From hypothesis to impact: how LiveOps and analytics can drive real growth

On April 10, at WN LiveOps Summit in Belgrade, Evgeniy Kurenkov, CEO and co-founder of Magify, shared how game studios can break free from gut-feeling decisions and build successful games using a data-driven LiveOps strategy.

Inspired by his talk, this article is a practical guide for teams that want to work smarter, launch faster, and grow stronger with analytics and LiveOps.

The Intuition Trap

Many studios still rely on the “let’s just try it” approach. That often leads to:

• Ballooning budgets
• Endless “just one more feature” cycles
• Delayed decisions
• And sometimes… project shutdown

But there’s a better way — iterative, data-informed development. And it works.

Why LiveOps Matters

LiveOps is your engine for retention, engagement, and revenue. It helps you:

• Keep players longer
• Improve monetization
• React in real time

But there’s a catch — you can’t do LiveOps without data. You need to see what’s working, understand your players, and iterate fast with confidence.

When Should You Start LiveOps?

Many believe LiveOps starts after launch — but the earlier, the better.

Prototype

Validate core gameplay and marketability. A/B test mechanics and onboarding.

Track early metrics like D1 retention, playtime, session length.

MVP

Evaluate engagement and monetization over the first 7–10 days.

Start segmentation and live balance tuning.

Look at first monetization signals and how players progress.

Soft Launch

Test in real markets. Run advanced A/B tests, segmented offers, and limited-time events.

Measure Day 7/30 ROAS, payback windows, LTV predictions.

Global Launch

Scale up. Roll out battle passes, seasonal events, dynamic offers.

Deep dive into funnel optimization, predictive models, and real-time responses to player behavior.

What You Need at Every Stage

To succeed, you need a system that offers:

• Fast hypothesis testing
• Deep real-time analytics
• Scalable LiveOps
• Optimization across gameplay, UX, and monetization

That’s where Magify comes in 👇

• Segment & personalize offers and events
• Remote configs for features and economy tuning
• All-in-one analytics for UA, ads, and in-game data
• Real-time A/B tests
• Fraud protection for IAPs and subscriptions

What If You’re a Small or Mid-Sized Studio?

You don’t need a massive team to start LiveOps.

All you need is:

• 1 game designer (ideas)
• 1 data analyst (insights)
• 1 developer (implementation)
• Or even just 1–2 people using a SaaS tool like Magify

Why not build your own? Because:

• It’s slow and expensive
• Hard to hire the right experts
• In-house tools have no M&A value

With Magify, you get production-ready tools out of the box.

LTV > CAC — Let the Data Guide You

Your goal is simple: LTV > CAC

To get there:

• Start LiveOps early — even before soft launch
• Work in cycles: Hypothesis → Test → Analyze → Release
• Let data tell you what your players want

We now have the tools to understand players, adapt instantly, and grow games — not based on intuition, but based on what really works.

If you’re building a game — start today.

If you’re scaling one — go deeper.

And if you’re looking for the right partner — let’s talk at Magify.

Let’s build smarter games. Together. 🚀