The document discusses key lessons for successful social game development based on the experience of wooga, a leading social game developer, including the importance of iterative testing and optimization of games over their lifecycle to maintain high daily active user counts, focusing on monetization through techniques like time limited offers and virtual goods pricing experiments, and ensuring the core gameplay loop is engaging for the target demographic.

1. +
Secrets to Social Game Success
Sebastian Nußbaum
(Senior Product Manager)

2. About wooga
Founded January 2009
Funding: Founders, Balderton Capital,
Holtzbrinck Ventures Tenaya, Highland
Capital (total of $32m+)
International team of 110
from 20 countries in Berlin
Key stats
6 games on Facebook; 41 million
monthly active users
Biggest european social game Sebastian Nußbaum
developer / #3 on FB Lead Product
 Happy Hospital
Only 10%of users from advertising  Unannounced game
70% of users are female (age 20-60)
2

3. 3

4. 4

5. A hit game is not
always a hit from
start
5

6. Brilliant idea!
6

7. CTO & CEO are convinced!
7

8. Skilled Team!
8

9. Desired game lifecycle
DAU
Time
9

10. You launch…
DAU
Time
10

11. The first days look promising…
DAU
Time
11

12. The first week looks even better …
DAU
Hooray!
Time
12

13. …and all of a sudden
DAU
Time
13

14. Lets take a look
at typical game
lifecycles
14

15. Typical game product lifecyle:
Social City by Playdom
DAU
3,5
3
2,5
Millions
2
1,5
1
0,5
0
Mar-10 Jun-10 Aug-10 Nov-10 Feb-11 May-11
02.03.2010 01.06.2010 30.08.2010 29.11.2010 27.02.2011 28.05.2011
15

16. Typical game product lifecyle:
Millionaire City by Digital Chocolate
DAU
3,5
3
2,5
Millions
2
1,5
1
0,5
0
May-10
19.05.2010 Aug-10
18.08.2010 Nov-10
16.11.2010 Feb-11
14.02.2011 May-11
15.05.2011
16

17. Typical game product lifecyle:
Monopoly Millionaires by EA
DAU
1
0,9
0,8
0,7
Millions
0,6
0,5
0,4
0,3
0,2
0,1
0
Feb-11
01.02.2011 03.03.2011 02.04.2011
Apr-11 02.05.2011 01.06.2011
Jun-11 01.07.2011
17

18. Typical game product lifecyle:
City of Wonder by Playdom
DAU

19. Iteration is
critical!
19

20. Design Prototype
Usability
test
Good?
20

21. Usability testing
21

22. Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible
22

23. Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible
• Test with the right profiles
23

24. Usability testing
• Do user testing as EARLY as possible
• Test with the right profiles
• Only 3-5 users are needed to find the
major usability issues
24

25. Example: Bubble Island
31

26. Example: Bubble Island
DAU
1,2
1
0,8
Millions
0,6
650.000
0,4
0,2
0
32

28. 34

29. 35

30. 36

31. 37

32. After a few weeks of playing:
All levels were played
OR
Level became too difficult
38

33. Solution: Level of the week
39

34. 40

35. 41

36. DAU
2.500.000
2.000.000
1.500.000
1.000.000
500.000
0

37. DAU
2.500.000
2.000.000
1.500.000 Level of
the week
1.000.000
500.000
0

38. MW Screenshots 1
44

39. Launch Monsterworld in May 2010
Launch
45

40. DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
46

41. DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
47

42. Lets focus on
detail and
iterate!

43. Iteration: Optimize the Tutorial
49

44. Iteration: Optimize the Tutorial
Step
New users (last 24h) 38.863
01 - Flash begin (0%) 93,0%
02 - Flash complete (100%) 86,5%
03 - Tutorial – first harvest completed 82,7%
04 - Tutorial – first planting completed 82,5% Example: 1.3%
drop is deemed
05 - Tutorial – Mr T’s magic applied 81,1%
unacceptable and
06 - Tutorial – second harvest compl. 79,8%
game is optimized
07 - Level 2 reached 79,6% accordingly
08 - Tutorial completed (plowing) 79,4%
09 - Level 3 reached 78,8%
10 - Level 4 reached 77,5%
11 – Level 5 (or higher) reached 77,2%
50

45. Iteration : Balancing
5min 3min
51

46. Iteration : Advance UI
52

47. Iteration: Bugs & performance
53

48. DAU Monsterworld till August 2010
54

49. DAU Monsterworld till November 2010
Iteration & polishing
55

50. Lets focus on
monetization!
56

51. Time limited offers
57

52. Time limited offers
TLO‘s
Average
58

53. Details matter!

54. Small issues can have a huge impact!
60

55. Small issues can have a huge impact!
61

56. Small issues can have a huge impact!
+22%
62

57. What about the
pricing?
63

58. Magic Wands
64

59. Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
Old
65

60. Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
Old
New
66

61. Pricing A/B test Magic Wands
Old
New
+ 24 %
67

62. Consumables
are great!
68

63. Woogoo
69

64. Woogoo
70

65. Roberta asking for products
71

66. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester

67. Crafting with woogoo
73

68. Crafting with built factories
74

69. Roberta asking for products
75

70. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Harvester

71. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Crafting
Harvester

72. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Crafting
Crafting
Harvester

73. I NEED MORE!
81

74. woogoo pump
82

75. woogoo pump
83

76. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Crafting
Harvester

77. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Woogoo pump
Crafting
Harvester

78. Woogoo versus Magic Wands
Button added
Woogoo pump
Crafting
Harvester

79. Cross…what?
87

80. DAU Monsterworld till June 2011
Focus on monetization
Iteration & polishing
88

81. DAU Monsterworld till September 2011
Focus on monetization
Iteration & polishing
Diamond Dash
Cross promo
89

82. Flow Concept
Future: more
in-depth
Too hard gameplay
Difficulty
?
Too easy
Source: Murphy, C. Time/ Skill 90

83. Challenge the player
But give him all the
tools to win!
91

84. So every game is
fixable!
92

85. Or?
93

86. DAU I did everything
you said and
still…
Time
94

87. Be sure to have
the basics right!
95

88. Be sure to have
the basics right!
96

89. The theme: Know your target group!
Female (70%)
Male (30%)
(age 20-60)
97

90. Use tools: Know whats hot!
98

91. What about the
core?
99

92. The game core loop

93. The game core loop

94. Have your checklist!
Keep it simple/ Few steps (4-6 max)
Fun 1 time – Fun 1000 times
Requests tied to it
Strategic depth

95. Common loop mistakes: Disappearing rewards

96. Common loop mistakes:
Adding features wont fix a broken core game loop
Feature2
Feature1
Core game loop

97. …iterate the core
till it is fun!

98. …iterate the core
till it is fun!

99. Ask yourself!
What does the user expect?
Why is it not working?
How does the user play?
108

100. And that’s where we are!
2.500.000
DAU
2.000.000
1.500.000
1.000.000
500.000
0

101. Join the wooga team
wooga.com/jobs
110

102. Thank you!
Sebastian Nußbaum
Senior Product Manager
wooga.com/jobs