EVR Gaming CrossWorld Launch

TAMID Group at William and Mary

Table of contents

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4

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Industry Analysis

Consumer Research

Introduction

Market Analysis

Marketing Strategy

Introduction

1

Meet the Team

Project Manager ~ Lauren Snowden

Team Members ~ Grace Schaaff, Walker Hyman, Reagan Downey, Miles Luther, Mauni Branch, Srinidhi Laks

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2

Industry Analysis

Japan

• Revenue: Earns more revenue from in-app purchases than Ireland. Revenue projected to increase from 7.12 to 19.35% in 2021-2027.
• Channel: Almost exclusively uses the App Store.
• Market: Difficult market to penetrate because it is highly dynamic, competitive, and digital age of consent is older (20 years old).

Ireland

• Revenue: Small population size yields greater revenue per download than Japan. A smaller predicted increase in revenue in 2024-2027 for in-app advertising than Japan.
• Channel: 90% of Irish households have smartphones contributing to high levels of mobile commerce. Half use Apple, and half use Android.
• Market: To launch an app in Ireland, the creator must apply for an Interim Certificate with the Minister of Media. Digital age of consent is younger (16 years old).

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UK

• Revenue: Larger market than Ireland and Japan. In 2024 it is projected to have the average highest revenue per download.
• Channel: Relatively low barriers to entry (fourth highest penetration rate). Little difference of game usage between socioeconomic groups, further decreasing barriers to entry.
• Market: New privacy regulations have made it harder to target user groups. Youngest digital age of consent (13 years old), so it is the easiest market to target younger users.

Revenue Comparison

Market Shares Comparison

Apple App Store vs Google Play

• One-time creator fee ($25)
• Quicker review process than Apple

• Apple Developer Program ($99 annually).
• Rejects 40% of games on first submission (App Radar).
• Can choose which countries to launch app in.

3

Market Analysis

Rise of Hybrid Casual Games

Hybrid Significance: Balances long-term engagement with ease of play.

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Accessibility, Shareability, Meta Layers:

• Mechanics and visual style ideal for quick, enjoyable sharing.
• Tailor the experience to individual preferences.

Social Integration:

• Social elements for enhanced user interaction.
• Competitive aspect (pvp) without high commitment.

Connectivity and Quick Rush:

• Increased connectivity for a quick serotonin rush, minimizing time commitment.

Educational Potential:

• 71% of adults believe hybrid games can be educational, an underexplored market opportunity.

UK Word Games Market Shares

Key Competitor: Wordscapes

Acquisition:

• Marketing campaign clearly showcased core game elements
• Consumer research on user demographics and “repeat player” behaviors

Product:

• Focused on existing user retention: added new features and conducted research to understand what users want in a gameplay experience

Monetization:

• Researched revenue drivers in specific ad units & countries
• Accounted for country-specific differences in their marketing/game design

SWOT Analysis Wordscapes

Strengths: addictive gameplay, educational value, wide appeal

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Weaknesses: overwhelming ads, limited gameplay modes

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Opportunities: enhanced social features, cross promotion, expansion to more languages/countries

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Threats: highly competitive market, changing trends

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This can also apply to most mobile games/apps

SWOT Analysis CrossWorld

Strengths:

• educational value
• appeals to a wide range of demographics

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Weaknesses:

• unknown in the industry
• longer game time

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Opportunities:

• growing emphasis on educational games

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Threats:

• highly competitive landscape

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Consumer Research

Gender

54% of women marked that they enjoy puzzle/tile matching

26% of men marked that they enjoy puzzle/tile matching, and 79% game on their smartphones

Age

More than half of UK adults play videos games

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• 69% of men and 61% of women who play are under 45
• Less than 35% of adults over age 30 identify as people who game as a hobby
• Of people who game “most days”:
• 30% are under 30
• 24% are ages 30-39
• 20% are ages 40-49

Gamer Types

4 Personas of Gamers

• Casual gamers: 20% of people who play. They are mostly female, play less regularly, and don’t identify as a gamer.
• Mobile specialists: 17%, mostly older, female and play most days (almost exclusively on mobile devices).
• Mainstream gamers: 36%, mostly male, play on a mix of platforms, although smartphones are most popular.
• Enthusiasts: 14%, mostly young, male and play most days (on consoles). Their views and opinions have significant influence on the gaming world.

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Marketing Strategy

Short Term

Our main goals now are to increase sales through improved marketing to increase the user base and brand visibility

Long Term

Maintain high levels of user engagement and retention. Build a base of daily users.

Increasing Brand Visibility

EVR Gaming’s efforts to increase brand visibility should revolve around shareability

• We suggest that EVR create a share button, readily available after completing a puzzle so players can text their friends their scores
• Sharing scores are helpful to encourage people to engage with and learn about CrossWord and to cater to a dedicated player base
• Through social media, EVR could organize periodical contests for in-game rewards for those with top scores

Increasing User Base

Including features for player vs. player games will increase the user base and customize user experience

• Relies on the competitive reasons people play games
• We suggest a feature in the game where players are able to “friend” people in the game and play directly against friends
• Encouraging downloads as people will ask their friends and family to play against them

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Increasing User Retention

Daily incentives are the most important part of increasing and maintaining user retention

• We suggest decreasing the CrossWorld daily puzzle average completion time to to 10-15 minutes. We believe this will encourage more users to do it repeatedly within the down time of their days.
• We suggest adding a mechanism to gauge a user’s puzzle completion time to allow players to compare progress over time and compete with others. This encourages players to complete the daily puzzle because users enjoy competing with their friends.

Increasing User Engagement

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• CrossWorld should have themed crossword “packs” with graphics and content that reflect different seasons. This will add variety to the standard game view and increase the user experience.
• Wordscapes success relies on relaxing and visually appealing backgrounds
• In addition to seasonal packs, CrossWorld should provide puzzles based on popular themes such as sports, entertainment, colors, etc. These themes can be reached by level completion, which incentivises users to play more and prevents boredom.

EVR Gaming should customize the game according to seasons, holidays, or themes to increase user engagement.

Thank you!

Questions or comments?