Gameroom shared her experience of launching the mobile action game War Robots on the Facebook desktop platform with App2Top.ru Pixonic company.
War Robots on Facebook Gameroom was released in July of this year. The project was specially adapted for the site, including control for the keyboard and mouse.
In November, Facebook officially announced that in five months the project’s MAU reached 350 thousand. It was also reported that revenues from the project on the desktop are growing by 100% per month, and ARPDAU games on the site are 20% higher than on any other platform.
As part of the announcement, we talked with Georgy Egorov, the lead manager of the War Robots project, about the experience of launching the game on Gameroom.
Alexander Semenov, the editor-in-chief App2Top.ru : War Robots is a mobile project. Gameroom is a desktop story. How did you happen to go to PC?
Georgy EgorovGeorgy Egorov, lead manager of War Robots: The fact is that the Gameroom audience is atypical for PC.
Let’s remember that Gameroom is a continuation of the history of Facebook with their social games. In other words, it’s a rattling mix of a steam-like client and cute old casual games.
We saw that there are no products like ours in this niche yet. We decided that this was an opportunity and tried not to miss it.
What was the specific task before the project? Were there KPIs in the spirit of “we make 100 thousand in the first month, we develop further”?
Georgy: No, there were no such KPIs. We wanted to “probe a new niche, to understand if there is life there and if there are its beginnings — to develop it.”
Porting a PC to a mobile is usually considered more difficult, but I’m sure there are pitfalls in the opposite situation. What was the hardest part?
Georgy: Gameroom is a relatively new product. Accordingly, it is difficult to find the “best methods”. To some extent, we were the discoverers with all the attendant problems. We discovered the features of an unexplored platform and its audience (some mechanisms that are “master-hev” on mobile phones do not work here at all).
How long did it take to port?
Georgy: About a month, and more tests.
What is the difference between the Gameroom version of the game and the mobile version (by the way, the server is shared)?
Georgy: The server is not shared. We deliberately divided the audience so as not to confuse players with different experiences.
We have redesigned the control for the PC, added a number of details that are vital for the PC and are not needed on mobile phones (from the most obvious — the “exit” button).
Does Facebook set any requirements for a project that wants to be published on the site?
Georgy: I can’t say. Since we have been successfully cooperating with Facebook for a long time, we did not have any difficulties.
What support does Facebook provide when launching?
Georgy: Facebook is very open to communication and collaboration. All the problems we encountered during development were solved quickly with minimal delay. You could always count on feedback. For our part, we tried to reciprocate.
How were users recruited?
Georgy: Two main channels: native Facebook advertising and platform support. The effectiveness of something else is questionable.
Are they much more expensive?
Georgy: Everything as always depends on the type of users. It is not so expensive to attract everyone in a row. Targeting targets is more expensive. Everything is very similar to the mobile market.
If you look from the point of view of payback, the prices are the same as on mobile, there is practically no difference.
In terms of money, how serious is Gameroom today?
Georgy: I think the topic is not bad. We see prospects and plan to develop the direction further. Do not forget that the platform is growing by itself, and our player base is growing with it.
Facebook informs you that you have achieved a MAU of 350 thousand users on the platform in three months. Is that the ceiling here?
Georgy: As I said above, the platform is growing, because today the ceiling is tomorrow the floor.
Who would you advise now to pay attention to the platform in the first place, and who should pass by?
Georgy: The market is young, not yet overheated by loud titles. This is a great chance for industry newcomers to occupy their niche and gain a foothold in it.
After the success in Gameroom, are you looking towards Steam (not counting your VR project)?
Georgy: It’s quite possible, but I won’t promise anything.
Thanks for the interview.