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Mastering Retention Podcast

Mastering the art of Live Ops

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Ur8txvto4&t=3s⁠

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🎙️ Mastering Retention Podcast Episode: Diving Deep into Live Ops with Thiago Lea from YouO Games

Host: Tom Hammond, Co-founder and CEO of UserWise

Guest: Thiago Lea, Live Ops Product Manager at YouO Games

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🌟 Introduction

Welcome to another insightful episode of the Mastering Retention Podcast! Today, host Tom Hammond is thrilled to welcome Thiago Lea from YouO Games, renowned for their work on popular titles like Forge of Empires. Thiago brings a wealth of experience in live operations (Live Ops), player segmentation, and enhancing player engagement through strategic event planning. This episode delves into the intricacies of Live Ops and how it drives player retention and monetization in modern gaming.

👋 Guest Introduction

Thiago Lea:

Role: Live Ops Product Manager at YouO Games

Background: Transitioned from mechanical engineering to game design and Live Ops. Worked on Elvenar and Forge of Empires, focusing on player segmentation, event planning, and enhancing player experiences through dynamic in-game events.

🎮 Understanding Live Ops

Definition of Live Ops:

Thiago describes Live Ops as all activities related to managing and updating live games. This includes implementing changes, responding to community feedback, running seasonal and mini-events, and ensuring that the game remains dynamic and engaging.

Developer Perspective: Live Ops involves making ongoing adjustments and enhancements to the game to keep it fresh and responsive to player needs.

Product Manager Perspective: Focuses on small, frequent changes and events that keep players engaged, rather than long-term static updates.

🛠️ Live Ops Segmentation Strategies

Player Segmentation:

CRM and AI Models: Utilizes CRM teams to create modular offers tailored to different player segments based on their spending habits and engagement levels.

Player Journey Offers: Designing offers that align with where players are in their game progression, ensuring relevance and maximizing engagement.

Community Engagement: Actively listening to player feedback through forums and Discord channels to understand different playstyles and preferences.

Successful Segmentation Example:

User-Related Events: Personalized events that introduce new mechanics to players in a simplified way, making them feel part of the community from the start.

Challenging Segmentation Example:

Progression-Based Segmentation: Attempted to cluster players based on their progression in the main questline, which didn’t account for diverse player behaviors, leading to mismatched event difficulties and player frustration.

🚀 Live Ops Calendar Planning

Event Design:

Flexibility and Variety: Balancing long-term goals with short-term actions by running a mix of seasonal events, mini-events, and feature-specific events.

Modular Offers: Creating offers that are adaptable to different player segments and aligned with new game features.

Player-Centric Events: Ensuring events provide reasons for players to return, such as introducing new mechanics or rewarding player achievements.

Best Practices:

Integrate Events with Game Progression: Linking events to the main game storyline and player progression to create a cohesive experience.

Layered Event Structure: Combining major events with smaller, recurring events to maintain continuous engagement without overwhelming players.

📈 Triggers and Event Success

Effective Triggers:

Player Progression Milestones: Implementing events based on where players are in their game journey, such as reaching a new level or completing specific quests.

Behavior-Based Triggers: Responding to player actions and behaviors to tailor events that resonate with their current playstyle.

Lessons from Failed Segments:

Misaligned Event Difficulty: Events that were too challenging for beginners or too easy for advanced players resulted in dissatisfaction and disengagement.

Adaptability: Emphasizing the need to remain flexible and adjust event designs based on real-time player feedback and behavior analytics.

🛠️ Designing for Diverse Player Groups

Balancing Competitive and Social Players:

Flexible Offerings: Creating a range of offers that cater to different playstyles, such as competitive rewards for achievers and social rewards for community-oriented players.

Player Choice: Allowing players to choose rewards that best fit their preferences, enhancing their sense of agency and satisfaction.

Thiago’s Approach:

Modular and Selectable Rewards: Designing reward packages that offer variety and allow players to select what best suits their playstyle, thereby increasing the likelihood of engagement and monetization.

🌟 Key Lessons and Tips

Smooth Onboarding: Ensure new players have an easy and engaging introduction to the game, allowing them to grasp core mechanics without feeling overwhelmed.

Continuous Community Engagement: Maintain open lines of communication with players through forums and Discord to gather feedback and understand their evolving needs.

Dynamic Event Planning: Balance long-term and short-term goals by integrating various types of events that cater to different player segments and keep the game experience fresh.

Flexible and Adaptable Strategies: Be prepared to pivot event designs based on player behavior and feedback to maintain relevance and effectiveness.

Empower Player Choice: Design events and offers that give players the autonomy to choose rewards that align with their preferences, enhancing their engagement and satisfaction.

📝 Conclusion

Thiago Lea from YouO Games offers a comprehensive look into the world of Live Ops, highlighting the importance of player segmentation, dynamic event planning, and continuous community engagement in driving player retention and monetization. By understanding and responding to player behaviors and preferences, studios can create more engaging and successful gaming experiences. This episode serves as a valuable guide for game developers and Live Ops managers aiming to master the art of keeping players engaged and satisfied over the long term.

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📞 Connect with Thiago Lea:

Email:

thiago@inogames.com⁠

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Website:

YouO Games⁠

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Social Media: Follow YouO Games on

Facebook⁠

and

Forums⁠

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