Immutable's Guild of Guardians, the eagerly anticipated web3 mobile game set in the enchanting world of Elderym, recently concluded its Friends and Family (F&F) Demo, marking a significant step toward its official release. The demo, which garnered widespread attention and enthusiasm, has not only revealed impressive engagement results but has also provided valuable insights into the game's development and future direction. In this article, we dive into the results, player feedback, and the updated roadmap.

Engagement Results

The F&F demo involved 555 selected participants, consisting of Guild of Guardians (GOG) community members, internal Immutables, their friends and family, and esteemed partners. This diverse group of testers has played a pivotal role in shaping the game's evolution.

The engagement numbers from the F&F demo were impressive with the game's Day 1 (D1) retention standing at 65.85%, and Day 3 (D3) retention at a robust 58.73%. These figures compete with web2 industry benchmarks, with D1 retention exceeding the average by 36.85% and D3 retention leaping by 14.96% compared to the Beautiful Corner demo (“BC demo”). 

By Day 7 (D7), Guild of Guardians still boasted a remarkable 43.38% retention rate, which is 23.38% higher than the industry average for successful mobile game projects. In addition to retention, the collective playtime during the F&F demo reached 1.12 years, with nearly 10% of participants dedicating over 50 hours to the game. Notably, one Guardian, Error, clocked 162.55 hours in the demo.

Positive Feedback

The feedback from the F&F demo was overall positive, with players commending the game's smooth mechanics, engaging progression loop, daily rewards, and competitive leaderboard. Guild of Guardians' visual appeal, including dungeon designs and character animations, received praise for their quality and intuitiveness. Strategic elements like hero combinations and dungeon challenges added depth to the gameplay.

However, the feedback also highlighted areas for improvement. Some players found the initial tutorial levels cumbersome, and the game's frequent demand for attention on the 'second screen' experience raised concerns. Technical issues, balance problems with guardians, UI/UX challenges, and battery consumption were among the issues raised, underscoring the need for continuous iteration and development. Overall, more than 86% of players expressed a strong intention to play consistently upon the game's official launch, emphasizing the broad appeal of Guild of Guardians.

The success of the F&F demo has emboldened the Guild of Guardians team, but it has also illuminated areas that need further refinement. These include engagement iteration, balance tuning, and system re-evaluation. The team says they are committed to ensuring that every player's choices are meaningful and impactful and that guardian skills are fine-tuned for clarity and diversification. In response to player feedback, the team has decided to prioritize a comprehensive playtesting approach over rushing into a Q4 open beta. As a result, the roadmap for Guild of Guardians has been updated.

The revised strategy aims to launch Guild of Guardians in selected region(s) during Q1 2024 on web2 only, with in-app purchases available. This regional test launch will focus on analyzing performance and collecting data for balance. The global launch, including web3 features, is now scheduled for Q2 2024.

The Guild of Guardians team remains committed to delivering the best possible gaming experience and ensuring the long-term success of the game. The F&F demo results and player feedback have set the stage for Guild of Guardians to become a celebrated title in the world of mobile gaming.

The Friends and Family demo has been a key milestone on our journey to launch Guild of Guardians and bring the world of Elderym to life. From the Beautiful Corner demo (“BC demo”) to F&F demo we’ve made significant strides in our quest to build a game that fits neatly into our players’ daily lives, and is a ton of fun as well. We excitedly overshot on engagement for F&F with our 555 brave testors committing 1.12 years of playtime into the week-long test.

Chris Clay, VP of Game Design