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#GDC 2013: How events powered DeNA's card battler Blood Brothers to the top of the US charts

Winning in the west

#GDC 2013: How events powered DeNA's card battler Blood Brothers to the top of the US charts
Japanese social gaming giants DeNA and GREE may be fierce rivals, but it would appear the two parties are learning similar lessons as they try to make a mark in the west.

A day after GREE's senior director of product Mike Lu took to the stage at GDC 2013 in San Francisco to talk up the importance of timed events to boost interest in F2P releases, DeNA's Yuji Shimizu – producer of card battler Blood Brothers – did largely the same thing.

The key, the secret
Blood Brothers has hit the top grossing spot on Google Play in a total of 33 countries, Shimizu revealed, including the US, with 10 million downloads and counting.

The secret of the game's success, he suggested, is down to events.

"Since launch, Blood Brother's revenue has been increasing," opened Shimizu. "How does this happen? It's down to special events. We've seen double the average revenue per user (ARPU) during these events."



Like GREE's Yu, Shimizu's theory is a simple one. Timed events garner player interest and participation. The more players invest time wise, the more they're likely to invest their money, too.

And not just during the event. The key, he suggested, is to boost a player's standing or ranking within the game so they can enjoy it even more when the event is over.

A matter of time

"Events last about a week each and offer a change in pace for gameplay," he continued.

"We also offer limited items – players have to take part in these events to get these items. You can also make these events a social thing, allowing players to link up with new people they can continue to play with after the events."

Shimizu recommends doing 3-4 events every month, but noted that it's important to mix up the nature of these events.

Some, he suggested, should be competitive, some co-operative, and some should reward the player to give them a "feeling of growth and power."

"We have events aimed at expert players and intermediate players, so they can target the event that suits them," he added.

"PvP events have proven to be our most popular. This is already a standard part of the Blood Brother's gameplay, but we design a new points system for events – event points."

Progression

The key, Shimizu suggestion, is to deliver a perception of increased progression during events.

Players, he suggested, should be able to jump two ranks in a day rather than just one during standard play – they need to feel like they're getting somewhere and being rewarded for the extra effort they put in during events.

"You can't just ask players to fight all week without giving them anything to aim for," concluded Shimizu.

"They get bored. You need to give them clear objectives to aim for."

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.