@nine2 said in Why would you have left FAF?:
FAF has a big problem retaining new players. We actually get a decent stream of new players in all of the time but we lose them quickly - 90% of new FAF players will be gone after 2 years.
I'm not saying that working on player retention is a bad idea, it's a great idea actually. But I will say that setting realistic expectations will help a lot.
With that in mind, I'm honestly shocked player retention is that high, and I don't even think it's that bad. From everything I've heard FAF is growing steadily on what is essentially word of mouth advertising, which is also impressive. I've come back to the game (after not playing for over half a decade) because Gyle casts started showing up in my youtube recommended again.
So in short, FAF is a complex game and will probably always have a pretty low retention level, as this game will only connect with certain people. Trying to go wide to reach as many of those people as possible isn't a bad thing, (though trying to retain as many of them as possible is also pretty wise), but I would honestly be shocked if FAF ever got over a 20% retention level for two years. Two years is a really long time.
So yeah, advertising while player retention is "low" is not a waste of effort. The increased popularity alone can help with retention, as people stick through the NPE pain a little bit longer due to FOMO.