Web & Mobile Development, Native App Development

Microsoft

TURNING GAMERS INTO LOYAL SOLDIERS

SUMMARY

Getting gamers excited for a franchise game launch is easy. But keeping them engaged during the typical two-year window before the next launch in the face of big, competing titles that are arriving right on its heels? That’s a lot tougher. Yet, that’s exactly the challenge Microsoft laid before us.

Here’s how we powered up gamer devotion for the two most successful gaming franchises Microsoft’s history and kept fans playing longer.

OUR ROLES

Working Progress

CHALLENGE

Microsoft asked us: How can we prevent fans from defecting to other titles and keep them playing HALO and Gears of War longer?

INSIGHTS

Gamers who compete successfully against other gamers tend to play a title longer, spend more on downloadable content and are less likely to abandon the game. This told us that an engaged, game-centric community would be highly sustainable for future releases.

MAKE THINGS INTERESTING

Meta-game competition drives repeat use, with a vengeance.

SOLUTION

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY & SUSTAINING ENGAGEMENT

Halo: Waypoint Cultivating Life Beyond Launch

Launched to coincide with the release of Halo: Reach, Waypoint was developed to sustain player engagement for several years, across multiple Halo releases.

Connecting Beyond The Console

Players spend console time playing the game itself, but Microsoft needed a broader strategy to help keep fans engaged beyond the Xbox.

The Halo Waypoint website destination made the vast universe of Halocontent accessible off-console, from videos, Machinima and motion comics, to interviews, podcasts forums and – most importantly – in-game stats.

ECOSYSTEM

PLATFORM PLANNING

To implement this platform we prioritized journey touch points, established channel roles and focused resources where Halo and Gears of War could achieve their greatest impact.

Above is the live product display and user roadmap for the in-store application. What sets the in-store application apart from the other virtual services is the experiential depth, and customers’ ability to interact with the display. The tablet on display allows the user to view customer testimonies and take a customer quiz, which ultimately suggests the optimal iRobot product. Often found in retail locations, the experience empowers an interested customer to make a purchase immediately after completion.

RESULTS

Our digital products helped players improve their skills through statistics-based analysis to retain higher levels of multi-player engagement and make the Halo and Gears of War title launches the most successful in their respective franchise histories to date.

STATS

+ DLC

Purchases Searched Between Releases