Developer Diaries: Navy Field #1

Navy Field is a mobile game dedicated to the ships of the five nations that fought during the Second World War. Navy Field is one of the key projects of our company. We also have a TV channel and a Gamanoid portal. In this article we will tell you:

• how were the stages of the PTA and OBT Navy Field;
• about the experience of launching the game in stores;
• about the promotion of the game after the release.

Preface

The original Navy Field was released ten years ago on PC. The game was a tactical naval MMO strategy. It was popular both in Asia and in Russia and the CIS. In our region, the game had 1 million registered users.

The success of the desktop Navy Field prompted the creation of a mobile version. We counted on the interest of fans of the PC version in the project and on the popularity of military topics. Russian users could be attracted by the appearance of the Red Army Air Force with its vessels such as Maxim Gorky, Sevastopol, Kronstadt and many others.

The first prototype of the game was ready in 2015.

The launch of Navy Field on the App Store and Google Play took place six months ago. During this period, we have filled a lot of bumps, but we have gained experience in operating a mobile game. This is the experience we want to share in our diary.

The stage of PTA and OBT

Before launching the beta version, we shot a 19-second trailer. In the trailer, we did not disclose details, but hinted at what to expect from the game.

The publication of the video was the beginning of a campaign to promote the game, preparation for beta testing.

Under the PTA, we prepared a landing page where the user could submit a request for participation. At the start of testing, the registered player received a link to the game for download.

We distributed the first download links at the final of the GCF esports festival in Moscow, where we held a presentation of the project. At the final, there were gamers, bloggers among the audience (whom we met for further cooperation), as well as a zone of partners and projects ready to be shown to the masses.

Thanks to the distribution, we received more than 500 future “captains” without spending a single ruble on it.

After the PTA, the OBT immediately began. The closed beta testing started on January 14, and the open ended on February 19.

On Android, it was easy to provide a version of the game as part of both types of testing: it was enough for users to distribute links. It was more difficult with iOS gadgets.

The mechanics of conducting open testing in the App Store is impossible. You can not download an unbuilt version directly through the store. The user needs to download a special application for testing (Testflight). After installation, the user sends his Apple ID to the mail, and the developer connects it to testing.

For this reason, the closed beta test on iOS has remained closed. Not all users were ready for such a chain of actions. It also interfered with other stages of development and testing, as it was necessary to manually connect each user.

Launching the game in stores

The game did not receive an Apruv in Google Play immediately. There was a problem with the correct interpretation of the age limit (PEGI). From our point of view, the game did not have any scenes of violence. But, as it turned out, the destruction of the ship implies the murder of the crew. Therefore, we had to adjust the rating. In Google Play, we got an age limit of 3+, and in the App Store — 12+.

On February 20, we officially released our project on a long voyage on Google Play, the release on the iOS platform took place on March 12.

In the period from February 20 to March 11, we encouraged users to install the game through Google Play. We had an action “X5 gold”, in which the starting package of in-game currency was 5 times more than usual. We also gave gifts to those who would collect the most bugs in the game. During the campaign, we received an additional 5 thousand installations.

Advertising campaign

We did not divide the advertising campaign into stages. It was important for us to understand which future captains’ traffic search platform would be the leading one, which one should be looked at, which one to experiment with.

Before the release, we got acquainted with the editors of the leading media who write about game novelties, agreed on the types of publications. Someone was interested only in the technical side of the game, and someone asked for general information. From the publications we received about 5 thousand installations (Android + iOS) without taking into account organic traffic.

After that, we took up bloggers. We didn’t limit them in format: the audience would understand that it was an advertisement, but we weren’t interested in it. Our interest was in the expert opinion of mobile gamers and the search for a loyal audience to build a community. We received author reviews from them that pointed out the pros and cons of the game, letsplays. This helped us fix bugs that were not noticed by us, and introduce features that were not enough for an exciting game. 4 thousand users came from YouTube bloggers without taking into account organics.

MAU reached 18K after media postings and bloggers’ publications.

About the plans

Now Navy Field has 150 thousand installations in the App Store and Google Play.

The team has ideas for the development of the project. We are currently working on an update, which will include the construction and protection of the seaport.

Also on the topic:

• Interview with Gamanoid about Navy Field