Keeping Players Engaged: Player Retention in Marvel Strike Force

‍Previously, we took a look at the different types of events in Marvel Strike Force, and how they keep players actively engaged. Events are only one strategy for player retention. Let’s look at some other ways MSF retains their players.

Events provide alternative to default progression

Progression, especially in the early stages of the game, is tied to player level. Playing harder parts of the campaign, leveling up characters, and unlocking all the gamemodes are impossible without a high enough player level. Players want to reach a high level as quickly as possible. To incentivise daily play, MSF has daily missions, which are simple tasks that reset every day tied to achieving higher level. Player experience gain is very slow outside of daily missions, so players must log in every day and play to progress in the game quickly.

Figure 1: Closer look into daily missions

Common tactic : constant reminders

As with Candy Crush, Marvel Strike Force sends constant reminders to players about recently started or finished events through their inbox system. This repeated messaging keeps players up to date about the latest content. These reminders nudge players to participate in MSF’s events, making them spend more time in game.

Figure 2: an example of a remainder for a limited time mission event

Leveraging "sunk cost bias" in daily events

MSF also has both weekly and monthly streak systems. Missing a day ruins the streak, encouraging players to continually engage with the game every day or risk missing free rewards. This mechanic has the added benefit of leveraging the well known "sunk-cost bias". Once you have played several days in a row, the effort of playing the next day is small compared to the previous days' efforts.

Figure 3: Monthly calendar

Key Takeaways

1. Give players a reason to log in every day, whether that be through daily missions or streaks.
2. Set up a parallel pathway to the default progress with your events, allowing faster progression.
3. Engage with players through an inbox system to send reminders about new content or events.
4. Provide high rewards at the beginning of a long streak to ensure early participation to lock in subsequent engagement.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter so you don't miss any of our new content!

‍