A look at the most powerful ways to engage players with your game’s monetisation systems — Here at Department of Play, we’re often approached by teams aspiring to improve a game’s revenue. More often than not, these games contain several monetisation features with the potential to earn a profit. However, in many cases, players are spending irregularly or not at all. This is often due to…

A deep dive into one of 2021’s biggest gaming revelations — Launch Date: October 2018 Developer: Sky Mavis Publisher: Sky Mavis Status: Worldwide Platforms: Android (side loading), iOS (closed TestFlight Beta), Windows, Mac OS. Genre: TCG / team battler. Similar to: Hearthstone, Pokémon, CryptoKitties. What is it? Axie Infinity is a NFT-based collectible battler developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, who are an alumni…

FIFA 21 Ultimate Team Key Facts: Launch Date: 5th October 2020 Developer: Electronic Arts Publisher: Electronic Arts Status: Worldwide Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows Genre: Sport Similar to: eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer) What is it? For the unfamiliar, Ultimate…

The idea that developers and publishers of contemporary games can take meaningful, monetising lessons from the heritage of arcade gaming might sound counterintuitive. Arcade gaming today is often thought of as a dwindling niche where a handful of players remain devotedly committed to punishingly difficult games that ostracise larger audiences.That…

The process of deconstruction can be fundamental in defining the success and quality of your next game project. As such, understanding the process of ‘deconstruction’ could be considered a key skill within game design, yet it is so often misunderstood or given passing attention. …

Launch Date: 6th April 2021 Status: Soft Launch (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland). Genre: Strategy. Similar to: Spooky Pop, Legend of Solgard, and Puzzle and Dragons. What is it? Clash Quest is a tactical puzzle RPG with clear influences from King’s Legend of Solgard and Supercell’s own discontinued Spooky Pop. Clash Quest…

If you want to make a game that succeeds creatively and commercially, prototyping will almost certainly be a key step in the design and development process. Prototyping serves as a point at which early ideas and concepts can be crystallised, pivoting the process of game design into the production pipeline…

As a general concept, matchmaking is fundamentally simple. It serves as a means to group players in online games, based on the experiences they are looking for, and the ability or skill level they bring. The motivation for matchmaking, of course, is about giving players a rewarding experience. …

In the midst of a year consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, an atypical battle royale game emerged as something of a star of 2020. That game was Fall Guys, and for a few weeks after its launch on PC and PlayStation 4, it dazzled players, industry, press and brands alike. …