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[Raide]

Little backstory for me, I previously worked for a large publisher as a lower level Community helper. Really enjoyed my time but I have been out of it for a while now and want to move on to something new but a little smaller scale and more hands-on.

The community interaction for various Publishers and Developers seems to be really random in its execution. Some update and interact with their respective communities on a daily or weekly basis. Some just launch a game and move on, pretty much dooming their community good will.

Do you think we really need this kind of interaction (Community Managers etc)?
Which Developers or Publisher do the Best/Worst job at it?
What kind of things do you Like or Dislike getting from Publisher/Developer Community people?
In what ways can they improve going forwards?

 

[Steaks]

I think one of the best things you can do for your community is explain why you make changes post-launch if they're not bug fixes. Especially if the game is competitive.

For example, a lot of fighting games could do with like "why we did this" with their updates or patches.

Transparency is good, and having as much of it as possible is ideal. Obviously some things cannot be transparent.

 

[Duxxy3]

Don't ever be like blizzard.

 

[The Technomancer]

Yes, but with a caveat: know how to interpret feedback and listen to your fans. Or in other words: have some background in customer observation. Know what they're actually asking for, not what they're saying they want.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

If you are able to keep the bullshit to a minimum (i.e. lie by omission but don't piss on my face and tell me it's raining) and have a thick enough skin to handle the times when you'll be put in the firing line then it can be a very positive thing for everyone involved.

 

[zoukka]

Only certain kind of games require deep and active interaction. Long lasting online games are of this type and franchises like Sonic, where the fandom is invested to the IP and characters so heavily might be another example.

 

[Raide]

If you are able to keep the bullshit to a minimum (i.e. lie by omission but don't piss on my face and tell me it's raining) and have a thick enough skin to handle the times when you'll be put in the firing line then it can be a very positive thing for everyone involved.

Yeah, I find this annoying too. Really hate seeing community people ranting and raving over Twitter/Facebook etc when a fan does/says something.

 

[Kenshin001]

I'd like to see more devs involve the player in the development process, especially with new iterations of a series. Not to say the game should be the end product of community input i.e.. game by committee, but that input should be taken on board in the development process. Sometimes developers' design decisions seem baffling and a bit of outside feedback would have done wonders.

From what I've seen Turn 10 and Naughty Dog have done a good job communicating with and informing players on details of their games.

Conversely, Polyphony Digital is the prime example of not what to do leading up to a game's release. They did not communicate at all. I also think Guerrilla Games failed to adequately communicate with the players and ignored their fan base resulting in a poorer game.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Dont be like the DBag community Robert Bowling rep for Infinity Ward.

 

[subversus]

community interaction is a must these days and it will become more important in the future unless you want to be stuck working for some major publisher who releases one big game in series every year. In this case community interaction won't matter because you are reaching for mass market and casual gamers who don't give a fuck. You don't exist, only brand exists (for like a few weeks after the release).

 

[element]

Do you think we really need this kind of interaction (Community Managers etc)?

Absolutely. Direct communication is great. As someone who has been a CM for Monolith, Irrational Games, and Sucker Punch, there is nothing more exciting seeing a fan freak out when you just talk to them.

Which Developers or Publisher do the Best/Worst job at it?

I've always been a big fan of Insomniac Games. What Eidos Montreal has been doing with Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been great as well.

What kind of things do you Like or Dislike getting from Publisher/Developer Community people?

I always find going quiet frustrating. Depending on the hierarchy, marketing and PR typical is over community, which the things you can do are gated by marketing/PR. Those groups want high profile news, and really not interested in 'community news'. Just releasing a Valentine's Day card or doing an April Fool's joke, even if you don't have anything to talk still tells the community that you are there.

Developers/Publisher who don't maintain their community between games. If a fan is willing to be a part of your community they are a fan of the developer and developer/publishers need to understand that you need to keep feeding the community, especially between games. Those are going to be the people that help promote your new game when it is announced. Those people will be the ones that pre-order upon seeing the game for the first time. It just makes smart business sense to promote your brand all the time.

In what ways can they improve going forwards?

Making it easier and less intimidating for more people to participate in the community. This doesn't have an easy answer, and will take changes in how community works as well as how the game works. I think more video another thing that developers should do and you don't need some crazy expensive budget to do it. Hell, grab your iPhone record yourself answering some questions and post it.

 

[mkenyon]

#1 thing i love about Tribes: Ascend development and HiRez in general. After the recent huge patch, the e-sports community manager goes on twitch.tv and does a 4 hour long Q&A with the players. No handler, no BS. Quite amazing how in touch they are with the players.

 

[IC_Champion]

Community interaction could be good or bad. Some people like interacting, others want more out of it.

 

[Apeopleman]

Dont be like the DBag community Robert Bowling rep for Infinity Ward.

Hey guyz we'll be puttin in 5, dats right 5 more pursteeges!

What about fixing the spawns robert?

*silence*

infinity ward is the worst. They are the biggest nailers and bailers of the industry. No communication at all

 

[Raide]

Hey guyz we'll be puttin in 5, dats right 5 more pursteeges!

What about fixing the spawns robert?

*silence*

infinity ward is the worst. They are the biggest nailers and bailers of the industry. No communication at all

So bad. Really sucks to hide behind silence when it comes to patches and updates and just hope people forget or enough time elapses that you can announce the sequel and start over.

 

[Anteater]

Yea I like them, since they provide and give more info about things we're not too sure about, I'm not sure which ones are community managers and PRs (and I'm not sure the differences), but I thought naughtydog did a great job communicating with the users, taking criticisms positively and provide useful information when people asked.

Sometimes I think it's the publisher's fault, when the community manager gets all the shit from gamers, since they don't have all the info, they provide what they know, and they just don't know and can't talk about a lot of things, at least from my observation, and at some point they have to do damage control but they are powerless about the development of the game, so it would look as if they go around message boards, do some viral marketing and just disappears when the game hits (something I dislike too).

SE also does a terrible job with interacting with gamers, for example at the beginning of ffxiv, it got better though.

I like some interactions though, as I said, it's good to have someone answering questions for us.

 

[subversus]

Developers/Publisher who don't maintain their community between games. If a fan is willing to be a part of your community they are a fan of the developer and developer/publishers need to understand that you need to keep feeding the community, especially between games. Those are going to be the people that help promote your new game when it is announced. Those people will be the ones that pre-order upon seeing the game for the first time. It just makes smart business sense to promote your brand all the time.

this. We talk about a passionate people here, they watch you and they are ready to part with their money. You have no excuse if don't interact people in the age of Internet. You just show that you don't care.

 

[subversus]

So bad. Really sucks to hide behind silence when it comes to patches and updates and just hope people forget or enough time elapses that you can announce the sequel and start over.

as I said you don't need CMs when you make a big game every year. Just put that shit out and forget about it because you have another one coming and it's better to pay attention to the sequel.

/sarcasm

 

[iNvid02]

at least drop by on your OWN forums and acknowledge some issues from time to time