That seems to be the conclusion to draw from the prolonged soft launch of DeNA's anticipated FPS The Drowning.
Developed by its Scattered Entertainment team in Stockholm (the name comes from their geographically distributed nature), it soft-launched early April.
It's currently live for iPad in nine countries, ranging from Sweden and Denmark to Thailand and the Philippines; a mixture of small European and Southeast Asian markets.
Testing, testing
Typically, free-top-play games soft launch to test their metrics - key performance indicators such as 1-, 7- and 30-day retention, as well as session duration and frequency, plus monetisation.
In the case of The Drowning, it's hard to get a grasp of how this process is working in terms of the latter as it's currently only offering low value IAPs deals: 99c to $9.99.
The Drowning in the Philippines: free download App Store chart (top) and top grossing chart (below) - via apptrace
On this basis, the fact it's only been in the top 100 top grossing charts in Philippines and Thailand doesn't tell us much.
Nevertheless, the game's performance in the Nordic countries is interesting.
The Drowning's performance on free download App Store chart in Sweden - via apptrace
In terms of free download volume, its best placement has been #104 in Sweden.
Of course, the game hasn't received the sort of marketing push it will get at launch, and it's hardly the most casual game in the world so perhaps this isn't too surprising.
Many moving parts
Part of the issue seems to be that the game's sophisticated monetisation model, which is based on limiting gameplay by gated session time, as well as progression through a blueprint and item collection mechanic, is deeply integrated into the overall gameplay.
That means it's easy to tweak those attributes, but much harder to perform more radical changes.
In addition, the game's default control method is also highly innovative; combining a first-person perspective with tap-to-move movement and a two finger aiming method.
The option to use the traditional dual-stick controls has since been added.
Late, great
Yet, the point of the soft launch period is to iron out such issues before the global launch. The Drowning isn't the first game to take time to ensure it's the best it can be.
No matter how long it takes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. A great, late game is only late for a number of weeks, while an on-time bad game is bad forever etc.
Still, three months is a chunk of time. But looked at through the eyes of The Charticle, it only goes to make The Drowning's eventual launch even more anticipated.
