Ever since Apple introduced its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework in April 2021, mobile game studios of all shapes and sizes have continued to face challenges around user acquisition, leading to all sorts of new gameplay mechanics and features being deployed in attempts to boost player engagement.
One of the most popular solutions being implemented on a widespread level is the regular hosting of live events. These often vary wildly in scale, from virtual music concerts with superstars like Elton John to transforming the battle royale warzone of PUBG into a football playground for the World Cup, or new themed battle passes (such as the recent Ant-Man MCU-themed battle pass) in Marvel Snap.
Diverse as they may be, these live events have generally proved to be an effective method for game studios to retain the attention of their player base within an increasingly competitive market. These events also provide ample opportunities to introduce new time-limited items for players to acquire through in-app purchases, ultimately boosting revenue.
The only issue is that due to the sheer volume of live events taking place across the market, keeping track of what competitive titles are up to can be difficult. Adding to that is the fact that most live events are announced without notice and can’t be scraped, which means information gathering requires a large amount of human resources.
However, that issue is now a thing of the past thanks to GameRefinery’s new Live Events Tracker.
Tracking live events across the mobile market
With this new competitive intelligence tool, game developers can now analyze the impact of live events on revenue, download figures and in-app purchases. Not only does this mean mobile game developers can stay updated on the latest LiveOps trends, but they can also improve their own LiveOps strategies by learning which live events features drive the most engagement.
The titles included for analysis within the tool will update regularly to focus on the most successful titles across the most popular genres, but at launch, developers can track everything from Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile to Marvel Snap and Pokemon GO in a fully-customisable calendar.
The Live Events Tracker can also be used to compare and filter live events across different games, event types, and event durations to understand the latest trends better. For example, if we look at the three big games in the Match3 Puzzle genre – Candy Crush Saga, Royal Match and Gardenscape – the tracker shows that all three have an active battle pass in place (and the dates at which each will no longer be available to players).
Developers can use the tracker to see how mobile games are implementing different types of live events.
You can also see the dates when Royal Match and Gardenscapes will host ‘competitive race events,’ where players rush to complete levels the fastest for extra rewards. A developer planning a similar event in their Match3 Puzzle Game could use this information to their advantage by planning to host their race when they know competitor titles won’t be.
Gaining a competitive advantage with your live events
The Live Events Tracker can also mitigate concerns developers might have about their competitors running similar live events at the same time as them. Using this tool allows developers to see what their rivals are doing immediately and, thanks to the speed at which mobile game development allows updates to be implemented, act upon the information right away so that their live event is the most engaging one.
For instance, by being able to review the monetisation mechanics such as battle passes, subscription plans, limited-time shops and currencies of other titles in real-time, developers can make well-informed changes to their own ongoing events. Using this information, mobile game developers could choose to make their battle passes easier to progress than a competitor’s or make a subscription plan slightly cheaper than a rival game.
The benefits of using GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker
Keep up to date with all the latest live events being hosted across the biggest mobile games, thanks to:
- Insights from GameRefinery analysts on how each event works.
- Screenshots from each game showing their live events in action.
- Information on past live events, such as those which have been repeated.
- Daily figures on download numbers and revenue, as well as the top in-app purchases.
- Updates on the latest patches and game versions released to the public.
Users can also select multiple games or genres to analyse:
- The average number of events on a daily basis.
- Most used event types based on popularity.
- The typical duration of each event type.
If you’d like to try out the Live Events Tracker for yourself, which is built into the GameRefinery platform that features an ever-growing database detailing the features and player motivations behind thousands of leading mobile games, then contact sales-gamerefinery@liftoff.io.
