Writing notes helps me think more clearly. I share them in case someone spots a gap in my thinking.
If your game’s D1 retention is below 30%, stop adding features. There is a deeper issue. The core loop is not fun. Scaling a game with a broken loop will not help it grow.
D1 retention gives an early signal about the fun. Sometimes, onboarding is broken. Users do not reach the gameplay screen. This reduces Day 0 gameplay time, which lowers D1. If users enjoy the game and play for a few minutes on Day 0, they are more likely to return. That is why D1 is closely tied to D0 gameplay.
Writing notes helps me think more clearly. I share them in case someone spots a gap in my thinking.
I have been heading Products in the mobile gaming industry for 6 years now. This is what works for me.
Start by picking the top 5 products in your industry. Try them all. Then choose the one you personally enjoy. You will only dig deep if you genuinely like the product and use it regularly.
Writing notes helps me think more clearly. I share them in case someone spots a gap in my thinking.
Retention is the percentage of users who come back to the game again after installation after a given time period. For example, if D1 is 30%, 30% of the users come back again on the next day of installation. I believe retention is a primary KPI in LTV as we can figure out how to make money from retaining users. If there is no retained user, there is no money.
Writing notes helps me think more clearly. I share them in case someone spots a gap in my thinking.
Retention is the most important KPI in free-to-play mobile games. It is a measure of how many players are returning to the game after installing it.
Given the option, who would you prefer, a user who pays $100 once and never comes back or a user who pays $10 every week for 365 days? Obviously, you would prefer the latter. Similarly, to run a successful game, you would need users who can play and pay for a longer time.