of information, enabling the game to evolve and improve constantly. As the gaming industry advances, staying ahead of support challenges is vital for paving the path to success.
By implementing these strategies, you can ensure that your game not only survives but thrives in the competitive world of live service games.
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For more on implementing support systems for your players, get in touch with Keywords Studios' Player Support team below.
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