During last week’s GDC, Supercell, the Finnish video game company, revealed that its multiplayer online battle arena title, Brawl Stars, was “very much on the edge” during soft launch before eventually receiving a global release.
Despite becoming a multi-billion dollar success, the title experienced challenges with retention and revenue over the past few years.
After multiple attempts and the introduction of new features, the team has finally pinpointed the formula for success, resulting in a significant increase in Brawl Stars revenue in recent months.
In this article, Gradient Universe founder Oxana Fomina provides a detailed analysis of the changes made and their impact on the game’s core metrics.
Achieving substantial growth in the ever-evolving game development industry requires strategic planning, insightful analysis, and a profound understanding of player engagement.
Between June 2023 and February 2024, the Brawl Stars team at Supercell achieved remarkable growth by increasing revenue by 8.8 times, daily active users (DAU) by 3.9 times, and monthly active users (MAU) by 2.4 times.
This article explores the transformative period during which the team implemented crucial changes that led to their success.
Inspired by the success of casual games, the Brawl Stars team started implementing events and offers commonly seen in social casino and puzzle games. From September 2023 to February 2024, they introduced new features and over 25 events and offers, significantly boosting the game’s performance metrics.
The remarkable results prompted Supercell to actively hire staff for the live ops department, showcasing the substantial impact a well-executed live ops strategy can have on scaling a game’s revenue.
Revenue growth of the game from September 2023 to February 2024:
(Source Sensor Tower)
This table illustrates the significant shifts in the game’s key metrics between September 2023 and February 2024.
By continuously adding new features, events, and special offers, the game’s team managed to consistently boost revenue and sustain growth from month to month, showcasing the effectiveness of their strategy in maintaining stable achievements over time.
The article will delve into the events and offers introduced and identify the crucial factors contributing to Brawl Stars’ growth metrics.
Event category implementation comparison: 2023 and beginning of 2024:
This comparative overview of event categories implemented in Brawl Stars over two years, 2023 and 2024, is divided into Monetisation, Social, Progress, and Others categories. In 2023, the game witnessed a diverse range of event implementations across all categories.
Below are the data on the distribution of implemented events and offers by time and their types.
Brawl Stars new events implementation calendar from September to November 2023:
(Source Playliner)
Types of events implemented in Brawl Stars from September 2023 to February 2024:
As evident, the game’s team made significant strides in various directions during this period. The success of all the changes implemented in the game is attributed to their exceptional understanding of player behavior, clear identification of different player segments’ needs, and the incorporation of features and mechanics that optimize in-game triggers for improved engagement, retention, and monetization.
Analysis of the impact of each event and offer demonstrates a qualitative balance between player needs and game creators’ objectives. The team’s ability to seamlessly integrate these concepts into the game, ensuring players feel the benefit and care, is truly commendable.
Three key insights and recommendations:
1. New feature + New event + New offer
Introduction of a new feature, accompanied by a related event and offer, provides players with a unique opportunity to access new content or characters before others. Align the offer with the target audience to maximize monetization.
Regular bonus events can aid in retaining new and dormant users, encouraging consistent gameplay and engagement.
In September, the game unveiled a new feature called Hypercharge, enhancing combat performance for players willing to upgrade their heroes above level 11. This feature aims to engage active and loyal players through unique hero abilities offering battle advantages.
Concurrent with Hypercharge’s launch, the team introduced the “Hypercharge Unleashed” event, allowing players to experience the new feature’s benefits through specific in-game tasks.
Additionally, a new offer enabled players to purchase a Hypercharge, avatar, emoji, spray, and a character with maximum power level for premium currency. This offer heightened user excitement for the new feature, increasing the likelihood of purchases.
A temporary daily bonus was also included to incentivize users to return regularly to the game for six days, contributing to the engagement, retention, and monetization of various user segments.
The introduction of the new feature led to an 18% revenue increase, sustained in subsequent months, showcasing sustained user interest and demand for the feature.
2. Implement periodic bonuses for enhanced player retention
Offering rewards for consistent logins boosts player engagement by integrating the game into their daily routine. Mystery rewards and flexible redemption timelines ensure sustained interest and frequent logins, potentially leading to increased in-game purchases.
During the holiday season, a special 15-day event was introduced where players could earn mystery gifts by logging in daily, with the chance to collect rewards at their convenience. The thrill of discovering valuable items in golden boxes added excitement and joy to the game.
These changes resulted in a 12% increase in week one retention rate during December, indicating heightened player engagement and session duration.
3. Boost player engagement with extra bonuses
Introducing events that reward players with enhanced prizes for achieving specific tasks boosts engagement and incentivizes continuous interaction. Select rewards strategically to maximize player engagement and monetization.
In December, the game introduced four “Bonus: Increase Reward” events to deepen engagement with the main gameplay by setting clear objectives and incentivizing player participation with event currency rewards. These bonuses effectively level up player engagement.
The success of Brawl Stars in creating a vibrant gaming experience serves as a compelling case study for developers and marketers alike, highlighting the impact of well-designed features and events on game success.
For those interested in exploring these strategies further and adapting them to their own projects, feel free to reach out for additional details and insights.
Edited by Paige Cook
