Despite staying two years in Steam’s Early Access program, 'Ark Survival Evolved”' is still deemed as one of the most successful titles in the video game industry. Now, it is nearing completion and is about to debut as official game come August. Interestingly, Studio Wildcard shared the secret behind their compelling success, something they believe would benefit other studios and/or developers.
In an interview with GameIndustry, the company’s very own CEO and co-founder Doug Kennedy, and community manager and technical liaison Cedric Burkes revealed the secret behind the success of 'Ark Survival Evolved'.
The two even went to share a key development that forever changed the future of the title. Here is everything about it in a nutshell.
The community’s importance
“Listen to your community,” Burkes said. He was basically asked about what he learned from the game and how it helped shaped the title’s future. Burkes iterated that the community as a whole plays an important role in the development and success of a game. After all, players are basically consumers. They are to be treated with care and importance, something that “No Man’s Sky’s” Hello Games failed to grasp.
Burkes, however, explained that knowing when not listen also contributes to the entire process. He said that if they reacted to everything the 'Ark Survival Evolved' community told them to, it would result to their vision being defeated.
Sure, it will uplift a studio’s reputation within the fandom; however, as developer and a business company, it will steer them away from success. Burkes said that the key is to listen to the community, take the feedback and determine which the good ones are.
How the strategy shaped the game
Interestingly, when it comes to listening to the community, the 'Ark Survival Evolved' exec has a general rule of thumb.
“Never react on the first day,” he revealed. He made a comparison with releasing a patch in which feedbacks are to be expected on the very first day it gets released. For him, the strategy here is to never react on the first day to let the players get whatever they are feeling out of their system. “Let them vent,” he said as he claims that, once they are done, it is when feedbacks are taken seriously (which happens over the next couple of days).
Certainly, the developers of 'Ark Survival Evolved' knew their way in and out of the community. They understand when and when not to give in, and they definitely understand the concept of not letting the bad things thrive. Perhaps the way Studio Wildcard handles the game’s community helped them reach success, not just because the game is impressive to begin with.
