Royal Match

Since its launch, Royal Match has become one of the top examples of a successful match-3 game, and many other games use it as a reference, drawing inspiration from its implementations. There are a few things I particularly like about it compared to its well-known competitors, such as Fishdom or Homescapes:

1. Vertical orientation, which is much more convenient for casual players in many cases.
2. A perfect combination of fast and smooth animations.
3. The UI/UX is very relaxing and intuitive.

There are many factors and aspects that we can find interesting regarding the story of Royal Match. Balances, updates, ads, and more—trying to cover everything in one piece can be a bit overwhelming. So, in this article, I want to focus on a few LiveOps tools that I find particularly interesting and have the potential to inspire and be adopted in other games. Let’s dive in.

Cooperation is the New Black

As the most popular player types (that mentioned in my previous article, Balancing Gameplay: The Science of Fun ) are easily engaged and monetized through competition and progression mechanics, cooperation events are a perfect example of an event that fits and effectively influences all types of players. Let's check them out:

Dragon nest

You have 4 friends with whom you are harvesting dragons. Each dragon has 3 milestones of growth before reaching the final level. The token requirements for each milestone are:

• 1st Milestone: 5,000 tokens
• 2nd Milestone: 12,000 tokens
• 3rd Milestone: 20,000 tokens

The gameplay involves a Pinko mini-game, and it is limited by event currency (balls), which can only be obtained through other in-game events. Each ball spent in the mini-game helps you earn tokens to grow your dragons.

Comments & Recommendations:

1. The first reward should be easily achievable to motivate and reward the player from the very beginning, potentially increasing their motivation to engage and retain throughout the event.
2. Milestones are crucial for keeping players engaged, as they provide smaller rewards along the way to the grand prize, helping to maintain their motivation.
3. This approach works because it increases session lengths and supports core engagement in other events within the game.

Main KPIs:

• Engagement
• Retention
• Monetization (to have resources to get the grand prize)

Main Prize Value:~8-9$

Team Treasure

Another collaboration event focuses your attention on clan activities. It’s a much simpler event with direct points from core gameplay and lower rewards, but they are important because most of them are time-limited boosters, which are crucial for the engagement loop that I’ll discuss later.

All Prize Value: ~1-2$

Competition Events

I personally really like competition events because striving for rewards and recognition is in our nature, winning is in our nature. These events show great monetization potential because there is always someone who wants to be number one. So, let’s review the competition events in Royal Match, their main KPIs, rewards, and I’ll explain the key points of their design.

Lava quest

There are 100 players competing for 10,000 HC, which is shared among all winners (this is the tricky and interesting part).

The rules are simple: beat 7 levels without losing, and collect rewards until the event ends. However, every few levels, you encounter hard and super hard levels. Typically, a large number of players reach the final level, and the reward barely covers the cost of one extra move in the game, which is often needed to avoid losses. Here’s my statistical breakdown:

Comments & Recommendations:

Generally, I spend the same amount of gold, or even more, to reach the top of the event. This disappointment can lead to players avoiding the event, but sometimes, when you have a good amount of bonuses from the reward loop, you remain interested in the event and may end up making the same mistakes, spending HC to win, and ultimately receiving even less than you spent. However, this setup still work effectively by sinking resources and encouraging early-game players toward monetization.

Main KPIs:

• HC Sink
• Session Duration

Prize Value: ~2$

Hidden Temple (Treasure Hunt)

I see "luck" mechanics everywhere in games, whether it’s in loot boxes, gacha, or chance-based challenges, and it’s evident that these mechanics tap into a fundamental aspect of human psychology—that excitement of unpredictability—which is why we enjoy them so much in gaming.

Treasure Hunt is a perfect example of how to expand the gaming experience while providing a strong tool for engagement and monetization loops in your game's live operations.

Comments & Recommendations:

I really like the implementation of combined features for instance treasure hunt and renting mechanic. From what I've observed, these mechanics fit perfectly in collection-based RPG games as a source of "renting" new heroes for time-limited events where you seek for a treasure in a grid like showed on example above and can find rewards, new hero for this particular event or enemy to fight. This is a game-changer because, in the early stages, it's really difficult to complete these challenges without "renting heroes," which increases the desire to obtain them, driving more active gameplay or monetization within the event.

Main KPIs:

• Retention Rate
• Session Duration

Game in game that have a another game. A 3 layer game?

I often notice how core mechanics from one genre are introduced as events to support the core of another game. For example, casino games implement match-3 mechanics, and match-3 games incorporate slot machines. Some games even combine hybrids of two main core mechanics, like merging and farm building. So why not leverage this for LiveOps purposes? If your game is built on the latest technical engines, it’s not a difficult challenge to implement a simple core mechanic into a completely new feature. Let’s take a look at what Royal Match has done.

Duke’s Fortune is an event that introduces a slot machine mechanic where players spin to win various rewards such as coins, boosters, and in-game power-ups. Players accumulate spins through gameplay, in-game purchases, or time-based energy refreshes. The thrill of spinning and the chance to win high-value rewards make this event highly engaging for players, tapping into the "luck" and "chance" mechanics that are very effective for both player engagement and monetization. Mini Coin Master inside Royal Match, that use all power of such core gameplay to support their own core and meta.

Main KPIs:

• Retention Rate
• Session Duration

Other points to cover

• Reward Engagement Loops

The perfect combination of rewards—some consumable and others unlimited but for a limited time—works brilliantly for boosting engagement. Players are more likely to maximize their usage of time-limited rewards, keeping them engaged in the gameplay loop created by your Game Economy Design (GED) and LiveOps strategy. During this period, players are drawn into the event until they reach a hard level or significant milestone, which increases the likelihood of monetization. At that point, players are more inclined to continue their progression, especially when paired with other mechanics like Lava Quest, social progression, competition events, and streaks. This creates a strong incentive to keep playing rather than risk losing their progress.

• Tournaments

Create different tournaments for distinct cohorts of players based on specific user behaviors. Cohort segmentation could be based on factors such as player spending behavior, balance of in-game currency (HC), or recent event participation (to identify at-risk players who may leave after this session). Tailor the tournaments to provide as many rewards as possible, allowing players in lower engagement groups a higher chance of securing top positions. This increases their desire to return the next day, as they feel more successful and motivated to engage further with the game.

• Progress bars are perfect feature that fits almost everywhere!

Progress bars are a perfect feature that fits almost everywhere! They provide players with a clear visual representation of their advancement, creating a sense of achievement and motivating them to reach the next milestone. Whether in events, challenges, or daily tasks, progress bars help keep players engaged by giving them tangible goals to work towards.

• Mix of main rewards that can support your other activities or Liveops events.

Create a mix of main rewards that not only incentivize participation but also support other activities or LiveOps events. By aligning rewards with upcoming events or ongoing features, players are encouraged to engage across multiple aspects of the game. For example, offering consumable items, boosters, or currency that can be used in future events creates a seamless connection between different events, keeping players engaged in the long-term LiveOps cycle.

• Joker cards for mid/late game users.

Joker cards are a great tool for mid-to-late game users. They offer flexibility by allowing players to bypass particularly difficult levels or challenges, which can prevent frustration and maintain engagement. For mid-to-late game players, who are often more experienced and have invested significant time, Joker cards provide a valuable lifeline to continue progressing without getting stuck, increasing both satisfaction and retention. Additionally, they can be strategically used to encourage monetization, as players may be more inclined to purchase them when they’re close to completing major milestones or events.

Not all of these events are entirely new or groundbreaking, and that’s understandable. My goal isn’t just to present new event ideas, but rather to share my personal opinion on the most important LiveOps tools, their impact, and the specific aspects of implementation that I find particularly effective. I hope this provides you with some inspiration for how you can incorporate similar elements into your own game.

For Desert

Win Streaks are an essential tool, especially for match-3 games, and I haven't fully covered their importance. It’s a must-have feature that keeps players engaged by rewarding consistent success with increasingly valuable rewards. To maximize its potential, consider offering ways for players to maintain their streaks through special offers, boosters, or other incentives. For example, if a player is close to losing their streak, offering a one-time booster can encourage them to stay in the game and continue playing. This is a powerful tool when aligned with your core gameplay, as it drives both engagement and monetization by encouraging players to keep their momentum going.

I hope you enjoyed the article and found some interesting ideas for yourself. If you’re looking for more insights and inspiration from top titles, I highly recommend checking out https://playliner.com/ .

As for my next article, I’d love your input! I have two ideas in mind, so leave a comment with:

• "LiveOps" if you want a detailed breakdown of strategies and a LiveOps plan for Royal Match. [BONUS: I'll share my personal template for LiveOps planning with everyone!]
• "Product" if you’d like to hear my personal stories about product development, working in startups, the mistakes I made, and what really works!