Mobile App Success Story: Rules of Survival

Rules of Survival is an impressive game and because of that, it is #1 adventure game on Apple App Store. For all those players who enjoy mobile action games and also for marketers who keep wondering what are the secrets behind this amazing success, today we will talk about Rules of Survival.

Brilliant Idea

Rules of Survival is the creation of NetEase Games, a game development studio created in 2001. NetEase Games is part of NetEase, a powerful Chinese company with offices in Guangzhou. Since 2014 it expanded its success also in North America. Over the years, engineers, designers, and numerous other experts turned their passion for games into impressive entertainment products. Rules of Survival starts with the avatar landing from a plane and it ends when he dies or is the last one who survives. For those who love battle royal games, the concept is very familiar. The game is available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store and it is free to download. Let’s see what other characteristics continue to impress users.

How Rules of Survival Did It

In order to discover the key elements that made Rules of Survival a smashing success, we will analyze not only the gameplay but also the marketing techniques implemented by its owners.

Starting With Emerging Markets

The game was initially launched only in China and from the beginning, it was very appreciated by mobile players, due to its professional UX design. You all know the benefits offered by emerging markets when everybody is overwhelmed by the crowded mobile ecosystem in the United States. Obviously, it was easier for the company behind Rules of Survival to release the game in China but it is important to highlight here the options offered by other countries and “China is the single most important market in the world for mobile games”, as Business Wire revealed in a report published in September, last year. Since November 2017, the global version of the game was also available for all users and it became really addictive not only for gamers used with this type of action but also for beginners attracted by the experience offered.

Various Options For In-App Purchases

As we said earlier, Rules of Survival adopted a classic freemium model for generating revenue. You get the chance to download and to play the game for free, but if you want to do something else than run and hide you can consider buying some premium items. If you are really good at this game you can finish it without spending a dollar but when you need new weapons or you just want to look awesome while using them it is good to discover that you have a great variety of solutions. That is the whole point of in-app purchases, to attract and to convince users that those elements are really crucial for them to win the game. The condition is to offer users many options to choose from and to take into account all possible profiles. Each user will select according to its own style.

Important Updates

For Rules of Survival, updates are essential. With every new version, the game offers great improvements and new amazing features. Take a look at the screenshot shown here with the additional content. It is very important to observe the way these novelties are brought in front of the audience. Players receive a notification with the exact day when an update will occur. So, they can be prepared and plan accordingly. The information about the latest updates is shown on Facebook and on the app store page. And that makes sense. What’s the point in improving your app if users don’t know about your effort? It is a great remarketing technique.

Rewards

When we talk about mobile games, even with the best features in the world, it is very hard to keep users engaged. For this reason, attractive incentives always convince users to come back to your app. In some way, receiving extra bonuses makes them feel that they are very important and their presence in the game really counts. For example, users are rewarded if they share their opinion about the app and answer some survey questions. Now, take a look at the prizes offered by Rules of Survival for users who share the game with their friends. In the same time, you can check the Facebook page and you will discover a funny competition where players have to show their teammate’s epic fail. User-generated content is a very effective strategy when you want to see how users interact with your brand.

Bonus Tip: When You Create The Mobile Version Of A Successful PC Game You Must Provide The Same Extraordinary Experience!

Do you like battle royal games? Well, who doesn’t? It is impossible not to notice the similarities between Rules of Survival and Playerunknoun’s Battlegrounds. The only difference is that Rules of Survival is available for mobile devices. Users are able to adjust the controls according to their preferences. Sound is also very important. While many mobile players like to play games without sound, Rules of Survival somehow makes you to turn the sound on for enjoying the entire adventure. And all those terrain vehicles are awesome! The game offers various options for single and multiplayer modes. You have the chance to play with over 100 team users. The social aspect comes from the voice chat provided by the game. The general takeaway is allowing users to select the way they like to play and offering them the right tools for that.

Final Thoughts

Rules of Survival follow the “rules” set by popular online games, like PUBG. While this fact comes with advantages and disadvantages, its developers managed to attract mobile gamers and put their creation in front of many famous adventure games. If you create a high quality experience it is almost impossible not to succeed even if you fight against millions of game development studios!