Client story: Rethinking game analytics service technology with consultants’ support
Imagine a situation where your team needs to build a new, long-lasting service while taking care of the operation of the old one at full capacity. A tricky challenge that’s also bound to be stressful for the team. GameRefinery enlisted the support of Rakettitiede veterans for a painless revamp.
What does it take to create a successful mobile game? If you want to know the answer to this question, you can ask GameRefinery, which provides analytics to mobile game developers and publishers on a global scale. Background data plays a significant role in the creation and development of games. The service helps to uncover what qualities the players value and what motivates them. Big game houses, such as Rovio, King and Zynga, make use of GameRefinery’s SaaS service on a daily basis.
A few of years ago, some of the technologies of this once start-up turned mature service began to approach the end of their life cycle. This, together with the growth of the company, provided a natural starting point for a renewal process. Most of the work was to be done on the front end, but parts of the back end would also be renewed at the same time.
GameRefinery’s Head of Product Teemu Saukonoja mentions that this was one of the largest technology projects in the company’s history. This meant that in September 2021 the size of the team had to be quickly scaled up with the help of rocket scientists to ensure uninterrupted service for the customers. Naturally, the goal was to also build the best service possible.
According to Teemu Saukonoja, the cooperation with Rakettitiede’s professionals was seamless and their experience ensured the smooth running of the project.
So before continuing any further, let’s beg for some praise. What has been the project’s biggest success? Saukonoja laughs. At this point, the new front end is already receiving its finishing touches. The biggest prize is probably yet to come.
“We’ll soon be able to release the first version to our customers. The work will naturally still continue and some of the features will be refined. However, I am confident that the solutions we make will produce a long-lasting and modern service. It’s been done and designed with care, and we’ve achieved some great results together.”
For Saukonoja, the cooperation has felt uncomplicated, above all.
“Rakettitiede was able to provide us with three developers straight away. We got the kind of people we wanted, with precisely the technological expertise we needed.”
Which mistakes would you not recommend making?
According to Saukonoja, one of the biggest benefits of the collaboration, in addition to the consultants’ actual work input, has been the way Rakettitiede’s developers have worked as a part of the GameRefinery team and shared their expertise about the new technology. Saukonoja describes Rakettitiede’s consultants as approachable and suitably humble.
According to Kalle Lundahn, trusting the insights of experienced rocket scientists pays off: “We have been asked direct questions about good and bad ways of doing things. In the end, mistakes can have a huge financial impact. Experience creates shortcuts.”
“We have some really competent employees as well. But when you adopt a new technology, having the support of someone who’s been working with the technology for several years gives you added confidence. And if they have prior experience of potential mistakes as well, they can tell you how to avoid the pitfalls,” Saukonoja says.
Jarno Laine and Kalle Lundahn from Rakettitiede agree. Both of them have experience with working at GameRefinery.
“Gaining the trust of the client and being able to propose different solutions has felt good. We have also been asked direct questions about good and bad ways of doing things. In the end, mistakes can have a huge financial impact. Experience creates shortcuts,” Lundahn summarises.
Freedom and just enough improvisation
According to Rocket developer Jarno Laine, having enough freedom and uncomplicated communications ensure a well-functioning team.
Rakettitiede’s Jarno Laine says that the specs were not set in stone at the beginning of the collaboration.
“We ended up providing GameRefinery with consultants who like to improvise and make decisions along the way. We were also able to plan the work in loosely scheduled blocks with no overlaps,” Laine says.
“We have to give GameRefinery kudos for taking the time to think about the most sensible way of carrying out the work. There have been no big surprises along the way,” Kalle Lundahn says.
As the project has progressed, there have been a few changes to the team. Teemu Saukonoja describes them as seamless. GameRefinery’s team has employed a total of four Rakettitiede developers, three at one time.
“Changes in personnel don’t always go very smoothly. Sometimes the onboarding of a new team member can bring the work to a grinding halt. The entire process with Rakettitiede has been smooth sailing,” he says.
Saukonoja says he would recommend Rakettitiede wholeheartedly. But what does he think about the use of consultants in general. Is it something he would recommend?
“It depends on the context. If you need to scale the size of the team or adopt new technology, it can be really beneficial to have some consultants for support.”
Keep the ball rolling
Jarno Laine appreciates the fact that the cooperation has made him feel valued and that he’s had enough freedom to carry out his work. The international team has worked entirely remotely, reports have been shared on the team’s Slack channel and the most important topics have been discussed in weekly meetings.
Saukonoja says that the rocket scientists they’ve worked with have been skilled and experienced as well as capable of independent telework.
“They also have the courage to speak up and know when to ask questions. Being able to do so requires a sufficient amount of experience and self-knowledge. It’s not a sign of weakness, quite the contrary,” Saukonoja says.
“Competent people don’t need much direction. When something works, you should just keep the ball rolling.”
Does your product development need some competent people? Get in touch!
Read more:
Client story: An app designed to restore your confidence in taxis