Weaknesses revealed by numbers. “How to present the game” revisited by challenging overseas sites

Basic Launch of overseas browser game site CrazyGames opens games to a limited number of players and measures click rate and play time. Based on the numbers from the first day, it became clear that there was a problem not only with the content of the game, but also with the "reasons to start playing" and "reasons to continue playing."

Two issues that emerged from the results on the first day

• Percentage of players who selected and played games: 0.3%
• Average play time: 6 minutes 21 seconds

The guidelines given at the time were 2.1% and 6 minutes 37 seconds, respectively. In particular, the click-through rate was low, and users were abandoning the game even before they could experience the game content.

Rather than ending this result with a simple statement that ``the game is not interesting,'' we divided it into two hypotheses: ``The content is not conveyed through the list screen,'' and ``the goal after playing the game is weak.''

The two metrics reflect separate stages of the player experience. The click rate is an indicator of whether the content and interest can be conveyed ``before playing'', that is, just by the thumbnail and title. The average playing time is an indicator of "after playing", that is, whether the first experience leads to the next game. Depending on which is worse, the areas that need to be corrected can be divided into outside the game (presentation) and inside the game (motivation to continue). This time, the discrepancy in click-through rates was particularly large, so we started with presentation.

Improvement 1: Convey the game content with just thumbnails

The first cover image prioritized a cyber atmosphere and did not sufficiently express that it was Gomoku or that it had special items such as bombs.

Therefore, I recreated the image so that the following information can be conveyed on the list screen.

• Display the game title in an easy-to-read size
• Show the board and the Go stones, and make it clear that it is Gomoku.
• Draw bombs and special abilities to convey the difference from regular Gomoku

The goal is not to make things look flashy, but to match pre-click expectations with the actual game content.

Improvement 2: Create a reason to move on to the next game

Online rankings were not available in the test environment, so we were unable to provide continuous goals to solo players. Therefore, we added a mission function that can be completed only in the local environment.

We will set specific goals such as ``beat an intermediate CPU'' or ``win by using Stealth Stones,'' and clearly indicate your progress when you achieve them. This allows players to not only play against the CPU, but also choose the next fighting style to try. Some of the missions we actually implemented include:

• Defeat the CPU (any difficulty level)
• Defeat the CPU using Stealth Stones
• Defeat the CPU using Stone Bombs
• Defeat the CPU using the Stone Radar
• Complete the daily "Daily Danger Challenge"

There's a reason why we divided the mission into three items. Players tend to repeat tactics that have won them once, which can lead to them getting "bored" after a few matches. By setting goals for each item, we created a guideline for players to experience all three types of tactics provided in the game.

Things that were easy to overlook in personal development

During development, attention was focused on completing the game rules and functions, and checks on ``how to get people to play the first game'' and ``how to connect to the next game'' were postponed.

The numbers showed that thumbnails that explain the game's value, first-time leads, and follow-up goals are also part of the gaming experience. We will continue to make improvements by comparing actual reactions and game content, rather than making decisions based on a single metric.

For individual developers who are also thinking about publishing to external platforms, we recommend the following three points:

• Align metrics with stages of experience:The click rate is the presentation, the first play time is the introduction, and the repeat visit rate is the continuation goal. If you decide in advance which numbers correspond to which improvements, you won't be swayed by the numbers.
• Create thumbnails based on “genre + unique elements”:A single image that conveys in 3 seconds what the game is about and what makes it different will definitely work better than a single image that emphasizes the atmosphere.
• Create a continuation goal for one person first:Goals (missions and daily modes) that can be achieved even in environments where online functions cannot be used can be carried as is to any distribution destination.

The numbers are the values confirmed on the first day of Basic Launch in June 2026. Delivery conditions and evaluation criteria are subject to change.