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The PocketGamer.biz group not too long ago had the chance to sit down down with Andres Constantinidis, CEO & Co-founder of TinyBytes, to discover the studio’s methods behind the continued success of Huge Warfare and the current launch of Battle Automobiles.
Throughout this in-depth exploration of TinyByte’s strategy to video games, Constantinidis highlights key achievements, together with Huge Warfare’s 70 million downloads and over $40 million in lifetime gross income, together with plans for ongoing progress. The dialogue additionally coated Battle Automobiles’ downloads, which have already exceeded a million and its 100% month-to-month income progress.
The interview explores reside ops methods, impactful licensing collaborations, and the event course of, offering useful insights into TinyBytes’ strategy to video games, enterprise, their gamers and the way they carry all of them collectively.
Huge Warfare Success:
Pocketgamer.biz: Huge Warfare is a widely known identify in multiplayer vehicular fight, however for these unfamiliar, are you able to share a fast overview?
Andres Constantinidis: Huge Warfare is a navy vehicular shooter the place tanks, hovercrafts, and helicopters battle it out throughout land, sea, and air in real-time multiplayer.
Are you able to elaborate on the sport achievements up to now?
We launched it in 2018, and since then, it has been an unbelievable journey – over 70 million downloads and greater than $40 million in lifetime gross income. Our month-to-month energetic customers vary from 2.5 to three.5 million. The sport has gained a number of awards and nominations, sustaining a powerful 4.7-star score. It is out there on the App Retailer and Google Play (each cellular and PC).
On the social aspect, we’ve seen nearly 100 thousand alliances shaped and 10 million friendships created in-game, and even had a person enjoying on the altar whereas ready for the bride! Moreover, our licensing collaborations with iconic rock bands have additional fueled engagement.
“On the social aspect, we’ve seen nearly 100 thousand alliances shaped and 10 million friendships created in-game, and even had a person enjoying on the altar whereas ready for the bride!”
Andres Constantinidis
How have reside ops (reside operations) contributed to the continued engagement and income era of Huge Warfare? What particular reside ops methods have been simplest?
Reside ops are the spine of our long-term success. Our group – recognized internally as “The Viking Rowers” – operates persistently on annual, month-to-month, and quarterly income and KPI targets. We have saved the sport contemporary with new options, content material impressed by neighborhood suggestions, and fixed A/B testing on gives.
Large options just like the Battle Move and in-game occasions have pushed robust engagement. Our licensing collaborations, like those with rock bands, and model sponsorships – just like the one with Hint Black Water – have additionally been key. We persistently see income peaks of 95 p.c progress with each main replace, and our AB exams assist us increase spender conversion by 60 p.c and develop ARPU by 125 p.c.
What was the method like for securing licensing collaborations with iconic bands like Mötorhead, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, and Iron Maiden? What had been the important thing challenges and rewards?
We began by listening to our neighborhood – operating surveys and polls to know their music tastes. Rock and steel stood out, and it simply made sense. The synergy between heavy music and intense vehicular fight was good. When deciding on companions, we checked out their world attain, present relevance (new excursions, albums), and the way effectively their visible universe match our sport.
The gamers beloved it. Seeing Dave Mustaine do a promo video, Megadeth signal t-shirts for giveaways, and Alice Cooper submit about us was surreal. The largest problem was getting approvals whereas these artists had been on tour – schedules will be loopy. However the reward was seeing the joy from each followers and artists when the content material went reside.
Are you able to share any knowledge or anecdotes concerning the impression these licensing collaborations have had on Huge Warfare’s participant base or income? Did you see a rise in new gamers, returning gamers, or in-app purchases?
Completely. We noticed a direct impression – 500 p.c ROI, 30 p.c enhance in new gamers and 12 p.c income progress. Licensing now contributes as much as 11 p.c of our month-to-month income. The Mötorhead collaboration was a standout – it recouped in only one weekend. The Eddie Copter and Alice Cooper’s Venom Claw had been top-selling objects, reinforcing how a lot gamers love these integrations.
What had been the inventive issues in integrating these licenses into the sport? How did you guarantee an excellent match between the sport and the band’s model?
Respect was key. We needed to do justice to those legendary artists and their fan bases. Our group – being rock and steel followers themselves – dug deep into every band’s historical past. For Alice Cooper’s content material, we included iconic components from his stage reveals – chickens operating round, a large viper, a guillotine, and an electrical chair. Releasing it in October made it the right Halloween replace. For Iron Maiden, we introduced Eddie to life as a pilot, drawing inspiration from their most well-known album covers. Each element was authorized by the artists, making certain the whole lot felt genuine.
Battle Automobiles Success:
To start out, may you give us some background on Battle Automobiles? What style is it, when did it launch, and what are its notable achievements or participant engagement metrics up to now?
Battle Automobiles is a high-energy vehicular fight sport the place vehicles and vehicles conflict in esports-inspired arenas. It options fantasy components – like battles inside an aquarium – and launched globally on January 16 this 12 months. The reception has been unbelievable: featured as “Sport of the Day” and “Video games We Love” on the App Retailer within the US and worldwide, plus a worldwide characteristic on Google Play. We’ve hit 1 million downloads, sustaining a 4.5-star score. Month-to-month income progress is 100%, and gamers spend 25 p.c extra time in-game than in Huge Warfare.
What was the preliminary inspiration behind growing Battle Automobiles? What hole out there had been you attempting to fill?
Battle Automobiles was our likelihood to take the whole lot we realized from Huge Warfare – each the successes and the errors – and apply it to one thing contemporary. There have been so many concepts we needed to implement in Huge Warfare however couldn’t on account of technical or useful resource constraints six years in the past.
With Battle Automobiles, we had a clear slate. We aimed for a broader viewers, a youthful demographic, and a sport with fewer direct rivals. We added exchangeable weapons, restricted lives, and interactive map hazards. Stylistically, we drew inspiration from Spiderverse, Hello-Fi Rush, Borderlands, and Fortnite. The arenas had been influenced by Fall Guys.
Are you able to stroll us via the event means of Battle Automobiles, highlighting any key choices or challenges you confronted?
We moved at lightning pace in comparison with Huge Warfare. What took us years earlier than, we now did in months, due to our SWAT Workforce – our devoted launch specialists who deal with speedy market validation. From prototype to open beta, we bought Battle Automobiles into gamers’ fingers in simply six months. We ran A/B exams on advertising property whereas nonetheless prototyping, making certain we locked in the appropriate artwork model earlier than full manufacturing.
One main danger was overhauling the economic system and core sport loop – introducing exchangeable weapons as our second main spending sink. We weren’t certain how it might carry out, however A/B exams proved it elevated early engagement. Our focus was making the sport extra accessible to new gamers, which led to a better quantity of smaller spenders and sooner person acquisition scaling.
“We’ve hit 1 million downloads, sustaining a 4.5-star score. Month-to-month income progress is 100%, and gamers spend 25 p.c extra time in-game than in Huge Warfare. ”
Andres Constantinidis
What had been your major objectives for Battle Automobiles’ world launch, and the way have the outcomes in comparison with your expectations up to now?
We got down to construct one thing higher, sooner, and stronger than Huge Warfare. We aimed for speedy validation, a wider viewers, and a contemporary expertise – not only a reskin. To this point, we’ve hit 1.8 million downloads, with 10 p.c larger retention than Huge Warfare. In comparison with Huge Warfare, we’ve seen nearly double Spender Conversion, 40 p.c extra LTV, and a 35 p.c increase in ROAS, all whereas lowering the recoup window by 25 p.c.
What advertising methods did you utilize for the Battle Automobiles launch, and which channels proved simplest in reaching your target market?
We took a multi-pronged strategy: open beta, smooth launch, pre-registration, Google Adverts, Meta, different advert networks, and cross-promotion with Huge Warfare. Influencer advertising performed a key function as effectively.
What are your future plans for Battle Automobiles when it comes to content material updates, new options, or potential esports integration?
We’re simply getting began. Battle Move, an occasion system, and new sport modes are all within the pipeline. We’re engaged on ports for Nintendo Change and Google Play for PC. Plus, we have now some massive licensing collaborations coming quickly. We have been very energetic on Twitch currently, utilizing our in-house Vtuber, whereas many streamers are enjoying the sport on completely different platforms.
What classes did you be taught from the event and launch of Battle Automobiles which you could apply to future initiatives?
One of many key classes we realized from Battle Automobiles was positively to construct on our strengths and keep on with what we all know greatest. Specializing in our core style helps guarantee the sport resonates with gamers. We additionally realized the worth of making reusable frameworks that save time in improvement. It’s all about iteration – always enhancing based mostly on suggestions. Finding out the market and validating person acquisition early on additionally proved essential, ensuring there was demand earlier than totally diving into improvement.
How do Huge Warfare and Battle Automobiles contribute to TinyBytes’ total enterprise technique and progress plans?
Huge Warfare helped us develop our EBITDA by 2.5x, and Battle Automobiles is constructing on that momentum. Our objective is to double income and EBITDA within the subsequent three years. Whereas the video games have completely different audiences, collectively, they solidify our dominance within the real-time PvP vehicular fight area.