As part of its ongoing research, Immersyve has just completed an eight month logitudinal study examining the ability of its model to predict sustained subscriptions and continued play of MMO’s. Our findings show that our P.E.N.S. (”Player Experience of Need Satisfaction”) measures, based on a next-generation playtesting model, significantly predicted sustained subscriptions over an eight month period, despite the fact that player’s self-report of enjoying a game did not predict sustained play. The implications for this result are that application of the Immersyve model can significantly decrease MMO churn and increase the ROI on investment in customer acquisition.

Several hundred MMO players were initially surveyed in March as part of Immersyve’s ongoing research and development, and all players were invited to participate in a November follow-up. Of particular interest was how our P.E.N.S. measures compared to more simplistic playtesting and “focus group” protocols in predicting long-term satisfaction with a project, and continued subscription. Traditional measurement of player experience, including assessing the player’s experience of fun, enjoyment, and attention, have little or no relationship with continued subscriptions in November. By comparison, because the Immersyve PENS assesses deeper motivational elements of the player experience, it significantly predicted in March continued play eight months later.

In addition, the Immersyve approach significantly predicted a wide range of commercially relevant variables, including a customer’s willingness to pay more for the game, recommend the game to others, and desire to buy more games from the developer. By implementing the Immersyve solution during the development process, developers can quickly and accurately assess whether their choices are likely to sustain their customer’s interest in their project, with tremendous implications for the bottom line of any subscription game or application.