Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

To stay ahead of the competition, studios are exploring innovative strategies, like enhancing ad creatives to attract new players and introducing fresh gameplay features to keep existing players engaged and invested in their titles. Magic Cauldron follows Wordle’s template, with similar mechanics but featuring potions instead of words.

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Development Puzzle Mobile Mobile 130

Logic Simplified

JULY 31, 2023

There is one area every game designer must focus on to ensure that their games are captivating enough to entertain and provide an impactful experience to the user: game mechanics. When creating a new game, video game mechanics are often considered the most important factor. What are game mechanics? So let’s get started.

Mechanics 95

Mechanics Puzzle Games Game Designer 95

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Not only are collaboration events a great way to engage players, but they’re also a great way to boost your game’s monetization through the addition of new content, such as event-exclusive cosmetic items and collectibles. How well does the franchise – if it’s a film or TV show, for example – lend itself to your gameplay mechanics?

Mobile Gaming 243

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Game Development 243

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 11, 2023

The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. Carlsen’s vision for Cocoon sprang from a fascination with game mechanics. years of development. One day the idea simply popped up”, explains Carlsen.

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Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 257

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

We got to work with professional writers and craft stories featuring iconic characters. Beyond Cutscenes : Todays dramatic content isnt yesteryears skippable cutscenes. Narrative content, on the other hand, is virtually unconstrained. Hexasort with its new matching mechanic executed so well, is an industry darling.

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Cutscenes AI Content Mechanics 90

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 29, 2023

Typically highlighting a game’s mechanics in their raw form, even before content and visuals receive their final polish. Public demos aim to showcase your game’s mechanics and style to players while also garnering interest in the full game through story introduction. Consider Holstin’s demo as an example.

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Demo Mechanics Games Bug 239

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

A narrative can also help with pacing, building and releasing tension alongside key story beats while directing the players’ attention and emotions through them, all the while supporting other features and creating a meaningful foundation for retention. Several exploration games also incorporate similar story designs.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 260

Game Refinery

AUGUST 22, 2024

You’ve got hundreds of potential competitors to keep an eye on, thousands of live events to track, and constantly changing trends in the mobile market affecting gameplay mechanics, monetization and user acquisition. Or maybe you want to introduce new gameplay mechanics, such as guilds and minigames, but don’t know where to start?

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Build Mechanics Feature Mobile 172

Game Refinery

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Widely regarded as the biggest trendsetter when it comes to entertaining content, the short-form video content platform, TikTok, has become the new home for viral content. The game mechanics are simple: players trade fidget toys and aim to get the best trade. From TikTok trends to the top of the app store.

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Build Mechanics Mobile Gaming Puzzle 130

PreMortem.Games

JULY 4, 2023

The game features different modes and progressively more challenging levels. Thus, when every pixel of the old games seems to be explored up and down, DLC (downloadable content) might become a good option to sugarcoat things. Time-sensitive touch Next in our selection is Piano Star: Tap Music Tiles with 25.7M

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Tile Racing Pixel Games 252

Game Refinery

JUNE 21, 2023

Better yet, by having the bundle’s content directly relate to the player’s achievement, marketers can help users with their current goals. EverMerge also features ‘Creature Completion’ offers that pop up when players are close to collecting an entire ‘creature chain’ – which unlocks a special area.

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Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Games 48

Big Games

MARCH 27, 2025

This article compares these two platforms in detail and explores their features, benefits, and real-world applications to help you make an informed decision. Although it mostly employs C++, it also provides a visual scripting language called Blueprints that lets programmers construct intricate mechanics without knowing how to code.

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Engine Engineering Game Developer Game Development 52

PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 24, 2024

I thought that the core mechanic in this 2D game was extraordinary, so I contacted the developers. The Swap The initial idea that ignited the project was the core mechanic: The Swap. It was also important that the environments would be suitable for various gameplay scenarios and mechanics.

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Pixel Art Mechanics Demo 145

Grid Sage Games

DECEMBER 19, 2024

In terms of both technical achievements and content expansion, 2024 was a huge year for Cogmind… but first, the traditional opening collage, a quick visual summary of the year: Selection of images from the past year of Cogmind-related development as posted on this blog, forums, and social media (larger size here ).

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Beta Writing Content Feature 59

PreMortem.Games

MAY 8, 2024

So when we really enjoyed the hat-throwing mechanic found in Mario Odyssee, we asked ourselves if that particular mechanic of taking over an enemy existed in a Metroidvania. We reviewed the production schedule, adjusted certain features to have enough time to design and implement them optimally in the game.

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Studios Mechanics Fantasy Feature 129

Game Refinery

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

In-app purchase (IAP) offers are one of the most popular and longest established monetization features in the mobile market. However, as there are so many different examples of IAP offers out there, and developers are constantly innovating with new features, we couldn’t fit everything into a single blog! LINE Bubble 2.

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Build Mobile Mobile Mobile Gaming 130

PreMortem.Games

MAY 27, 2024

We’re aiming to create content that resonates with a broader, untapped audience”, she says. This system reflects our key underlying value of unity in the game, as we uniquely weave the theme into our mechanics. Her art and designs often feature adorable characters that are inspired by vinyl toys, small figurines, and blind boxes.

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Art Studios Content Indy 166

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

When Ahmetcan isnt busy crafting and designing killer features, youll find him exploring Berlin's vibrant tech scene or writing for Deconstructor of Fun in one of the hipster cafes of the city. These games blur the lines between hypercasual simplicity and deeper, more engaging puzzle mechanics. Succeed in the market.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Mechanics Tile Games 52

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

One of the most eye-catching features of Thriving City is its distinctive visual style. We were so excited to base our content around ancient China. Combining these elements with sim mechanics meant we could come up with some exciting, innovative gameplay.” The more complex a mechanic is, the more guidance players will need.

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Studios Content Balance Mechanics 104

Game Refinery

MAY 30, 2024

We saw games igniting player competition and social interaction through innovative LiveOps events, collaborating with beloved IPs to launch all-new gameplay experiences, weaning narrative threads into their content plans, leveraging seasonal themes to keep things fresh, and more.

Mobile 130

Mobile Mobile Co-op Mobile Gaming 130

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 29, 2024

We need to release regular updates: more content, more events, faster, and higher quality. Events with different mechanics sometimes complement each other, but at other times they divert players' attention, resulting in reduced activity and monetization. Reusing content The next thing on our list is reusing and looping content.

Mechanics 98

Mechanics Content Puzzle Games 98

PreMortem.Games

MAY 24, 2023

One of the most eye-catching features of Thriving City is its distinctive visual style. We were so excited to base our content around ancient China. Combining these elements with sim mechanics meant we could come up with some exciting, innovative gameplay.” The more complex a mechanic is, the more guidance players will need.

Studios 104

Studios Balance Content Playtesting 104

Game Refinery

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

If executed correctly, introducing new mechanics in this way can be an easy win, enabling developers to test out player preferences, broaden motivational appeal, boost user acquisition, and enhance player engagement – all without drastically altering the core gameplay. Whoever emerges victorious wins a random assortment of boosters.

Puzzle 130

Puzzle Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 130

Played with Fire

MARCH 12, 2025

Game developers use machine learning algorithms to generate realistic animations, optimize in-game physics, and even create procedurally generated content, reducing the time and cost of production. Future games might feature fully AI-driven environments that react dynamically to player actions, creating endless possibilities.

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AI Technology Games NPC 52

Radiator Blog

JUNE 21, 2023

The core game design throughline is clear: they loved the Warcraft wood chopping mechanic, and so they made an entire game around it. And it really is a good mechanic. Yet even if they had made victory points feel more contested, I have to admit it would still feel disconnected from the core base building mechanic and economy.

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Build Mechanics Games Game Designer 130

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

The game immerses players in a captivating odyssey across worlds within worlds, beckoning them to master the art of world-leaping mechanics to uncover a cosmic mystery. Carlsen’s vision for Cocoon sprang from a fascination with game mechanics. years of development. One day the idea simply popped up”, explains Carlsen.

Puzzle 104

Puzzle Prototyping Art Communications 104

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 21, 2023

Also, if a game mechanic has high retention, but other metrics are not as promising (e.g., When it comes to other platforms, FreePlay told us that they kept track of Reddit and Imgur, too (where TikTok content is often reposted, providing valuable insights into viral video trends).

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Prototyping Mechanics Media Games 104

Logic Simplified

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Such VR tools breathe life into the video game mechanics , allowing players to interact with the characters and environment of the game very well. Its capabilities for VR content creation include comprehensive 3D modeling tools, advanced texturing and shading, animation and rigging, and integration with VR Devices.

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Game Developer Game Development Development Texture 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JANUARY 2, 2023

Several of them have dismissed this as a doomed and naïve attempt to be user-friendly, while others have implied that it has to do with recent regulations on loot boxes or with aiming to move away from dark pattern-prone mechanics (which caused a $500M fine to Fortnite - another title oriented to younger audiences).

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Content Games Mechanics Game Design 111

Game Refinery

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Although, in these types of games, whenever there is a new content update, there is also a revenue spike, which can be shown in the case of Tower of Fantasy. Tower of Fantasy also includes a chat feature for socialization, where players can communicate with each other where to find the world bosses and ask for their help to slay them.

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Fantasy Co-op Open World Feature 130

Grid Sage Games

DECEMBER 22, 2023

In previous years I’ve opened the review with a collage of dev images of varying themes and content, but approaching the end of this year we have one major theme that stands out, and that I’ll be writing more about below, so let’s hear it for the interface mockups! The first three years there are Alpha, followed by Beta.

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Beta Alpha Mechanics Build 105

Deconstructor of Fun

DECEMBER 16, 2024

A big part of this strategy was the integration into Light & Wonder , a cross-platform games company known for creating physical slot machines, i-gaming products, and innovative game experiences that connect content, hardware, and systems across platforms and channels. In the end, its not about chasing the latest feature or trend.

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Code Cross platform Games Platformer 52

Game Refinery

OCTOBER 5, 2023

The game also features over 500,000 tactical puzzles alongside various interactive lessons and videos to help players improve their skills. Alongside this, Clash of Clans launched several in-game events and features that were inspired by the classic board game.

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Mobile Mobile Esports Games 130

Deconstructor of Fun

AUGUST 2, 2023

After a long wait, Google made its move with its latest Developers Blog post and new policies regarding blockchain-based content ! The former dedicates a separate post and policy for blockchain content while the latter just squeezes in a couple of new rules. The 8-month-long wait may seem really long.

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Content Asset Game Developer Game Development 52

Sirlin

JULY 25, 2019

There are several notable features and innovative things about the game, so I’ll summarize them here. Sometimes it’s pushing forward design in a new way, or usability, or technology, or even in introducing features or ways of doing things from one genre and applying them to another when it hasn’t been done before. This is none of that.

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Fantasy Feature Fighting Point and Click 52

Game Daily

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

The game features action-combat including magical powers in player-vs-environment and player-versus-player modes. The trailer features a pretty world of warriors, who flit between environments, with ample tools for building and crafting. ” Core to Avalon will be player-created content.

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Racing Content Fantasy Platformer 98

Deconstructor of Fun

MAY 6, 2024

Playable ads usually start with a short video ad, followed by an interactive game or activity that showcases the features and benefits of the advertised product or service. Simple gameplay mechanics – The game or activity featured in a playable ad should be easy to understand and play, even for those unfamiliar with the advertised product.

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Advertising Mobile Mobile Media 100