Thiéry Adam shares Trailblazer Games' process for how to reduce project risk and improve shared vision by scientific process applied to the market research. The "Promise" developed then serves as a guiding light for game design & project management.

1. Value-Oriented Planning & Design
April 1st 2015

2. Table of contents
1. Who?
2. What?
3. Why?
4. How?

3. Who’s speaking?
Thiéry Adam
BFA, MPM & MBA
PMP, CSPO, CSM
● Ubisoft Montreal, Lead Designer
● Ludia, Senior Producer
● Trailblazer Games, CEO

4. Key Formula
Quality User Acquisition Cost
Return on Investment in digital distribution compares
quality user acquisition cost vs. their average lifetime value.
Cost Per Click
% who convert
to spenders//Average
Lifetime Value
Most fail here
Most focus here

5. Rising cost of loyal user acquisition
Cost of acquiring
quality users
increases faster than
the lifetime value of
users.
Source: Fiksu

6. Failing Big
Over-investing means:
● Less tries at finding
success.
● Losing agility, making
direction changes harder.

7. Scout Ahead
Generate business intelligence
through market research to
determine Value.
Plan & design with cost-versus-
value in mind.

8. Process
Identify
business
opportunity
Test concepts
(Free-to-play)
Create leanest
product to test
retention
Develop to a
full launch
product
Cost
Risk

9. Concept A/B Testing
Test vs. competition
Test vs. alternatives
● Evaluate branding (art, title,
theme).
● Clarify target audience.
● Prioritize features
Result: the PROMISE.

10. Feature Priorities
List all the features in the game and attribute an
objective priority category:
1. Essential: Simplest fulfillment of Promise
2. Necessary: Required to launch
3. Obvious: Solves perceivable symptoms in Promise
4. Unobvious: Directly improves Promise
5. Accessory: Improves, but unrelated to Promise

11. Priorities & Risk Tolerance
Does the risk level exceed the priority level?
1. Essential: Very High (“else: retry”)
2. Necessary: High (“else: purchase”)
3. Obvious:Medium (“else: safe”)
4. Unobvious: Low (“else: skip”)
5. Accessory: None (no “else”)

12. Invest in the team
Question from a team member?
Feedback to give on a task?
● Ask them to estimate the priority.
● Ask them to evaluate the risk.
● Ask additional questions to help them find
the right combination.
● Ask them what they would do knowing that.

13. Thank you
www.TrailblazerGames.com
tadam@trailblazergames.com