Black Powder | Red Earth was released into the wild as a beta release with limited item suites for a broader spectrum of user feedback. The player base was then capped at specific intervals to allow for a manageable feedback and response loop between our developers and the players.
With a larger pool of users in place, Echelon employed its integrated analytic tools to track player engagement, in-game progress, purchase patterns and other behaviors to identify both strengths and weaknesses in the game experience.
The community relations team then engaged directly with our core users using native social networking tools such as discussion boards and feed posts where users could make feature/content requests, new features could be showcased and areas identified for further refinement.
The marketing group also utilized this data to develop targets for future advertising campaigns, refined along interests, gender, age and location.
The first advertising push ran for limited period, during which time, ad response and engagement rates were studied leading to refined ad copy, imagery and targeting, resulting in a steadily improved CTR (Click Through Rate) over the course of the campaign.
Refinements to the product continue at a measured pace. Each new feature is deployed and then user engagement is carefully monitored, then tuned to a sweet spot which in-turn drives the next feature. It is a process as much about our creative energy as the user's response to these efforts.