What Is the Social-First Design of Highrise MMO?

TL;DR

Highrise is a social-first MMO that prioritizes community interaction while incorporating gameplay. Its architecture uniquely blends native app-like UI with C++ for game mechanics, ensuring a seamless user experience. This approach fosters long-term engagement, attracting players not just for gameplay but for the friendships formed within the game.

Transcript

um hi everybody i'm jimmy i'm the co-founder and cto of pocket worlds we're high-rise and we built high-rise the app which is available on ios and android and i think to date it has over 5 million downloads and we're grossing over a million a month in revenue so today i'm going to walk you guys through um the process of designing and building an mm... Read More

Key Insights

• 📱 High-rise, developed by Pocket Worlds, is a social-first design MMO with over 5 million downloads and generating $1 million in revenue each month.
• 🏢 High-rise sets itself apart from other games by using a social-first design philosophy, which prioritizes community, social features, and a vibrant virtual world.
• 🎮 The game mechanics of High-rise revolve around a fashion design contest, but the focus is on creating long-term engagement through social interactions and friendships.
• 📲 To ensure the game feels like an app and to provide a smooth user experience, High-rise leverages the native UI capabilities of iOS and Android, rather than relying on game engines like Unity.
• 🧩 The architecture of High-rise is a combination of Swift, Kotlin, and C++, with Swift handling the UI and C++ handling the game engine and business logic, allowing for seamless integration between iOS and Android.
• 🔄 The modular architecture of High-rise allows for component swapping, enabling the creation of different games and experiences while maintaining the same avatar world, messenger, and guild system.
• ⚙️ Pocket Worlds, a remote team that has been successful for four years, is focused on expanding its game offerings and hiring new team members to help build exciting social first games and worlds.
• 🌍 For those interested in joining Pocket Worlds and contributing to their mission, they can visit their website or contact Jimmy, the co-founder, directly via email.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the social first approach solve the problem of retaining long-term player attention?

The social first philosophy in High-Rise addresses the issue of long-term player attention by prioritizing the creation of a community and social interactions within the game. Instead of solely focusing on gameplay mechanics, High-Rise emphasizes the friendships and connections that players form, which incentivizes them to continue engaging with the game in the long run.

Q: Why did Pocket Worlds choose to combine native UI capabilities with a game engine in High-Rise's architecture?

Pocket Worlds recognized the importance of offering an app-like experience to retain users. By utilizing the native UI capabilities of iOS and Android, such as smooth animations and well-designed fonts, High-Rise provides a familiar and seamless user experience that rivals popular social media platforms. Additionally, by integrating a game engine written in C++, the architecture ensures optimal performance and enables the development of a rich virtual world.

Q: How does the architecture of High-Rise allow for the creation of different games and experiences within the same framework?

The architecture of High-Rise, which combines the game engine with social features, offers the flexibility to create various games and products by swapping out the mini and metagame components. This means that instead of being limited to a single gameplay concept, Pocket Worlds can leverage the existing avatar, world, and social systems of High-Rise to build different experiences, such as a hero collector or an adventure fishing game, while maintaining the core social-first design.

Q: What are the benefits of Pocket Worlds' remote working setup?

Pocket Worlds has been a fully remote company for four years, and this setup has proven advantageous for them. Working remotely allows them to access a global talent pool, resulting in a diverse team. Additionally, it provides flexibility and work-life balance for employees. With the recent closing of a Series A funding round, Pocket Worlds is actively hiring for open positions, offering exciting opportunities for individuals interested in game development and world-building.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• High-Rise is a social first MMO game that prioritizes social features alongside the gameplay experience.

• The game's design philosophy, called social first, starts with creating a vibrant community and then adds the game as an integral part.

• The architecture of High-Rise combines native UI capabilities, such as Swift and Kotlin, with a game engine written in C++ to provide a seamless and engaging user experience.