Retention: Player retention
The share of players who return after a set number of days.
Soft launch: Soft launch.
A limited release in a few markets before the global launch.
A soft launch is a limited release of a game in a small number of markets. It lets the team measure retention, monetisation and stability with real players, and fix problems before a wide launch.
What it is for
A soft launch measures retention, monetization and stability with real players before you spend heavily on a global launch. It is the time to test onboarding, tune the economy and prices, and check how well the store page converts.
Where and how long
Teams pick smaller markets that resemble their main target, often English-speaking ones. There is no fixed length. Run it until retention and revenue numbers are stable enough to read.
What you decide at the end
Scale marketing, fix what the numbers show, or stop. Read ARPDAU, LTV and eCPI together to make that call.
See the mobile game publishing guide and the mobile game launch checklist.
Related terms.
eCPI: Effective cost per install
The average cost of each install, including organic installs the ads helped bring.
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