Special Edition: "Our advantage is in our unique process," says Voodoo.
Special Edition: "Our advantage is in our unique process," says Voodoo.
This week we go behind the scenes with Voodoo's VP of Casual Games to reveal the secrets to their success. Hint: it's not just about building great games.
Voodoo is a game publisher known for its hit hypercasual games.
But things are changing.
Due to the rise in CPIs, changes from Apple, and easy access to game-building tools, hyper just doesn’t make sense anymore.
“At this moment, everybody at Voodoo has moved away from hypercasual and is now working for hybridcasual,” says Alvaro Duarte, VP of Casual Games.
“Making games is very, very easy. But actually launching them has never been so hard,” says Alvaro.
And because launching a game is hard, Voodoo is investing in this area.
Why? Because they are also very good at launching live games.
Secrets to launching a game
Voodoo has a unique approach to game development, which involves releasing games that are in a "sooner state of product and then iterate on them after they are live", says Alvaro.
This approach allows Voodoo to effectively test and refine games in a live environment, which results in high-quality games that are both engaging and fun to play.
Moreover, Voodoo has a different approach to monetization that is centered around balancing in-app purchases and ads. This ensures that players have a variety of options when it comes to engaging with the game and that they are not bombarded with excessive ads or pay-to-win mechanics.
By striking this balance, Voodoo is able to provide players with a unique and enjoyable gaming experience that keeps them coming back for more.
Basically, they are focusing on liveops.
The Voodoo Teams
Voodoo has two teams: the Core Team and the Live Team. The Core Team tests about 1,500 prototypes annually and only a few are released to the Live Team for improvement.
“They test around 1,500 prototypes a year,” Alvaro says.
To put that in perspective, if you had a studio with six people and they build one prototype each month, it will take your team 60 years to actually test 1,500 prototypes.
If the game is successful, it moves on to the Live Team, who improves the game, adds new features and content, ensures smooth performance for different devices and networks, and aims to release around four successful games yearly.
Alvaro also says, “Our ambition is to release four games per year. So the funnel is really massive, and all those games are not hyper-casual. That’s one of the key ingredients here.”
The live team takes the prototype and
Improve graphics, sound, and game mechanics of prototypes
Tests game extensively to ensure it runs smoothly on different devices and under different network conditions
Create new levels, characters, and game modes
Improve game's performance and stability
Create new events, challenges, and rewards
Innovation Comes from a Funnel of Iterations
Voodoo's philosophy is based on the idea that innovation comes from constant iterations. And “hopefully make those games resilient for five to 10 years.”
The company tests new prototypes to find the right balance between retention, gameplay, and cost per install (CPI) to satisfy players.
Voodoo is committed to developing games with a sustainable economy, implementing in-game purchases and advertisements for long-term revenue, which benefits both the company and players.
The Future of HyperCasual Games
While some in the industry have expressed doubts about the future of the hypercasual gaming market, Voodoo has taken a different approach. Rather than accepting the limitations of the hypercasual genre, Voodoo has sought to innovate and adapt, developing a new category of games that they refer to as hybridcasual.
These games are bridging the gap between the classic casual games with which we are all familiar and the fast-paced, highly addictive hypercasual games, which have been a major success for Voodoo.
One of the keys to Voodoo's success has been its unique approach to game development. Rather than simply releasing a game and hoping for the best, Voodoo is constantly testing and iterating, using data and analytics to stay ahead of the competition and keep players engaged.
This approach has allowed Voodoo to quickly identify what works and what doesn't, and to make the necessary tweaks and changes to its games to ensure that they remain fresh and exciting.
Listen to the whole interview here:
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