DeNA turns to events to boost user engagement in The Drowning

Mixed reviews don't appear to have dented The Drowning's performance in the download charts – DeNA's FPS having hit the top 5 on iPhone in 16 countries, and the top 5 on iPad in four.

However, in a bid to sustain that success – and, no doubt, increase user engagement – the Japanese social gaming giant has launched the game's first event, named The Toxic Beast.

Working together

The event is set to run until 14 August and acts as a raid boss mission, tasking multiple players to work together asynchronously to take down a new type of enemy.

Players will be rewarded with rare weapons and other useful equipment, with the idea being they'll return to make use of them once the event is over.

The Drowning

"It's really exciting to continue the momentum of our worldwide launch with our very first live gameplay event called the Toxic Beast Hunt," said creative director Ben Cousins.

"This is another real first for a mobile FPS - adding variety to the game in the form of a weeklong competition where our players worldwide get matched up to co-operate and compete to hunt and take down rare and powerful monsters hidden across our game world."

F2P success

The fact DeNA has moved to build an event into The Drowning so early into its lifecycle won't come as a surprise to many.

The firm has long relied on events to increase user engagement and hand games a long tail - a strategy previously highlighted by DeNA's Yuji Shimizu, producer of card battler Blood Brothers, at GDC 2013.

Shimizu highlighted the importance of using in-game events, specifically in F2P titles, to drive up revenue, suggesting that they are a key cog in the mechanism of success.

"Since launch, Blood Brother's revenue has been increasing," said Shimizu.

"How does this happen? It's down to special events. We've seen double the average revenue per user (ARPU) during these events."

DeNA believes timed events generate additional player interest and participation, with Shimizu theorising that, as more players invest more time, they are also more likely to invest their money in the future.

You can read our exclusive making of feature about The Drowning here.