How To: Make a Sequel to a Game

If your company has already released some popular and addictive game and you're thinking about creation a sequel, this article is just what you need. We gathered the main tips and advices that will be useful for the building a strategy and a sequel itself. Check out the following instructions and recommendations that can lend you a hand in making a sequel for your game.

Step 1: Fix Existing Bugs

It's probably the first thing you should do even without releasing a sequel but releasing an update. However, some bugs take the whole concept to rebuild in order to fix them. That's why you should gather your team at a round table, ask them to search for possible bugs, collect bug reports from players and then discuss the problems that have been discovered. Consider this sequel as a unique chance to strengthen all weak points that were in the original, improve user experience and attract a broader audience.

The following list can give you insights where you can look for possible bugs. Additionally, go through these areas to make sure they are good.

• settings
• architecture
• list of supported platforms
• art side
• monetization policy
• advertising

Once you spotted the flaws, gather your team one more time and do the brainstorm altogether. Listen carefully to the suggestions of your team members and develop a strategy on how to adjust the defects and improve the second release. Rebuild the structure if you need or redrawn the art style so it will hit the appropriate target audience.

Step 2: Budget Allocation & Strategy Development

The creation of a sequel gives you a chance not only to improve your work but to save money, as well. Sequel production actions are a lot cheaper than creation a game from a scratch. You have a game engine ready and work through, you have a team that deserves your trust that greatly facilitates project management, you have server side ready, etc. Besides, your original game has already gathered a community of loyal players that eases the marketing efforts. Give your fans some exciting insights about the future sequel and don't forget to state that the sequel retained everything they liked in the original game so much but acquire some advanced breathtaking features. Likewise, inform some of players who hatred toward the first version of the game that you've realised the mistakes that were made and would like to know their opinion about the sequel. Believe us, it will help you in your marketing campaign.

In addition, you can gain more money from the first release thanks to people's natural curiosity. Basically, there will be a lot of people who would like to compare the original game and a sequel in order to follow the improvements.

Step 3: Sequel Dev Measures

The ideal merger of an old concept and new features defines the sequel success. You need to remember that no player will appreciate the doppelganger of the original game because to be addictive an adventure should feel familiar and be one-of-a-kind at the same time. Creation of such game demands just a few modifications and improvements in the original. See the following list to explore the possible sources of adjustment.

• Structure

Conduct a research and you will know if the structure of your game doesn't correlate with the game category. In that case, it needs to be renovated. However, be careful and don't go in too many updates. Leave the shell and the main features that correspond with the game genre. As it was stated before, players like to be involved in a familiar, but unique game. If you insert new elements or features into a gameplay, include the full and detailed explanation into the tutorial menu.

• Gameplay

It's probably the most common way of making a sequel - gameplay adjustments. The pitfall you can come across is that you need to strike a balance between flexibility and innovations. Besides, the gameplay should correlate with target audience needs. You can modify gameplay in a variety of options. For instance, you can add additional levels, alternative game modes or experiment with mechanics. Just always remember about the balance of simplicity and complexity. The games that are too easy to understand will be abandoned as easy as the ones that are too hard to play.

• Mechanical

Pay special attention to the elaboration of the technical aspects of the game development process. Make sure you eliminate and fix all critical issues, for instance, server problems or loading speed and optimize the game size if necessary.

By following this guide, you can find your sequel at the top soon after the release.