Breathing fire into core mobile gaming
Data-driven strategies that made Heroes of Dragon Age an EA success story.
In the hyper-competitive mobile gaming market of 2013, I implemented a global marketing strategy for Heroes of Dragon Age (HoDA) that catapulted it to Electronic Arts' most lucrative core mobile game — a testament to the power of iterative market engagement and hyper-precise user acquisition.
Highlights
Drove the game from soft launch to a breakthrough worldwide release, generating $12M in FY13-FY14 revenue ($1.7M a month)
Achieved unprecedented platform performance: First EA game to split revenue nearly 50-50 between iOS and Android
Delivered impressive KPIs: 6.5M installs in four months, peak daily active users of 288K and lifetime player values (LTVs) 2-3X higher than other live EA games.
From strategy to success: Soft launch lessons
During the game's soft launch planning phase, my analysis of Dragon Age console demographic data identified Russia as a top-three territory and successfully advocated for its inclusion in soft launch markets.
This data-driven decision paid dividends. Russia would generate over 80% of non-North American installs during the fall 2013 soft launch, pushing the app to Top 25 Grossing there and validating the game’s core loop and monetization model with greater efficiency.
Through extensive consumer testing, I identified key drivers of player interest: the game's 3D graphics, strategic depth and "gacha" hero collection mechanic resonated most powerfully with potential players. These learnings informed everything from product positioning to advertising creative, which I ensured they were refined with input from BioWare’s brand team to maximize fanbase resonance.
As additional soft launch territories were included, I orchestrated a user acquisition strategy that balanced organic growth with targeted marketing. It included an early-adopter incentive feature offering an exclusive hero for free, which drove massive engagement.
ARPU doubled forecasts, driven by conversion rates as high as 6.6%
Daily install and retention rates surpassed targets
Store ratings averaged 4+ across all geographies, setting the stage for strong player retention and monetization at global launch
Meteoric launch
On December 5 2013…
Heroes of Dragon Age launched globally, bolstered by premium featuring on the App Store and Google Play. Collaborating with EA’s sales team, I helped secure homepage placements, squash banners and social media promotion from Apple and Google.
I amplified platform support with a 500M-impression campaign spanning influencer partnerships, EA and franchise cross-promotion, and global PR.
Within two weeks, the game earned $1M+ on both iOS and Android, and it saw daily revenues exceeding $100K through the holiday season, with spikes as high as $200K.
“Heroes of Dragon Age is free-to-play fight franchise fans have been waiting for”
“A strategy title similar to a card-battling game that doles out lots of fan service to those who are heavily into the universe of DA, while still remaining accessible.”
“Heroes of Dragon Age hits all the right notes..it succeeds in presenting impressive depths of strategy, style of play and character designs that make (the game) a worthy addition to your games folder.”
Additional launch highlights
Top Grossing ranks at launch
Play Store: 11 in Canada, 23 in the US and 44 in the UK
App Store: 23 in China, 30 in Canada and 31 in the US
Average ARPU of $5–$7, exceeding company benchmarks.
For a more in-depth perspective, check out this recap and roadmap presentation from January 2014.
Electrifying engagement marketing
One of my most effective strategies to sustain momentum during the holiday was an early-adopter incentive program that offered exclusive in-game heroes and generated re-featuring. More than 500K players added a rare “Wintersend” dragon and rock wraith to their squads. The resulting surge in PVP sessions and an accompanying premium currency pack lead to a 2X revenue spike.
The Wintersend campaign borrowed from a successful marketing playbook I had established a year earlier with The SimsFreePlay. It laid the groundwork for HoDA promotions during the new year that sustained the game’s high engagement levels and conversion rates.
Momentum-maintaining strategies
On top of paid user acquisition, an “Ally” SMS and email code referral system I had architected prior to soft launch was added to stimulate organic acquisition. The viral feature provided post-redemption incentives to both senders and recipients.
To address faster-than-anticipated level progression, I partnered with the game’s cross-functional live ops team to accelerate the cadence of card pack drops containing heroes and the PvP battle events that followed them. Events were run during peak engagement times and widely promoted across in-app and social channels.
The “Legacy Pack” drop in late January 2014 generated $123K in revenue in a single day. And the coordinated PvP event series tied to exclusive content drove repeat spend increases of up to 70%.
These strategically-timed activities fueled consistent player engagement into 2014. HoDA maintained daily active users between 100-150K, with 25-40 minute daily session times.
Additional marketing highlights
A YouTube influencer campaign that generated 800K views and 3K installs
Email marketing to 311K franchise fans, achieving click-through rates of 5.8%
Targeted social media outreach, including engaging 1.2M franchise fans
Impact and legacy
Heroes of Dragon Age’s success was so definitive that the development team was subsequently entrusted with creating Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes on top of the HoDA game engine — validation of the game’s peak performance and finical prowess.
The trailblazing marketing strategies I implemented with HoDA set new benchmarks for EA's mobile portfolio, shaping the success of future top-performing titles such as Madden NFL Mobile, Need for Speed: No Limits, and FIFA Mobile.
This success became a launchpad for my transition into product management, where I brought the same forward-thinking approach to driving growth at start-up and mid-sized gaming companies.
Technologies
• Unity • Apple and Google developer consoles • ASO/SEO • App Annie • DeltaDNA • Flurry • Kontagent/UpSight • Omniata • SWRVE • Tableau • TapJoy • HasOffers/Tune • Vungle • Syngergy • Nanigans • PlayforFree • Adobe • Active Collab • Atlassian • Gantt