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John Wilks
Business Director

Insight

2022-03-31

How To Grow a Mobile Gaming Community from Scratch

When it comes to taking a community-first approach as a new IP, perhaps the most daunting thing is the need to build the community from the ground up, without existing audiences to build on or cross-promote to. If you’re in that boat, and wondering what to do next or how to go about building a community from scratch, we've got you covered. Direct from the experts at Waste, here are some tips on how you can plan, grow, and activate an all-new fan-led community for your mobile game.

It's always going to be easier to launch a game - any game - if you already have players clamouring to buy it.

Just think about Call of Duty, for instance, which seamlessly added a mobile game to its rich catalogue a couple of years back. Or Half-Life: Alyx, which was so assured of its pulling power, it was used, successfully, to help Valve launch its new VR headset. Sometimes, the name on the tin alone is enough, especially when it comes to existing brands. Sometimes, these games already have a passionate fan base before they're even released.

So to compete in this environment as a new IP, you must quickly establish and land your brand. This is why you cannot underestimate "fan power". Explaining how your game works – its world, its mechanics, its unique selling points - needs to be approached in a considered and precise manner. Restricting this to just paid channels can get expensive and be less effective for many audiences, not to mention the challenge of conveying the essence of a new title in the short-time spans afforded by most paid formats.

Spend time building a community-led approach, however, and you don't have to rely exclusively on those channels. You can use them alongside your own community-building to turbo-charge that paid activity. Not only will that make it easier - and cheaper - to hit your target audience, but it can also help drum up interest and excitement for your game, and a passionate affinity for its world. 

If you’re wondering what to do next or how to go about building a community from scratch, we've got you covered. Direct from the experts right here at Waste, here are some tips on how you can plan, grow, and activate an all-new fan-led community for your mobile game.

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