Belgrade 2014Live CoverageVideo Coverage

David Maret: Strike the Right Balance with Games | Casual Connect Video

November 20, 2014 — by Catherine Quinton

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Belgrade 2014Live CoverageVideo Coverage

David Maret: Strike the Right Balance with Games | Casual Connect Video

November 20, 2014 — by Catherine Quinton

“The foundation of a sound user acquisition strategy is built around explicit KPIs and rigorous measurement,” David Maret explains. He moderated a panel which discussed lessons on acquiring new players while at Casual Connect Eastern Europe 2014.




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David Maret, Head of Developer Relations, Europe, Chartboost

When a developer friend introduced David Maret to Chartboost, he was immediately impressed with the energy, ambition, and culture he found and after meeting with Pepe Agell, head of international at Chartboost, he realized this was where he wanted to work. And today, he is still excited about working for Chartboost as the head of developer relations, Europe.




At Chartboost, Maret is responsible for overall developer satisfaction and for assisting top companies to reach their full potential. Previously, Maret held a variety of positions at eBuddy, YD World, and Distimo (now AppAnnie), giving him a strong foundation in business development and account management, as well as the ability to identify the strategies needed to reach goals. He believes, “Combining these three elements of my role within a highly ambitious environment has contributed to the value I can add to this highly ambitious company.”

Maret’s personal philosophy of success includes being passionate about what you do, sharing knowledge, and always being open to learning new things. He is constantly questioning, wanting to learn more and dig deeper. And, since his philosophy aligns with Chartboost’s, it offers a stimulating environment for him to work in.

Always Moving

In his leisure activities, Maret is anything but relaxed. He loves sports and the outdoors; his latest passions are kite surfing and mountain biking. He also enjoys windsurfing, rock climbing, competitive cycling, and running. He reveals, “I guess you could say I enjoy anything that gets my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping.”

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“I guess you could say I enjoy anything that gets my heart racing and my adrenaline pumping.”

His gaming has changed over time. He used to love playing Forza or Gran Turismo on Xbox or PS3, and would, in fact, spend entire weekends playing them. But these days, although he still keeps a few consoles in the house, time constraints limit his playing, so he now finds mobile games a great alternative. Playing games on his iPhone is ideal because these games can be played in short spurts. And working at Chartboost exposes him to many exhilarating games. His current favorites are Lumosity, Asphalt Overdrive, and Real Boxing, which reminds him of his sessions playing Fight Night when he was younger.

Find the Balance

Free-to-play is a model Maret appreciates as a gamer since it allows you to play many different kinds of games as opposed to the restrictions inherent in paid games. He insists, “It opens up gaming to a huge audience, so game developers need to make sure their games are sticky and really well thought through. This just drives innovation and more creativity across the industry.”







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Free-to-play is a model Maret appreciates as a gamer since it allows you to play many different kinds of games as opposed to the restrictions inherent in paid games.

However, Maret has seen F2P games that go too far in attempting to monetize users with in-app-purchases and ads until they jeopardize the user experience. He emphasizes, “Game developers have to strike the right balance between making a compelling game that can be enjoyed for free but, at the right moment and in the right moment, hooking the player to pay for in-game items.”

Within the next several years, Maret foresees automated trading and smart bidding will play a much bigger role for game developers. The keys to succeeding in this environment will be knowing what to pay for a user at any given time and engaging with users at the right moment. He also believes that multiplayer online battle arena games will become extremely important during the coming months. After the success of Clash of Clans and Game of War – Fire Age, players are looking for similar games that allow them to wage battles against other players with less time spent on regeneration.

 

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Catherine Quinton

Catherine Quinton

Catherine Quinton is a staff writer for www.gamesauce.org. Catherine loves her hobby farm, long walks in the country and reading great novels.

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