Objective: Observe a game launch unfolding in real time conditions from a player perspective.
Inspired by material from Chapter 15: Failure to Thrive
QUEST: Choose 1-2 upcoming games that you can track that have not yet launched. Add them to your wishlist, follow them, or pre-order them so you can get updates. Then, revisit this page for suggestions on how to journal your lived experience as a player going through this launch period.
First, select one or more upcoming games.
Try some of these Coming Soon lists from popular marketplaces. There aren’t very good mechanics for mobile game prereleases, so the IGN lists are a bit light.
This exercise doesn’t require a paid game; there are certainly going to be free to play games to choose from if you need to, or you could get a subscription service like Game Pass for a month or two to try this out. But of course – if you want to make games, paying to support the companies that might eventually employ you isn’t a bad look.
Pre-order, wishlist, or track the game.
Make sure you can come back to check in on the progress of the game as soon as possible during the launch period.
| Platform | Page |
|---|---|
| Steam | Upcoming Releases |
| Epic Games Store | Coming Soon |
| Switch / Switch 2 | Coming Soon |
| Playstation 5 | Coming Soon |
| Xbox | Coming Soon |
| GOG | Upcoming Releases |
| iPhone | Upcoming Games (IGN) |
| Android | Upcoming Games (IGN) |
When your selected game(s) come out:
Install and play the game during the launch window (First week)
This is important so that you can experience the game as close to its original state as possible – unpatched with any rough edges.
Review community sentiment during the launch window (First 2-4 weeks)
Does the player count increase? Decrease? How is Reddit chatter? How is the tone of reviews? Is the developer responding directly? Is the title appearing on any best sellers lists? Are you seeing any official reviews?
Install the first patch, when available, and note differences
These aren’t guaranteed, but if it happens jump on it and pay attention to the patch notes. Play and note the difference in experience
Review community sentiment during the patch window
Did the changes improve community engagement? Did the patch introduce new issues? When is the next update expected?
After the launch subsides, reflect on these prompts:
Many games that fail to thrive early in their lifecycle fall down in one of these areas, which are some of the areas documented in Chapter 15 of the strategy guide.
Quality
How did the quality of the release meet your expectations? Did the save games work properly? Did the servers scale well? Were you able to play full games when you wanted to play?
Onboarding
Were you able to learn and onboard with the game effectively? Did it grab your attention and make you want to keep playing? Did the game assume you already knew how to play?
Identity
Did you have to create a new account to play this game, or did it let you use an existing account like Google or Gamecenter? If you had to create a new account, how did it go? Do you remember the credentials?
