Lessons from Candy Crush Saga Live Ops Part 2

‍Previously we covered the player mechanics of the Candy Crush Saga live events. Now let us review the communications around these live events. These include announcements of the event, reminders during the event and congratulatory messages once the challenge was achieved.

Leveraging all channels

Candy Crush Saga has an inbox inside the game. Leveraging persistent inbox announcements increase participation. A separate tab in the inbox just for event messages further helps these announcements stand out.  Such a separate events mailbox is a game feature, which must be built into the game client.

‍

Transient pop-up messages within the game reinforce the event that is currently running.  Such pop-ups don't have to be built into the game client; they can be enabled via mobile marketing tools like Leanplum or Beamable.  

‍

For out of game channels, managers post event announcements on the community web pages.   Push notifications are also used.  

‍

Constant reminders increase participation

It is not enough to just annouce the event when it starts.  The "marketing rule of 7" highlights that repetition and frequency are key to (1) getting the message across (2) getting users to act.  Candy Crush Saga's event communication adds event reminders throughout the orgoing event.    

Claiming the reward

When the player achieves the challenge, she is immediately given a "Claim Reward" message.

‍

Key Takeaways

1. Find as many ways as possible to notify and remind users about the event.  Use all channels, in-game and out-of-game.

2. Plan on creating between 10 or more different art and copy for different messages.

3. Let users know of their progress throughout the event.

4. Aim for at least 7 reminders per user during the event.

5. Reward users as quickly as possible after they meet the event challenge.

‍

Images attributed to https://candycrush.fandom.com/, cc-by-sa license.