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How to avoid network and server infrastructure issues during the development cycle

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Mathieu Duperré, CEO, Edgegap

 

Regardless of whether you’re an indie developer or a AAA publisher, making games is never simple. Taking a game project from the initial concept to launch is a huge undertaking, especially when you begin incorporating multiplayer and social elements. Despite eye-watering budgets and huge teams of developers, countless games fall flat on release.

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Thankfully, many of the common obstacles can be easily avoided and disruption to your release timeline kept to a minimum if you’re aware of the potential network and server infrastructure issues at key stages of development: the main development cycle, pre-launch, the launch period itself and once the game has launched.

 

Problems during the main development cycle

Some of the most common problems you’ll encounter on the tech side of the main development cycle can be the result of:

  • Imperfect or hurried CI/CD pipelines. It can take days to push a new release for testing when you should be able to launch a few releases every day.
  • Dev teams taking on too much in-house rather than seeking outside assistance (netcode, game engine, backend services).
  • Trying to save funds through open-source projects that eventually become outdated, unsupported during your dev cycle or ends up in engineering money pits.
  • Developers waiting until post-launch to focus on important elements such as crossplay.
  • QA teams lacking constant access to the game build.

 

Any of these sound familiar? If so, it might be time to rethink your core strategy and whether you’re adhering to the DevOps methodology. Do you have a structured approach or are you lurching leftfield and drifting off course?

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While developing your own netcode and game engine in-house can seem appealing, it’s important to consider the potential risks that might emerge further down the road. If problems with your netcode or a proprietary game engine present themselves at a particularly busy stage of development, you’ll wish you’d have outsourced them.

Considering where you can offload certain aspects of development to external partners can help reduce your team’s workload and improve their efficiency so they can focus on more pressing matters.

 

Mistakes to avoid just before the launch

One of the biggest mistakes you can make just before launch? Underestimating your CCU (concurrent users worldwide) and employing a low percentage buffer of around 10%. Misjudging your CCU is going to put too much strain on your servers and overall backend services and is one of the most common reasons players experience crashes around the launch. Similarly, don’t underestimate the number of regions you’ll need servers in too. A global game launch requires an equal distribution of worldwide servers to avoid latency issues.

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When it comes to servers, it’s always best to plan ahead and scale back, rather than the other way around. Prioritise network partners who offer pay-as-you-go options for server access, so if you do need to scale back (or up) you can do so easily. This should always be the preferred option and will prevent you from being charged for servers you’re not using. It’s important to be aware of the risks associated with overestimating, as this can lead to studios signing long-term contracts and ultimately being overresourced.

Finally, one issue that can cause developers and studios a lot of trouble is data protection regulation laws. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about studios turning a blind eye to privacy laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Make sure you’ve checked the specific rules regarding data collection in your region as early as possible to avoid a frantic rush of paperwork towards the end of development or, worse, incurring costly fines.

 

Obstacles on launch day

It can be easy to think that you’ve made it through the worst once you reach launch day, but this is usually the stage where major issues can suddenly appear. You may notice a bombardment of negative responses from Twitter, Steam and other platforms addressing critical issues with the game – make sure you address these rather than ignoring them. These responses can be important indicators of how the players are responding to your game and if you’ve factored their feedback in the development phase.

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Once the game has launched, you will have the clearest indicator of how many servers you’ll need to support the players. This is where your planning will prove to be correct or wide of the mark if you’d reserved say 1000, but you only need 200.

A 24/7 support plan is an important consideration when the game is live, this will enable rapid fixes to negate as many disruptions as possible. A low-cost DDoS solution is also a crucial facet to bear in mind. A server orchestrator will help developers manage influx of traffic along with capturing crucial data that can be incorporated into the game as part of the observability phase.

 

Post-launch issues

Now that your game is in the world, there can be a strong temptation to introduce a plethora of new elements to the game to enhance the player experience. While on the face of it these are good ideas, new mods or minor updates can prove problematic and contain major bugs. Responding to these new issues can be distracting and take weeks or even months to solve.

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On top of this, if you haven’t properly planned earlier in the process, major updates to your game servers could potentially lead to maintenance issues and significant downtime for your player base. If players have a bad experience on launch, they’ll likely just move on to the next best thing. When EA launched Battlefield 2042, server issues, loading times and game-breaking bugs plagued the game. Within months, player numbers dropped to fewer than 1,000 concurrent players on Steam.

Of course, there are a number of ways to circumvent these issues. It is crucial to choose a backend that can support multi-versioning A/B testing and facilitate rolling updates without outages. You’d be hard-pressed to find a gamer who enjoys an unplayable game. Automation can also help in the production pipeline, this includes deploying quick fix updates and upgrades which will reduce the human error factor.

Another consideration that is often overlooked is outsourcing for network and platform providers to remove a large in-house team dedicated to DevOps or Engineering. This is intensive work that will take up the time of staff, and outsourcing is a viable option and it makes perfect sense for smaller studios, especially to pursue this option purely from a cost-saving perspective.

 

Making edge count

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Edge computing is often overlooked by game developers, but it can alleviate many of the issues described here, particularly around server provisioning and latency issues. Edge technology brings computation and data storage closer to the source of the data, placing it at the edge of the network where performance gain is most optimal. This reduces unnecessary travel and drastically speeds up the process resulting in close to a lag-free experience.

If you’re looking at cross-play for your game, infrastructure requirements become more complex. Edge computing helps to negate some of the most nagging delay issues that come with playing across different platforms. As cross-play becomes more of a consideration for developers, edge computing along with automation can come to be one of the solutions to some of the associated problems. Developers should consider the automation part of the equation when planning their game project. It becomes even more vital when you add more latency-reliant elements to a game.

 

Fail to plan, plan to fail

There is no one size fits all approach to game development or the challenges associated with it. But taking some of the steps outlined above can help negate potential issues and lessen their impact, preventing total derailment of a game before it even launches.

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Small steps like putting your trust in external partners or looking at technologies like Edge computing to squeeze as much performance out of your game as possible might seem small, but their impact on development can’t be underestimated.

Planning for different eventualities at key stages of development will go a long way in ensuring your game is the best it can possibly be at launch. This will give your game the best chance at becoming a lasting hit, not a flash in the pan that’s marred by server issues or bugs.

The logistical side of creating a game might not always be glamorous or exciting, but it’s unavoidable. If your development pipeline is hit by server issues, you’ll be glad you planned ahead.

 

 

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LiveScore Group Announces Internal Restructuring as Part of Sustainable Growth Strategy

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LiveScore Group has announced an internal restructuring process, expected to impact more than 100 existing roles across multiple business locations, including London.

The changes are seen as a difficult yet important step for LiveScore Group, streamlining the business to create improved structures and a pathway to long-term sustainable growth. All impacted employees have been informed and are now subject to a confidential consultation process.

Sam Sadi, CEO of LiveScore Group, said: “On behalf of all Directors of LiveScore Group, and the relevant subsidiary companies, we are saddened by the difficult decision to commence an internal restructure of the business, a process which impacts a significant number of our people.

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“Whilst we celebrate our recent period of significant and exciting growth, we must now future-proof the organisation and ensure our internal structures allow us to achieve long-term and sustainable success.

“This is a hard time for all our people, as we say goodbye to colleagues who have played an important role in our journey across recent years.”

The announcement follows on from the recent news that LiveScore Malta Limited (part of LiveScore Group) is to withdraw its LiveScore Bet brand from the Netherlands following recent government tax increases in the market. The announcement includes those impacted by this. There will be no other customer impact in respect of any of the remaining LiveScore, LiveScore Bet or Virgin Bet sites globally.

The post LiveScore Group Announces Internal Restructuring as Part of Sustainable Growth Strategy appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Pronet Gaming Appoints Alex Karaoulis as its New Commercial & Product Strategy Lead

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Pronet Gaming, an award-winning platform provider of full turnkey solutions, announced the appointment of Alexandros Karaoulis as its new Commercial & Product Strategy Lead.

With over 14 years of experience in the iGaming industry, Karaoulis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be instrumental in driving the company’s strategic initiatives forward.

Throughout his iGaming career, Karaoulis has held various senior roles with B2B sportsbook and casino providers, as well as with B2C operators. His extensive background in marketing and sales within the iGaming sector positions him as a true industry expert, ensuring that Pronet Gaming remains at the forefront of innovation in a rapidly evolving market.

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“I am thrilled to join Pronet Gaming and excited to fulfill my role in developing and executing sales strategies to drive the company’s revenue growth in key markets,” Karaoulis said.

With a track record in commercial strategies and driving product excellence, Karaoulis’ appointment is invaluable as Pronet Gaming now seeks to expand its footprint to Asia. His vision and deep understanding of the iGaming landscape equip him to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities that the dynamic region presents.

“I want Pronet Gaming to lead the iGaming revolution by providing innovative, culturally tailored solutions that cater to the diverse and rapidly growing demands of the region. Through strategic partnerships, cutting-edge technology, and a deep understanding of local markets, we aim to empower operators to offer world-class gaming experiences that engage players and drive sustainable growth,” he added.

According to Karaoulis, Pronet Gaming is poised to make a splash in Asia by leveraging its advanced technology, flexible platform solutions and deep market expertise while adapting to the unique characteristics of the region.

“The key differentiation point of Pronet Gaming is that we have B2C experience, which greatly aids in understanding the needs of operators and helping them to improve and execute their strategy according to the market. I have worked in B2C roles for more than seven years in my iGaming Career and managed campaigns across various channels, optimised conversion funnels, and learned to use data to improve player acquisition and retention,” said Karaoulis.

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Karaoulis acknowledges that the marketing skills he has acquired from B2C experience are valuable in every B2B environment. As he dives into his new role at Pronet Gaming, Karaoulis aims to guide his operator clients on how to better market their own sites, including providing them with advice on effective acquisition strategies, content marketing and campaign structures that appeal to iGaming audiences.

“I also focus heavily on engagement strategies, loyalty programs, bonuses, and personalised offers to keep players active and returning. In my new B2B role, I will advise clients on best practices for player engagement, helping them adopt effective loyalty programs, personalised marketing, and retention tactics that drive player lifetime value to improve the end-player experience for our clients’ sites,” Karaoulis added.

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Vbet Wins Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at SiGMA Europe 2024

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Vbet has been crowned the Best Online Casino Operator 2024 at the highly coveted SiGMA Europe event, cementing its position as a leader in the online gaming industry.

This achievement highlights Vbet’s commitment to providing an exceptional user experience by combining cutting-edge technology with a vast range of options and a secure process. The dedication to creating a responsible, enjoyable environment for players was recognised with this award, making this accolade even more significant. As Vbet continue to expand into new markets, the list of strategic partnerships grows alongside our constant drive to expand its offering. This award serves as a stepping stone on its path to reach more players and set new standards in the industry.

Arman Khachatryan, VBET’s Managing Director, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive the Best Online Casino Operator award at SiGMA Europe 2024. This recognition is a testament to the hard work, passion, and effort of our entire team. Our mission has always been to deliver the highest quality experience in the safest environment possible to our users. This award not only recognizes our dedication to this mission but also motivates us to continue expanding into new markets and territories.”

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