In both the "Real” and "Gaming"
worlds, nothing lasts forever. No matter how amazing a Game is, players leave
games. Churn rate is based on the number of clients dropping off from a business.
Example: 6 clients lost / 100 starting clients = 6%
Churn Rate
Understanding who your customers is and why your customers churn
is essential to design your product. Gaming is a product and service that
involves an ongoing relationship with the customers. The success of this
relationship results in monetization. Churn = loss of customers and that
= loss of revenue.
A game must provide its players with an engaging and enjoyable
experience. If players are bored or frustrated early on in the game, they are
very likely to stop playing.
Some of the Reasons people leave your Game:
1. You are not
Targeting the correct audience for your game
Many companies decide to stay in their comfort zone and spend
their marketing efforts and dollars on formulas that may have worked
successfully in the past with other games. In order to develop an effective
Marketing strategy, you need to be know who your audience is. Identifying your
target demographics, who and where your audience is, their likes
and dislikes, purchasing behaviors, game playing behaviors etc. are necessary
in order to develop marketing strategies that effectively reach and engage
them.
Utilizing metrics such as demographics, device type, Customer
life value, EED, Game playing behavior, purchasing behaviors etc. will
help your company use data analytics to develop informed marketing strategies
for the correct demographics for your game.
2. Your Game Intro is
boring
For today's gaming audience, instant gratification is king. No
one wants to wait for anything. The first thing a player sees on the screen as
they start a game needs to be compelling and give them a reason to stay. This first
impression of the game will either cause a player to leave, stay and play or
consider playing at another time.
3. A Toxic Community
Successful games have large social
media followings/communities, frequent social media engagement and the ability
to be played on multiple device types. Game's large online communities
and chat rooms as well as Multiplayer games also allow players to communicate
with one another during, after, or even before actual play via chat, messaging
etc.
Analytics and monitoring should be used to track how a community
is growing and evolving. If the community is aggressive or hostile
towards new players this could potentially increase the churn rate of new
players. Effective company procedures that deal with "Trouble"
players help keep chat room environments more positive. This can help increase
community participation, improve customer morale and overall positive brand
impression.
Monitoring group chats and communities can also help identify
potential bugs and enable a company to respond to players directly which can
improve customer morale and customer service.
