The Future of Gaming: Mastering LiveOps Across Multiple Platforms

Hey, first of all, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. I'm really excited to talk to you today.

Alex: Thank you for having me. I’ve been closely following the Game Digest Newsletter for a while now, and I’m a big fan of your work. It's always exciting to talk about games.

Can you introduce yourself to our readers and share a bit about your background and how you started in the gaming industry?

Alex: Hi! I'm Alex, a gaming enthusiast with a passion for Live Operations and Monetization in any sort of game, be it on mobile, PC, or consoles. My educational background is primarily in Finance Economics and Behavioral Economics. I got into the industry during my master's degree in the latter, which was in the early days of the pandemic. I currently work as a Sr. LiveOps Manager for Scopely's "Stumble Guys" title, primarily on the console division. I started my journey in the gaming industry at Gameloft a few years back, working on titles like Sniper Fury and Modern Combat 5.

As this newsletter is dedicated to the gaming industry and as a gaming enthusiast myself, I can't skip asking: What games are you currently playing?

Alex: I play games frequently; it's a must for any LiveOps Manager. Recently, I found myself playing a lot of Mech Arena, Lily’s Garden, Bullet Echo, and Phobies. I've been a hardcore player for years of games like MLBB, PubG, and Clash Royale. There are so many great games, time is the problem, haha.

On PC, I’m mainly sticking to shooters like Shatterline, Warzone, and Farlight84, just to name a few. On consoles, I just finished Days Gone—a masterpiece—and revisited God of War.

How would you define LiveOps? I think people still don't fully understand this role, as it is quite a new position in the gaming industry so its still evolving.

Alex: From your regular mobile notification of “Jump back into the game” to an offer’s description in the MS Store, everything is LiveOps. Every time-limited offer, every event, every mission, every tournament, every booster, every pop-up—LiveOps is the engine driving the mobile gaming sector, and sometimes extending even beyond that. Simply put, LiveOps involves designing, strategizing, and hosting meaningful, fresh, and tailored content with the one and only goal of improving the player experience! It is an immensely potent instrument within any developer's toolkit, capable of unlocking vast potential if used effectively.

The gaming industry has seen a significant rise in collaborations between games and popular brands or characters, which has become a key strategy in LiveOps. For example, Stumble Guys has recently teamed up with SpongeBob SquarePants, among others. From your perspective, what do you think of this trend? How do these partnerships impact player engagement and retention, and what are some of the challenges and opportunities they present from a LiveOps management standpoint?

Alex: In my view, the number one reason for any IP collaboration is the players. Will the players enjoy that IP? Is it fun? Is it the right fit for your audience? If the answer is yes, you don't have to stress too much about the KPIs. At that point, it's a matter of correct implementation, and the rest will follow. Of course, execution is equally important and can either attract more players or alienate some of your player base, so you have to be very careful.

This is where LiveOps plays a crucial role. The main challenge is to find the correct formula for IP placement using your game's LiveOps components in such a way that creates excitement, provides a bit of a challenge, incentivizes and rewards engagement, maintains a healthy monetization design according to your game's identity, doesn't disrupt the game economy, and is ultimately fun for the players.

SpongeBob, Tetris, TMNT, Pacman, and many others have been present in Stumble Guys, and we've seen how well they were received by the players, which is really important. It keeps the game fresh and adds a layer of suspense—you never know what could happen next.

Shifting from mobile to console, for people who don't know, Stumble Guys was recently released on both Xbox and PlayStation, jumping the barrier to become a cross-platform game. Can you share a bit more with our readers about this strategy in general?

Alex: Stumble Guys already had an impressive market presence on mobile platforms—iOS and Android—as well as on PC via Steam, and even directly accessible via browser. However, breaching into the console environment was a significant achievement and a testament to the game’s potential. This accomplishment was the result of an immense team effort over quite some time, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the best professionals in the industry on this remarkable project.

Expanding our reach has always been a crucial objective, as it ensures that as many people as possible can play and enjoy the game, regardless of their platform of choice. We are nearly there in completing this objective, and it’s exciting to see how the game continues to evolve and reach new audiences.

What are the differences and challenges from a LiveOps perspective on console?

Alex: From one platform to another, there will be varying degrees of volatility, but the core aspect one needs to bear in mind in any environment they operate in is understanding the audience. You need to rely on the main LiveOps principles and remind yourself that the audience is at the heart of every LiveOps decision.

While I mentioned that LiveOps is a great instrument to use, it is only when you include other crafts like Analytics, Economy and Community into the mix that you start seeing the bigger picture. Every platform has its own needs and its own category of players, and if you pay attention to both your data and the player base, it will indicate the path you need to follow. From that point onward, it is a matter of calibrating your operations based on audience behavior, their needs, and the platform’s constraints, as some are more flexible than others, which could limit your LiveOps capabilities.

Clearly, there are more forces playing a vital role in a cross-platform LiveOps system. That is why it is mandatory to keep an open mind and not let your decisions be guided by past experiences or results from different environments. Always take the time to conduct or reconduct as many A/B tests as possible to validate or refute the same hypothesis in the new environment as well. Continuously analyze and adjust based on new findings.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the LiveOps field?

Alex: Play games. Play more games. Play even more games.

Jokes aside, you do have to play games. LiveOps is a continuously evolving field, where what you regard today as a “best practice” might be outdated in a month. But the main reason for playing games is not just to stay updated, but to discover different approaches to various issues. Think of LiveOps and everything it comprises as a game's solution to fixing or improving something, and work backward to uncover what that is.

So next time you play and see an event, a special challenge, an offer, or anything else with a timer on it, think about what it is trying to solve and how it integrates with other parts of the game. Try to see beyond the UI and think in terms of loops.

Another piece of advice is to start deconstructing games. Take a game you like, create a template with areas you want to dive into, such as Monetization, Economy, Engagement, etc., and start analyzing all the components that contribute to those areas.

For instance, analyzing the shop is a good place to start for Monetization. Analyzing the flow of resources and/or currencies in the game is a good place to start for Economy. Analyzing Missions, Events, and Challenges is a good place to start for Engagement.

Build up your knowledge, understand how games work and how they use LiveOps to overcome or improve challenges, and document everything in your portfolio. I can assure you that you will have a blast during interviews. Extra points if you deconstruct the game you’re applying for.

Man, thank you so much for this interview. I think you're one of the best professional experts I enjoy talking to the most. Your insights are incredibly valuable, and I know our readers will appreciate them as much as I do. It's always a pleasure to learn from someone with your experience and passion for the gaming industry.

Alex: Thank you, Michael. It’s been a pleasure talking with you, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences. I’m looking forward to seeing how the LiveOps field continues to evolve and innovate.

Absolutely. I can't wait to see what’s next for you and your projects. Thanks again, Alex!