Interview

Speaker Spotlight: devtodev lead analyst Vera Karpova on the future of game analytics and predicting revenue

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 will take place on January 21st to 22nd

Speaker Spotlight: devtodev lead analyst Vera Karpova on the future of game analytics and predicting revenue

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 will take place on January 21st to 22nd. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC London and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

In today's Speaker Spotlight we're talking to devtodev lead analyst Vera Karpova, who will host a session entitled 'Lifetime Value Forecast - How To Predict Your Game’s Revenue'.

In this session, Karpova will talk about key approaches to calculating LTV and how to avoid tricky mistakes while looking into the future.

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about the company?

Vera Karpova: Our key product at devtodev is a powerful analytics system that helps developers analyse and improve their games.

However, devtodev goes far beyond an analytics tool. We also provide a range of services: analytical consulting, education and outsourced customer support.

Our aim is to help developers focus on what they like most - creating games - by taking over all routine tasks related to analytics and customer care areas, in which we have a profound expertise. 

What does your role entail?

For the most part I create the vision of how our analytics system will be developing further. I am responsible for new reports and features that will provide informative insights and allow developers quickly and easily go from data to decisions.

As previously mentioned, one of our products is analytical consulting. Therefore, I have an amazing opportunity to work with games that use our analytics system and help them improve metrics. This is where I learn developers’ real needs and later implement relevant solutions in our analytics system.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

To be honest, I can’t think of a more inspiring, creative and fun industry to work in! I like the approach of game developers: they are very flexible, react fast to new ideas and market circumstances. All game developers I know are very enthusiastic, responsible and motivated.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

In my opinion, the best formula would be: play games plus build relevant connections at meetups and conferences, and don’t be afraid to create new things. We happen to be in the industry that appreciates all new.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

Many developers will remember 2018 as the year of GDPR. It was a challenge for many studios, but it also contributed to a more thoughtful attitude to personal data.

In terms of genres, battle royale games were definitely on top this year (Fortnite and PUBG everywhere!). I also can’t but mention the growth of popularity of hyper-casual games.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

Obviously, hyper-casual games trend will continue its growth - hopefully, opening the way to new small studios and providing more space to experiment for big market players.

From analytical point of view, the industry is currently moving towards automatisation and personalisation.

Machine learning mechanisms will be more strongly incorporated into game development. Studios will try to customise the gameplay for each particular user based on the forecast of their behaviour.

By the way, this is the direction that we are currently pursuing at devtodev too - so stay tuned, we have a lot of updates next year!

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

When I started working in the game industry, everything seemed to be so chaotic and based on passion and intuition.

Now I think the approach to game development became much more structured and decisions - more data-driven. These days developers understand the value of quality analytics and successfully use it to improve their games, increase retention and revenue.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

I always enjoy the PGC speaker sessions, because it brings so many experienced and creative minds in one place. This year I am a speaker myself, and I invite everyone to my session 'How to predict your game’s revenue'.

Find out more about Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 on the website.