Sergey Neskin, CEO of Neskin Games, spoke about the company's successes in the past year.
Sergey Neskin
How was 2020 for the company?
It was the most incredible year in the history of Neskin Games.
The dynamics of Evermerge at the soft launch stage, the preliminary metrics of the project painted a promising picture of the release. We already knew then that we would be able to get support from the platforms, that we would have rave reviews from the players and, of course, a large box office. But we could not have imagined that all this would happen against the background of a pandemic, remote work and monstrous political repression by the state.
At the beginning of last year, the time before the release (it was scheduled for May) was melting away before our eyes. The number of experiments and hypotheses for A/B testing did not fit into the calendar. At some points, we had to rely only on intuition and the experience that we had gained since 2011 (when we released our first merge-3).
Before the launch, the focus was on building up content and developing the event system. We managed to prepare only a dozen for the start. The rest had to be postponed for the future, as well as fantasies about the intellectual system of offers. The content is generally "backed up" by geometric progressions.
Evermerge
At that moment, so much had to be implemented in the game, the launch date was rapidly approaching, and the task list was not going to melt. We did it, but it became obvious: the amount of development work exceeds the modest capabilities of a studio of 15 people.
Therefore, against the background of the success of Evermerge, the entire 2020 Neskin Games grew mercilessly. At the same time, there was a rethinking of existing roles in the company, processes, the transition to remote work and the development of a strategic partnership with Aristocrat.
By the end of this year, there were 40 of us. And this is just the team creating the product. The same number of guys from Big Fish Games are working on marketing, procurement and analytics. In the first quarter of 2021, we plan to grow to 60, and at the same time begin active work on new products.
The Neskin Games Team
In autumn we opened a new, incredibly comfortable and photogenic office in the center of Minsk. It was nice to see most of our seals together in this space. The second wave of COVID-19 and some events in Belarus are slightly restraining emotions about this. But we adapt to external factors and try to work out possible scenarios in advance.
The new Neskin Games office
It was nice to see Evermerge in the Users’ collection Google's Choice Game of 2020.
The prize of the game from the Play Store
Since its release, the game has been acquiring the functionality necessary for survival in the fight for traffic.
Now we are increasing the content, working on adding new types of events, constantly working with balance and economics, testing various theories of player behavior, conducting regular surveys. Of the significant updates, I can mention the successful launch of the Zoo in November. The update coped with the expectations placed on it to maintain the depth of spending (spend depth).
What new trends in your niche do you consider worth paying attention to?
Merge-3 is a relatively young genre, so each new release brings something different. It is unlikely to compete effectively with monsters like Zynga (Gram Games) on direct cloning.
It seems to me that now it makes sense to rethink the combination of "merge-3 + something familiar at the meta level", but here we need to impose tests and test hypotheses so as not to spend several years doing the wrong thing. For example, I am delighted with Merge Mansion. The guys from Metacore made a mix of Homescapes with intuitive merge mechanics. The game proved to be excellent.
I'm also waiting for something in the spirit of modern HoG, where merge-3 will also be.
What new market trends would you note in general?
It is unlikely that I will mention something unexpected and unknown to someone. But suddenly!
- COVID-19 came, everyone went to the remote and began to actively play. This could not but affect the gaming industry.
- Competition is intensifying in all directions. Developers use data more actively to predict player behavior and make the right decisions.
- Of course, there are not enough people who know how to work with this data. Sometimes it's really not enough!
- Abandoning IDFA will definitely shake us all up and change the rules of the game in the advertising market.
What will be the stake in the development of the company in 2021?
First of all, we will focus on growth — both quantitative and qualitative. Including C-level positions (write urgently to jobs@neskinsoft.com !).
If we talk about Evermerge, then in 2021 we plan to add new types of gaming events to the game, as well as launch a powerful social binding. We will continue to actively work with the economy, balance sheet and offers. I'll leave the rest of my plans in the fog of war, but I promise it will be interesting.
Last year, we held two internal Evermerge summits, one of which was held in Lisbon. I really hope that in 2021 we will be able to return to the practice of visiting team meetings. To hold the Evermerge Summit 2021, for example, in Normandy would be cool!
Which third-party game releases are you interested in this year? Which ones did you pay attention to as a gamer?
I admit, I'm a little hung up on this question. Yes, it was extremely interesting to see the implementation of the merge-3 bundle with narrative binding and decoration from Homescapes in the Merge Mansion from Metacore. I also hooked Solitaire Cruise from Belka Games. The Last Of Us Part II miraculously passed on PlayStation. I even liked it.
For the rest, I have to admit that I still play releases from previous years: Boom Beach, Clash Royale (deleted in September), Smash Island (Coin Master clone), Strike Force, Golf Clash, Merge Dragons (periodically launched). With the exception of some updates, I "stick" to them like an ordinary gamer. I think, in terms of gaming habits, I have something to change in 2021.
Let me add another point about gratitude.
Many thanks to Anna Solovey from REVERA for supporting the deal with Aristocrat, the guys from Prana Studio and personally Vlad Birin for the amazing office design and, of course, the entire Neskin Games team for being the best.