Building a Live Service Calendar
In my previous series of texts, I have been talking extensively about the live service of free-to-play games. Limited-time events have a central position in any live game strategy. In this text, I will focus on practical examples of planning a live event calendar for a year of a typical game live service. Our goal will be to have at least one limited-time event per month, and ideally one every couple of weeks. Keep in mind that we are focusing only on individual live events (i.e. Layer 3 in the live service framework).
These events will live to their true potential only if paired with a solid roaster of periodic live events such as premium passes or weekly or daily competitions and limited-time offers.
Retaining players to ensure monetization is the imperative of the live service, and that means delivering new content in regular time intervals. Indeed, this strategy is so prevalent in all contemporary games that players are grown to expect it.
Furthermore, In a well-run live service, limited-time events do more than simply deliver content in carefully measured portions. By their very nature, these events are time-boxed and ephemeral. This in turn creates a sense of urgency within the players’ minds, motivating them to engage harder with the game in order to unlock the unique limited-time content.
Real-Life Holidays
In the virtual world of video games, there are no constraints about what the theme of a limited-time event might be. Anything imaginable is possible as long as it is within the capabilities of the development team. However, many games tie their events to real-world holidays.
There are some clear benefits to doing so. Above all this fits well with the mental model that most people have. Players tend to get attracted to things that they expect to see. In addition, during the holiday season, exorbitant amounts of money are spent by companies in general on marketing that fits the seasonal spirit. In a world where every store window in the physical world is full of pink fluff and red hearts for the 14th of February, the collective marketing effort of the whole capitalist system blurs in one marketing campaign of gargantuan proportions, where everyone is piggybacking upon everyone else’s advertising efforts. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to run this type of event inside your game.
Of course, global consumerist holidays are a no-brainer. Almost all games will have specific Christmas, St. Valentine’s, Easter, and Halloween-themed events every year. However, if you truly want to maximize the potential of your live service it makes a lot of sense to focus on the more culturally specific holidays as well.
If you are reading this text in English chances are that your worldview is shaped along the lines of the so-called Western Anglo-Saxon mainstream. There is also a pretty big chance that this is actually not your native culture! Although we might be immersed in one unified global culture that doesn’t mean that the planet is monocultural. We live in a globalized, hyperconnected world. People are genuinely interested in other cultures. Your game probably addresses a very diverse audience. Seeing a holiday of your culture celebrated in a game creates an emotional bond. A good live service should cater to these needs.
Furthermore, first-tier partners like Apple and Google do regularly organize the live service of their own app stores around the events in the real-world calendar. Over the years, the games I worked on enjoyed the benefits of getting regular store featuring around the holidays which are less globally well-known. Getting an app store featuring, of course, lowers the cost of your user acquisition. That alone is the benefit enough to be worth your effort.
Calendar
In what follows I will give an outline of a live events calendar featuring many holidays from different cultures from around the world. Some of these holidays have fixed dates, and others like Easter, move around each year depending on sometimes complex calculations. This can be at the same time a challenge and an opportunity, as it allows you to shift certain events in order to better fulfill your calendar. I will present the events in a loose chronological order.
Lunar New Year
Date: anywhere between January 21st and February 20th.
Region of Origin: China, East Asia
Description: Celebration of the start of a new year according to the lunar calendar.
Iconography: The years in the lunar calendar are labeled according to the periodic 12-year cycle of animals in the East Asian zodiac, combined with a 5-year cycle of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These combinations repeat on a 60-year cycle. In practice, this means that each subsequent year will have a unique combination of iconic attributes which you can use to make stand-out content. The content your game use for the year of the Water Rabbit (2023) will definitely not be the same as the content you will roll out for the year of the Wooden Dragon (2024). Still, both batches of content will have the same unifying theme of the Lunar New Year.
Colors: Dark red and gold
St. Valentine’s
Date: February 14th.
Region of Origin: Global West
Description: Celebration of romantic love and affection. In Japan on the other hand this holiday is paired with another similar holiday known as the White Day which takes place a month later. The modern tradition states that a woman should offer a gift of select chocolates to her love interest on February the 14th while the chosen man should respond in kind a month later on. In Finland, known as Ystävänpäivä or Friend’s Day and the focus shifted from romance to a more general celebration of friendship.
Iconography: Hearts, cupid with bow and arrow, ribbons, fluffy clouds, chocolates.
Colors: Pink, white, red
Carnival Season
Date: anywhere between January 28th to March 8th.
Region of Origin: Brazil, Venice, Louisiana
Description: February is a carnival time in many countries. The tradition dates from the European medieval age. It marked the last party people
would throw before the start of Great Lent. The best-known ones are:
- Rio Carnival (anywhere between February 1st to March 7th)
- Venice Carnival (anywhere between January 28th to March 4th)
- Mardi Gras in New Orleans (anywhere between February 4th to March 9th)
Each one of them offers a distinct variation to the existing familiar theme.
Colors: Purple, Gold, Green, Turquoise
Holi
Date: anywhere between February 17th and March 20th.
Region of Origin: India
Description: Hindu Festival of Colors and Love. The festival involves crowds of people throwing handfuls of brightly colored fine powders at each other while singing and dancing.
The festival begins on the full moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Phalguna, which corresponds to February or March in the international calendar. The first day of Holi is known as Holika Dahan, and the second day is known as Rangwali Holi or Dhulandi, which is the day that the powder fights take place.
Iconography: Bright colors! Puffs of brightly colored dust! Piles of colorful powders.
Colors: Saturated shades of magenta, orange, turquoise, green, yellow, pink, purple, etc.
St. Patric’s Day
Date: March 18th.
Region of Origin: Ireland, US
Description: St. Patric’s Day is the patron saint of Ireland. This is a day of appreciation of the Irish culture and heritage. In addition to Ireland itself, it is especially popular in countries with significant Irish diaspora, including of course the US. In many cities o the East Coast, such as New York, Boston, and Chicago, this day is celebrated with a traditional parade.
Iconography: Shamrock, Celtic spiral patterns, images of golden haps, ginger-haired leprechauns, and pots of gold, dark stout beer.
Colors: Green, also white, and orange.
Hanami
Date: anywhere between March 20th to April 20th.
Region of Origin: Japan
Description: Hanami is a celebration of spring focused on the admiration of Sakura, ephemeral cherry blossoms. The actual date varies from year to year and location by location following the blossoming of cherries. Japanese Meteorological Association actually creates a detailed forecast based on historic data and weather models. These forecasts are broadcast over local media. As warm air propagates over Japan a wave of blossoming trees sweeps along the country from south to north.
Iconography: Cherry flowers and trees, traditional Japanese textile patterns
Colors: Baby pink
Easter
Date: anywhere between March 22nd to April 25th.
Region of Origin: Europe
Description: In cultures based on Christianity, it is usually the second most important holiday during the year, right after Christmas. The way how various denominations celebrate it can also differ significantly. Various Christian denominations calculate the date of easter according to various methods and formulas. In countries where the local church follows a different calendar, Easter may or may not fall on a different date. This includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Armenia, and even Romania.
Iconography: Painted eggs, decorated eggs, chocolate eggs, chickens, Easter Bunny, young green grass, and flowers. Local iconography can vary significantly from country to country, depending on the traditions.
Colors: Green, yellow
Golden week
Date: April 29th to May 5th
Region of Origin: Japan
Description: Golden Week is a series of holidays celebrated in Japan. These holidays are celebrated back to back creating a week-long celebration. The first in the series is Showa Day on April 29, followed by Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, Greenery Day on May 4, and finally Children’s Day on May 5. This holiday is great for delivering a week-long event of Japanese-themed content.
Iconography: Japanese flags, Koinobori — fish-shaped flags
Colors: Red, white, pink, yellow, gold
May Day
Date: May 1st
Region of Origin: Europe, US
Description: International labor day manifestation. This holiday is deeply routed in the Socialist traditions. However, it is widely recognized and celebrated throughout continental Europe and in many places in the rest of the world. Having content suitable for this event can be a bit tricky as it is fundamentally rooted in leftwing politics. However, in certain countries, notably one influenced by Germanic culture this holiday coincides with Walpurgis Night. In Finland, this is known as Vappu and is one of three major holidays during the year.
Color: Red
Iconography: In Finland: Helium balloons, doughnuts, mead
Ramadan
Date: May 23rd to July 23rd (Ramadan Eid).
Region of Origin: Middle East
Description: Ramadan is a holy month in Islam. It is the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Observing Ramadan involves a strict fasting regime of avoiding any food or drink during the daytime and eating specific festive types of food during the night. Ramadan Eid is the celebration at the end of this fasting period and usually constitutes a proper feast. As the Islamic world is very diverse, local customs, food, etc. differ greatly from region to region and country to country.
Color: Dark green, blue, indigo, silver
Iconography: A crescent moon, Arabic calligraphy, Arabic architecture, etc.
Pride month
Date: June 1st to June 30th.
Region of Origin: US
Description: This is an international celebration of the rights of LGBTQA+ people. It has its origins in the Stonewall riots which took place on June 28th, 1969. Showing support for the LGBTQA+ community is a norm in many countries of the global West, but note that it still might be illegal in certain jurisdictions. Even in the global west, in the US for example this can still be a hot-button issue that can lead to various reactions from different sections of the audience! Keep this in mind when planning your in-game events.
Color: Rainbow colors, pink, baby blue, etc.
Iconography: Rainbows, rainbow flags, flowers, hearts, etc.
Independence Day
Date: 4th of July
Region of Origin: US
Description: This is an American patriotic holiday celebrating the independence of the United States from the United Kingdom. This is a quintessentially American tradition, not observed in the rest of the world. Note it causes unintended reactions elsewhere in the world, especially in the places which have suffered from American neo-colonialism or interventionism.
Iconography: Fireworks, American flags, all things American
Colors: Red, white, and blue
Slow Summer Months
The time from the second half of July, through the whole of August and September is for some reason almost totally devoid of big international holidays. There are many reasons for this. In ancient times these were the months with intensive agricultural work. It was a time for toil and not for partying.
On the other hand, this is the time when most people spend a lot of time outdoors, doing other fun things, like sports, traveling, fishing, and doing all sorts of other hobbies. Live games tend to experience a period of slowdown where all the KPIs get hit. This in turn makes it all the more important to plan something for the live calendar. The priority at this time should be the engagement of players, and not so much the monetization.
Luckily, summer is also the time of big sporting events. Piggybacking something sports-related onto the hype generated by a major sporting event can make sense. Watch out if the Olympic games or Football/Soccer World Cup is organized during the year.
Diwali
Date: anywhere between October 17th and November 15th
Region of Origin: India
Description: A Hindu festival of light. It celebrates the victory of good versus evil. It is usually a five-day celebration in the Hindu month of Kartika.
Iconography: Lanterns, lotus flowers, clay lamps, candles, flames, flowers, fireworks
Colors: Red, white, and blue
Halloween
Date: October 31st
Region of Origin: Western Europe, US
Description: The name of the holiday originates from All Hollow’s Eve, a Christian celebration of All Saint’s Day, but the actual origins of this holiday date back to paganic Europe and the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain. According to the legends, this is the one night in the year when the separation between reality and the netherworld is the thinnest and the souls from the underworld can crawl out and roam the real world, thus the creepy connotations. Nowadays the holiday is associated with pumpkin carving, costume parties, and trick-or-treating.
Iconography: Pumpkins, Jack-o-lanterns, candles, full moon, cobwebs, spiders, monsters, night, skeletons, candy.
Color: Orange
Thanksgiving
Date: November 22nd to November 28th.
Region of Origin: US
Description: Thanksgiving is again one of the exclusive American holidays. It is essentially a harvest festival. The origins of this custom date back to the 17th century and the very first batch of English colonists that arrived in North America. Starting a colony on an alien continent is hard. In the first year, the colonists almost starved to death. They managed to survive only due to generous help given to them by the local native tribes.
Thanksgiving is celebrated always on the last Thursday in November. This choice of timing helped anchor another important live service calendar event.
Iconography: Stuffed turkeys, pies, pumpkins, corn, and American flags.
Color: Orange, brown
Black Friday
Date: the Friday after the Thanksgiving
Region of Origin: US
Description: Black Friday started off as a day when companies traditionally started offering discounts in a runup to the Christmas season. Nowadays this is a celebration of naked consumerism. Things get sold on this day that would never be sold otherwise. Use this day to run your most cash-grabbing events. All standards of decency get dropped during Black Friday.
Iconography: Sale signs, percent marks,
Color: Black
Christmas
Date: December 24th (Christmas Eve) and December 25th.
Region of Origin: Europe, US (in its most commercialized form)
Description: This is, of course, the biggest and the most important celebration in the biggest part of the world. It is also arguably the most recognizable celebration worldwide. Although it has its roots in the Christian religion it is now recognized and celebrated even in countries like Japan, which have very little to do with Christianity. Keep in mind though that even not all Christian denominations celebrate this holiday at the same time. Some Christian churches still follow the old Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on January 7th. In addition in many parts of Eastern Europe New Year’s Eve can be a bigger and more important holiday than Christmas.
Iconography: Santa Claus, Christmas tree, Christmas ornaments, Christmas lights, gifts, mistletoe, etc.
Color: Red, white
New Year’s Eve
Date: December 31st, January 1st
Region of Origin: Global
Description: It is a celebration of a start of a new year according to Gregorian (Global Calendar). Live events scheduled for this date are usually tied somehow to events scheduled for the Christmas season.
Iconography: Champagne, confetti, glitter
Color: Blue, silver
Bonus
A link to a Miro board with a simple example of a LiveOps calendar.
