In the gaming industry, much like with certain other media industries, word-of-mouth is a powerful tool. If someone likes something a lot, they’ll tell their friends about it and then spread the word about it online. If what they say sounds appealing, others might decide to give that property a shot. In the gaming space, that can lead to more gaming sales, which is obviously what developers and publishers want. In the case of Roblox, though, it’s a bit more complicated, especially if you’re a creator trying to get people to try your title. With so many options out there, it can be easy to get “lost in the shuffle” and not have the turnout that you feel the game should get.
Thankfully, Roblox has now added a new “friend referral system” to help those enjoying certain games to invite others to come play with them. In a special blog post, the dev team revealed the system and why it would be special for both gamers and creators:
“We’re excited to announce the full release of the Friend Referral System 687, a new feature designed to help you grow and engage your player community. By encouraging players to invite their friends to your experience, you can boost player retention and overall engagement.
Those who play with their friends are more likely to spend additional time in creators’ games. In fact, we’ve found that co-play sessions are typically 1.9 times longer than solo sessions. This feature is available today and is the perfect way to leverage social connections within your game!”
For players, it’s an easy way to bring a group of friends into a single space to have fun. For creators, they can not just track how many referrals are being made by players but actually reward them for doing so. The team notes you can:
“Offer badges, in-game currency, or other exclusive perks and showcase the reward via customized icon and reward name in an in-experience banner.”
So, by playing to gamers’ desire to get cool stuff or get an edge in the game itself, you can encourage them to use the referral system, which will help you while you’re rewarding them. It’s a simple system, but it can work.
It’s easy to think that “such a system isn’t needed” when the universe has about 85 million daily active users. However, with so many people doing their own thing and with the universe as big as it is, numerous games go unnoticed. So, this system could be a boon to many.
