The Real 'Crucible' Of Game Publishing Happens After Day One

Amazon is making a video game. And we can all play it. Crucible launches it's free-to-play shooter on May 20, offering a variety of multiplayer games in a sci-fi world that looks distinctly different enough from Avatar to avoid a lawsuit. 

I’m a pretty big fan of Amazon’s business strategy for games and the vertical approach, offering game developers a full suite of tools so theoretically, they don’t have to leave the Amazon ecosystem. 

From a broad overview, developers can: 

• Build their game on Lumberyard (for free, nice hook, right?)
• Run their games on AWS (OK, that costs money)
• Promote their games and acquire new players via Twitch (Mo Money!)
• Sell their games on Amazon itself (A little mo money!)

They’re still working on that last one for online games, as even Crucible is available on Steam, but you get the idea. Plus, if Epic Games could make Fortnite to juice its developer ecosystem, there’s a certain logic to seeing Amazon attempt the same. That doesn’t mean there’s not a lack of skepticism about Amazon actually becoming a great video game company. 

Read your preferred games media to find out why Crucible is a good game or not. Instead, I'm here to share what's going to happen and what I hope happens for Crucible in its near future. 

How Tomorrow Goes: 

Streamers streaming Crucible like it’s the only game working

 If we’ve learned anything from recent multiplayer games at launch, it’s that Twitch is where those games' bread gets buttered. Whether it was Apex Legends or more recently Valorant and Call of Duty: Warzone, there’s a real hunger for competitive multiplayer shooters on Twitch. Streamers like Summit1G and DrDisrespect have to give it a try, right? Or at least, Amazon (via Twitch) has to make it worth their while. 

Crucible will get a lot of media attention - especially as the Twitch numbers light up - or not

OK, I'm cheating a little bit here because the media embargo lifted today. There’s plenty of coverage of the game (it’s part of why I wrote this). And as the streamers start to play more and more, it gives the media additional stories to push out. And if the numbers aren’t big, Twitter could get interesting (or plain mean). 

There will be at least one of those stories talking about the viability of Crucible as an esports title. 

This is inevitable because it’s a competitive game. Plus, it seems like a sure-fire tournament for Twitch Rivals, an in-house esports program that drives good viewership. This will feel premature when you read about it - especially as esports really kicks in when there's invested community eager to support it. Yet time tables on esports is speeding up, especially as companies allow third party organizers to build their own competitive events.  

Those seem pretty obvious (one already is happening). Now, here’s what I hope happens.

What should happen after launch (for Crucible or any multiplayer game trying to take on the industry juggernauts) 

Crucible patches every two weeks

I checked in the Discord server to see if there's already a planned update cadence and was told there isn't. This one is big. If you want to compete with the top multiplayer games, adhering to the two-week patch cycle that League of Legends and Fortnite have both used to generate massive success should be a priority. I am also a big believer in patch notes, which generates a lot of engagement and gets people "theorycrafting" and preparing for the changes to come. Fortnite took a different route - which is totally Epic's prerogative. But they only did that after months and months of learning about their audience. (And for what it's worth, there's a public Trello board, so it's not like they're not talking to their players.)

Something in their first (or at least their second) patch comes directly from the community

Crucible’s website is mostly a landing page and it includes seven social media icons, including community homes on reddit and Discord. Fortnite might be an exception here but most online multiplayer games thrive when they are listening to their community and using their input to improve the game. League of Legends did it first, PUBG is at its best when it listens to its community and even on mobile, Brawl Stars has thrived through strong community interactions. If Crucible is going to prove itself to be a sticky game, it’s going to need players who feel like there’s a valuable reason to stay around.

Twitch for launch, YouTube for long game (or bring what works on YouTube to Twitch)

Twitch is awesome for new games. It lets viewers get a really critical and entertaining look at a game before opting to play it. But there’s a real power in YouTube that Twitch hasn't duplicated for the long game. YouTube is a lot more than “Let’s Play” videos. Musicians will recreate game music, animators riff on existing characters and did I mention the YouTube audience is massive? If Crucible wants to be a long-term success, it shouldn't solely rely on Twitch, especially after a few weeks go by and the top streamers are looking at the next hot thing. YouTubers are keen to try new titles that are consistently updated and developed by a responsive team, eager to talk with its players. More fun videos, means more opportunities for players to discover Crucible, long after the buzz has ended. 

I don't know if Amazon is ready to become the next great video game company but if it delivers on these three things, it should be on the right path. 

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