- In September earnings were almost 50% higher than in January
- The game is still in active development, with further iterations planned
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Azur Games‘ Kingdom Clash was released in 2021. The title was inspired by the best features already present in the battler genre.
This initial release returned steady metrics, but over the next four months, the team worked on new features to boost the game’s growth further. One of the game’s biggest additions was a PvP element, which has gone on to become its primary driver of monetisation.
In this guest post, Azur Games’ producer Nikolay Alekseev shares a behind-the-scenes look at how the team has experimented with various iterations and features for Kingdom Clash and the impact those changes have had on the title’s metrics.
Kingdom Clash started as a typical battler with classic balance and mechanics but went through many iterations.
Not all experiments were successful, but the game has been consistently earning around $500,000 monthly and continues active development.
I’ll mention up front that the biggest boosts to monetisation came from experimenting with the campaign difficulty and developing PvP.
Initially, Kingdom Clash aimed to take all the best features from existing battlers, combine them, see how they worked, and start making improvements.
Initially, Kingdom Clash aimed to take all the best features from existing battlers, combine them, see how they worked, and start making improvements.
The only thing we quickly abandoned was the classic mediaeval setting without magic and dragons. It became clear almost right away that, without fantasy elements, it would be harder to develop the game and add new mechanics in the long term. This was crucial since our main projects have lifespans of five years or more.
Upon release at the end of 2021, we offered:
- A campaign featuring two hours of unique content, though the total number of levels was higher from the start.
- Basic combat with a starting set of troops and heroes (14 types of units and three heroes). We also included avatars of future heroes from the beginning, as it is vital in mid-core games to create an immediate sense of a complete project.
- PvE battles against bots.
- A battle pass and a store with main offers for both soft and hard currencies.
This was enough for our initial Android launch to achieve:
- R1 above 40%
- R7 between 12-13%
- R30 around 2%
- Average playtime of approximately 35 minutes.
These were decent metrics, prompting us to focus on developing the project further.
During the first four months, we observed how the campaign performed, analysing the effectiveness of classic approaches from competitors.
Simultaneously, we began working on PvP (which, spoiler alert, ended up becoming the primary driver of monetisation). Initially, user acquisition was limited, with our main focus on adding new content.
Campaign and PvP
The campaign was one of the key modes to maintain player interest, especially in the early phases of the game’s life cycle.
The campaign was one of the key modes to maintain player interest, especially in the early phases of the game’s life cycle.
At first, we adopted a progression model for players to advance through levels used in popular battlers. The first iteration lacked significant “blockers” with powerful enemy squads that would require players to farm in side modes or purchase in-app items.
We experimented and eventually added a “blocker” at level 50, which players usually encounter toward the end of the first day’s game session.
This change led to a notable boost in in-app purchases and conversion to the first purchase:
- cARPU on 30D increased by 25%
- cNPU also saw a 25% rise
The first reason is that during the first hour of gameplay, the experience is very dynamic, with a lot of content being unlocked, new squads appearing, and players experimenting with formations. They’re eager to see what comes next. And second, PvP, which was ready by then, unlocks after level 50.
We experimented with placing similar challenging moments every 50-100 levels (e.g., levels 100, 150, and so on), but the effect was different: players began playing the campaign less and turned more towards PvP.
We think this shift occurred because the campaign’s pace gradually slowed. Initially, the sessions were thrilling, but eventually, the amount of new content dwindled, and players found competing against each other more engaging.
We’re still working on refining the balance – rather than adding new hard blockers, we’re spreading out tougher but manageable levels more evenly throughout the campaign. Players now only need to tweak their formation or farm some soft currency through daily quests to buy a couple of extra squads.
A softer and more intricate type of blocker we used involved implementing more challenging bosses. Players needed to farm inside activities, which couldn’t all be done in one day due to timers.
Here, players had a choice:
- Continue farming soft currency in activities that unlock over time.
- Purchase a minimal offer to complete the level immediately.
If the campaign is genuinely exciting and gives players a positive experience, they often opt for in-app purchases to speed up progress after the first hour.
If the campaign is genuinely exciting and gives players a positive experience, they often opt for in-app purchases to speed up progress after the first hour, as it feels non-intrusive. Nothing is forced; it merely provides an option for faster advancement.
After 200 to 300 levels, most players tend to favour PvP over the campaign, making PvP the main monetisation driver.
Leaderboards became the key motivator for players. Being at the top required not only having a powerful army but also logging in daily and fighting other players.
We continue to introduce new squads and heroes that influence battle strategies. Although there isn’t a strict rock-paper-scissors approach, tactics and squad choices do matter. Players even create YouTube content on forming squads and discuss game updates and new arrivals.
Combat
We currently have three factions in the game: humans, mages, and undead. There are around 40 units and 30 heroes available.
- Humans fight with melee units and archers.
- Mages cast spells.
- Undead resurrect allies, summon minions, poison enemies, etc.
The core goal of the game is to build a strong, balanced army to defeat opponents.
Players can recruit units from any faction, but the talents and buffs of legendary heroes only benefit units of their respective faction. Thus, when playing with a human hero, it’s preferable to assemble an army from the human faction.
There are no classic patterns in the game, such as knights beating archers, pikemen beating knights, archers beating infantry, but certain choices create natural advantages. For instance, we added assassins who jump behind enemy lines to attack from the rear, then countered them with explosive spiders that kill assassins if placed at the back.
We have a big community that actively shapes these formations, contributing to the game’s meta through shared experiences.
Another example is necromancers and cursed catapults that summon waves of skeletons, which can be effectively countered by Edelina, the Forest Queen, who reflects damage for mage units if led by her. Catapults, in particular, fall to this hero, failing to spawn many skeletons.
Troop positioning is up to the player, without fixed rules. We have a big community that actively shapes these formations, contributing to the game’s meta through shared experiences.
Bosses
Adding bosses improved both long-term retention and monetisation. Currently, there are three bosses, each with unique mechanics:
- The Dragon tilts the platform, forcing players to quickly reposition their army to avoid damage.
- The Spider summons hordes of smaller spiders and activates the ability to redirect player attacks to them. Players must clear them as fast as possible.
- The Kraken captures 15-20 units with its tentacles and throws them into its mouth. Players must fire cannons at the right moment to save their units.
These boss fights motivate players to create specialised formations. For example, legendary units that gain increased damage every third attack are great for bosses but less effective in the arena, where constant movement and other strong units reduce their effectiveness.
During boss battles, however, these units stay stationary and continuously attack the same target. This lets them do substantial damage, and, combined with alchemists who do AoE healing, they become even more crucial assets. Players quickly caught on to it and started assembling additional armies for bosses specifically.
Acceleration and auto-battle
The auto-battle and battle acceleration features are a hit among players aiming for high leaderboard rankings.
The game continues to grow, including in monetisation. For example, in September, earnings were almost 50% higher than in January.
For instance, when arena seasons near their end, and you’re about to come in third, having the x2 battle speed is crucial to finishing more battles and trying to secure a higher ranking.
A special offer on the second day had the most impact in encouraging players to purchase VIP mode. Players got 30 minutes of VIP with battle acceleration for free, and the increased speed made it hard to return to the normal pace, prompting purchases for continued access.
Moving ahead
For iOS, we launched the 1.1.0 version with substantial improvements straight away, so the first metrics were different as well:
- R1 around 50%
- R7 at 19%
- R30 at 3.7%
- Average playtime exceeding 35 minutes
Metrics naturally declined over time, but we’re focusing on numerous updates, particularly around events and new content. The game continues to grow, including in monetisation. For example, in September, earnings were almost 50% higher than in January.
Edited by Paige Cook
