Nerses Nersesian

When a game doesn’t perform as expected. Kozak Quest didn’t perform as strongly as planned, which makes it an interesting case to analyze. From a sales perspective, how do you evaluate the ROI of a game like this after launch — and at what point do you decide whether it’s worth continuing to push, repositioning, or moving on?

When our new game releases we do not rely heavily on GGR metrics, as they tend to be unstable and can fluctuate significantly in the short term. Instead, we focus on more consistent engagement indicators such as average session length and the number of reactivations. These metrics give us a clearer picture of player interest, retention potential, and long-term value rather than short-term revenue spikes.

To evaluate performance, up to 7 days is usually sufficient

Idea vs execution. As a Ukrainian studio, choosing a Cossack-themed game is a strong and culturally rich idea — one that many people genuinely like. How did this concept come together initially, and looking back, where do you see the biggest compromises between the original idea and the final execution?

The concept was very simple — Ukraine is one of our strongest markets, and we wanted to strengthen our presence and cover this GEO more strategically. Initially, we wanted to create a game built around a strong Ukrainian theme. Second, our goal was to layer high-quality mechanics into the slot — not just visually represent the theme, but support it with engaging and well-structured gameplay features.

Third, the core idea was to introduce custom Ukrainian voice-over for all key in-game events, making the experience more authentic and emotionally immersive. At the same time, we also wanted to popularize the Ukrainian mentality and cultural identity globally. Ukraine is currently highly visible on the world stage, and we saw this as an opportunity to present our culture in a modern, entertainment-driven format.

Even though we carefully considered the Ukrainian visual style and cultural aesthetics, we underestimated the fact that cultural setting alone is not enough. We should have gone deeper — beyond traditional symbols — and added elements that truly reflect what people are living and breathing today. For example, boxing is extremely popular in Ukraine right now.

We could have introduced a Cossack boxer character — blending heritage with modern national pride. In other words, it’s not just about culture as history — it’s about culture as a living, evolving identity. Due to very tight deadlines, we were only able to implement one layered bonus mechanic — which ultimately was not enough to drive strong retention.

For sustainable engagement, especially in competitive markets, players expect either deeper mechanic stacking or multiple engagement loops that extend session time and replay value. And coming back to the voice-over — the reason was the same: tight deadlines. We were not able to fully launch the original idea and deliver the depth and emotional impact we had envisioned.

The concept had strong potential, but the execution didn’t allow us to express it completely. That said, we did receive very positive feedback on the voice direction itself, which confirms that the idea was right — it simply needed more time and refinement to reach its full potential.

Lessons for new studios. When you analyze Kozak Quest internally, what are the key lessons you would share with a young studio launching its first titles — especially around theme selection, feature scope, and the trade-offs between speed, quality, and commercial expectations?

Our launch strategy relied on specific promotional activities with one key partner. Unfortunately, due to internal issues on the partner’s side, those campaigns were not fully executed. As a result, the game did not receive the expected marketing push that was included in the initial forecast.

The key lesson here is simple: build your business in a way that even the most successful and well-structured plan includes risk assessment. Never rely on GEO that currently going through the crisis. Never depend on one partner activation.

Always diversify markets and maintain backup marketing strategies. From our experience, it makes sense to design games either very simple or highly feature-rich with multiple mechanics. Games that sit somewhere in the middle tend to perform worse than either of these extremes.

In other words, players usually respond better to clear positioning: either a straightforward, easy-to-understand product — or a complex, mechanic-driven experience with strong engagement depth. When choosing a slot theme tailored to a specific GEO, don’t focus only on the cultural background of that market. It’s equally important to consider what players in that GEO actually enjoy today — current trends, preferred mechanics, volatility appetite, and popular themes.

Culture gives you direction, but real-time player behavior gives you performance. INSIDE NEW STUDIOS — Riddec Games From positioning assumptions to commercial pressure and survival lessons — a direct Q&A