Essential Features for a Successful Game

Even with a great team and a clear vision, the success of a game ultimately depends on the features that engage players and keep them coming back. Based on my experience at Next Games, as an investor with Nuard Ventures, and as a hardcore gamer myself, I’ve identified several key features that can help make a game stand out, particularly in the mobile gaming space.

Streamability

In today’s gaming world, it’s not just about playing games—it’s about watching them too. Streamability refers to how engaging a game is to watch on platforms like Twitch or YouTube. Games with competitive PvP modes, unpredictable physics, or gameplay that showcases player skill are particularly well-suited for streaming. This not only increases visibility but also creates a buzz around the game that can drive more players to try it out. From my observations, games that are easy to stream naturally attract larger audiences, which in turn can lead to a larger player base.

Social Features

Players love to feel like they’re part of a community. Whether it’s through clans, in-game chat, or other forms of interaction, social features significantly enhance player engagement. The more a player feels connected to others within the game, the more likely they are to stay invested over the long term.

One crucial aspect of social features is the inclusion of leaderboards. The competitive nature of leaderboards can be a key driving force for player engagement. However, it’s important to design leaderboards in a way that includes more players rather than just the top 100. As the old saying goes, “Leaderboards are only fun for those who are on them.” To address this, it’s essential to have multiple tiers and leaderboards available—best in your town, country, or globally, and tiers like Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. This way, there’s room for everyone to compete and feel a sense of achievement.

Player-Created Content

Giving players the tools to express themselves within the game is a powerful way to keep them engaged. This could be through customizing characters, building environments, or other forms of player-created content. When players can shape their own experience, they are more likely to remain invested in the game. This feature taps into the creativity of the player base, making the game world more dynamic and personalized.

From my perspective, player-created content also helps in extending the life of the game. When players are involved in creating and sharing content, it builds a stronger community and gives the game a longer shelf life, as there’s always something new for players to explore.

Replayability

For a game to be successful, it needs to offer content that keeps players coming back. This means designing a game world and storyline that has enough depth to support ongoing content updates and new challenges. In IP-based games, like The Walking Dead games we developed at Next Games, this can be particularly challenging due to the restrictions of the IP. However, finding ways to keep the gameplay fresh and engaging is essential for long-term success.

Replayability isn’t just about what’s available at launch; it’s also about live operations. You need to ensure that the game setting allows for new content to be created and released in the months and years following the launch. Planning for live operations from the start is crucial to maintaining player interest and keeping the game relevant over time.

Good Gameplay

Finally, simplicity is often key to great gameplay, especially on mobile platforms. The game should be easy to pick up but challenging to master. Games like Clash Royale excel at this by boiling down complex genres into something that works beautifully on mobile devices. The gameplay should be intuitive yet offer enough depth to keep players engaged over time.

But let’s not forget the most important part of any game: its goal is to entertain people. The fun factor is paramount. Sometimes, the fun might come from making the game challenging, annoying, or even scary—because some people find that entertaining. But regardless of the type of fun, it has to be there. No matter how good the meta-game or the graphics are, if the core gameplay doesn’t work, the game won’t succeed. As the saying goes, “You can’t shine shit.” The core experience has to be enjoyable, or all the other elements won’t matter.

By focusing on these essential features, you can create a game that not only stands out in the market but also keeps players engaged and coming back for more. Each of these features plays a critical role in crafting a successful game, and when executed well, they can make the difference between a game that fades away and one that becomes a lasting success.