Clash Royale Game Design Teardown: Analysis of Core Mechanics, Monetization, and Strengths/Weaknesses

© 2016 Adrian Crook & Associates
Clash Royale
Game Design Teardown
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Agenda
Game
Mechanics
! Game Play
! Cards
! Treasure Chests
! Progression
Monetization
! Premium currency
! Spend Sinks
Social/Other
! Clans
! Notifications
! TV Royale
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Clash Royale - Overview
Executive Summary
Gameplay
Publisher
History
Supercell. Helsinki, Finland
Release date: Soft launch in Australia, Canada, New Zealand.
Peak download rank: #1, Canada; Top 3 Australia and New Zealand.
Peak grossing rank: #2, Canada; Top 3 Australia and New Zealand.
Why We Chose:
It’s no secret that past performance in free-to-play gaming is not indicative of future
performance. Companies like King and Rovio have struggled to follow up their
smash hit titles with varying degrees of success. While titles like Hay Day and
Boom Beach demonstrate Supercell’s proclivity for crafting chart-topping games,
Clash Royale represents a bold step for the company.
In Clash Royale, players face off in real-time, head-to-head, battles with the goal of
destroying their opponent’s base. On the surface the core game mechanic is similar
to Clash of Clans. However, the addition of classic CCG mechanics makes Clash
Royale a truly unique and compelling experience.
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Takeaways - Strengths
Strong Brand Recognition – The Clash universe expanded
! As an extension of the Clash of Clans universe, Clash Royale will benefit immensely from unmatched
brand awareness. This will drive new user acquisition and allow the Clash Royale player base to easily
reach the critical mass required to support a heads-up multiplayer title, all before the first marketing
dollars are spent.
Familiar Mechanics – Moderate learning curve
! While Clash Royale offers a whole host of new game mechanics for players to dig into, the core
gameplay of deploying troops and destroying bases remains largely unchanged. Having an instant
familiarity with the game creates a welcoming environment for new players where they can instantly
feel comfortable while learning the functionality and nuances of the new game mechanics.
Monetization – Deep resource sinks drive endless potential
! Clash Royale utilizes a leveling system with ever increasing upgrade costs that ensures a consistent
demand for currency, cards, and the chests that provide them. As players advance to higher arenas they
unlock access to stronger cards, starting the cycle again.
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Takeaways - Weaknesses
New Player Fatigue – New players face stiff competition
! Without a single player campaign outside of the tutorial arena, new players are at risk of facing
repeated losses when entering PvP competition. The addition of a PvE campaign or an extended
practice mode where players could compete against an AI and earn cards would greatly improve the
new player experience and bolster early player retention.
Lack of Card Variety – CR pales in comparison to other CCGs
! With only 42 cards available at launch, Clash Royale doesn’t stack up when compared to CCG giants
like Hearthstone. Additionally, there is a significant lack of game mechanics that result in interesting
card synergies as seen in most traditional CCG games. Many of the top tier cards unlocked though
gameplay are simply stronger versions of previous cards.
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Gameplay Brief
A new twist on a classic mechanic
! Players face off in real-time heads-up competition.
! Battle takes place inside a map called the arena.
! Each player begins the round with control of their half of
the arena.
! Each player has three buildings; two Arena Towers and
one King's Tower on their side of the arena.
! The player’s goal is to destroy the other player’s King's
Tower while protecting their own.
! Players do battle by deploying troopsand spells from a
deck of cards.
! Players may deploy anywhere within territory they control.
! Destroying an opponent’sArena Tower will expand the
player’s territory and allow them to deploy troops close to
the opponent’s King’s Tower.
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Gameplay Brief
Playing to win – endgame conditions
! If you destroy the other player's King Tower, you win
immediately.
! If neither player is able to destroy their opponent’s King’s tower
within the first 2 minutes, elixir regeneration speed is doubled.
! If after 3 minutes, each player’s King Tower is still standing
and each player has destroyed an equal number of Arena
Towers, sudden death beings.
! In sudden death the next player to destroy a tower wins the
match.
! If no tower is destroyed during sudden death, the match will
end in a draw and neither player will gain or lose any of their
trophies.
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Gameplay Brief
Main gameplay UI breakdown
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6Card tray. Contains the players hand. Playable cards will appear in full color.
Black and white cards require more elixir to be used.
Elixir counter. Elixir regenerates at a fixed rate for both players. As the player
casts cards and consumes elixir, the elixir bar will drop.
Casting cost. The amount of elixir each card requires to be played.
Next card. The next card that will be added to the card tray when the player
plays a card from the tray.
Player’s King Tower. When the King Tower’s HP is reduced to zero, the player
will immediately lose the match.
Opponent’s King Tower.
Each player has a pair of Arena Towers on their respective side of the map, on
the left and right sides of the King’s Tower.
Crown count. Destroying an opposing tower awards you a crown.
Opponent’s name and trophy count.
Time remaining in the match.
Emote menu. Players can communicate using a collection of canned phrases.
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Gameplay Brief
Preparing your clan for battle
! A player’s battle deck is the rotation of cards they want to take
into battle.
! The battle deck is limited to 8 unique cards of any type. Players
cannot have fewer than 8 cards in their battle deck.
! Players can add unlocked card’s to the battle deck from their
library at any time between battles.
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Core-Loop
Familiar battle and upgrade loop
Battle
- Gold
- Cards
+ New Cards
+ Gold
+ Gems
- Gold
- Cards
+ Crowns
+ Chests
+/- Trophies
Rewards
Upgrade
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Progression
Dual progression paths offer different rewards
King Level
Just like Clash of Clans,Clash Royale featuresa player-leveling mechanic called the
King Level.Players can advance theirking level by earningexperience pointsthrough
variousmetagame actions.
Trophies
Immediately familiarto anyone who hasplayed Clash of Clans,trophiesare used to
indicate youroverall successin combat.Playersgain and lose trophiesbased on their
performance in arena battles.
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King Level
Increases the strength of player towers
Level
EXPto
next
King
Tower
HP
Arena
Tower
HP
King
Tower
DMG
Arena
Tower
DMG
1 20 2,400 1,400 50 50
2 50 2,568 1,512 53 54
3 100 2,736 1,624 57 58
4 200 2,904 1,750 60 62
5 400 3,096 1,890 64 67
6 1,000 3,312 2,030 69 72
7 2,000 3,528 2,184 73 78
8 5,000 3,768 2,352 78 84
9 10,000 4,008 2,534 83 90
10 30,000 4,272 2,730 89 97
11 80,000 4,560 2,940 95 105
12 100,000 4,872 3,175 101 113
! Players gain experience by
upgrading cards or donating cards
to clanmates.
! XP gained by upgrading cards is
listed on the card at the time of
upgrade.
! XP gained from donations varies
based on the rarity of the card
donated.
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Trophies
A measure of your prowess in battle
Trophy Count
Arena Name Image
0 1 Goblin Stadium
400 2 Bone Pit
800 3 Barbarian Bowl
1,100 4
P.E.K.K.A’s
Playhouse
1,400 5 Spell Valley
1,700 6 Royal Arena
3,000 7
Legendary
Arena
! Trophies act as a measure of
player and clan skill.
! Players gain or lose trophies by
winning or losing arena matches.
! The player’s number of trophies
determines which arena they
compete in.
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Cards
Cards are the core of the Clash Royale experience
! Cards are used to deploy troops,
cast spells, and erect buildings on
the battlefield
! Cards can be acquired by finding
them in chests or buying them with
Gold.
! There will be 42 cards available at
launch.
Card Types
Troops Buildings Spells
Card Rarity
Common Rare Epic
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Cards Continued
Cards can be upgraded to grow with the player
Clash Royale features a card-leveling mechanic that closely resembles fusion mechanics seen in countless
other CCGs. This system adds value to collecting multiple copies of cards and acts as a powerful gold sink.
With increasing costs per level, Clash Royale realizes immense monetization depth for whales.
Level Common Rare Epic
2 2 2 2
3 4 4 4
4 10 10 10
5 20 20 20
6 50 50 50
7 100 100 100
8 200 200 300
9 400 500 --
10 800 1,000 --
11 2,000 -- --
12 5,000 -- --
Level Common Rare Epic
2 5 50 400
3 20 150 1,000
4 50 400 2,000
5 150 1,000 4,000
6 400 2,000 8,000
7 1,000 4,000 20,000
8 2,000 8,000 50,000
9 4,000 20,000 --
10 8,000 50,000 --
11 20,000 -- --
12 50,000 -- --
Cards required for upgrade Gold cost to upgrade
© 2016 Adrian Crook & Associates© 2016 Adrian Crook & Associates© 2016 Adrian Crook & Associates
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Cards Continued
Gated access to powerful cards
With each new arena, players unlock the chance to access
to new cards from chests.
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Game Content
Chests are the primary source of all resources
Chests are the primary source of all resources in Clash Royale. There are 5 different types of
chests players can open.
Free
Chest
Crown
Chest
Silver
Chest
Gold
Chest
Magical
Chest
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Chest Details
Retention best practice – Free chests
What’s inside:
! Free chests are awarded every 4 hours.
! Unclaimed chests will stack to a maximum of 2.
! Free chests can be opened immediately.
! Can contain 2–4 Gems
Unlock Time:
Instant
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Why we like it:
! Creates a scheduled gameplay moment every 4 hours promoting strong
retention.
! Stacking chests lets the player go inactive for 8 hours without feeling
punished.

Chest Details
Engagement best practice – Crown chests
What’s inside:
! Crown chests are awarded for collecting 10 crowns.
! Players earn 1 crown for each enemy tower they destroy.
! Crown chests can be opened immediately.
! Players are limited to 1 crown chest every 24 hours.
! Can contain 2–4 gems
Unlock Time:
Instant
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Why we like it:
! Promotes at least one extended gameplay session per day.
! With one crown rewarded for destroying each Tower, players are rewarded
for participating in battle whether they win or lose.

Chest Details
Breaking down what’s inside – Silver Chest
What’s inside:
! Silver chests are awarded for winning battles.
! Silver chests can be purchased in the shop.
! No guaranteed rare or epic cards.
! Does not contain gems.
Unlock Time:
3 Hours
Arena Gold Cards Guaranteed
1 20–25 3 --
2 27–34 4 --
3 34–43 5 --
4 40–50 6 --
5 46–58 7 --
6 44–55 8 --
7 76–95 11 --
Drop Table
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Why we like it:
! The 3 hour unlock time fits nicely into a daytime
schedule allowing savvy players to unlock 4 per day
easily.

Chest Details
Breaking down what’s inside – Gold Chest
Unlock Time:
8 Hours
1 70–80 10 1 Rare
2 95–108 14 1 Rare
3 119–136 17 1 Rare
4 140–160 20 2 Rare
5 161–184 23 2 Rare
6 182–208 26 2 Rare
7 266–304 38 3 Rare
Drop Table
What’s inside:
! Gold chests are awarded for winning battles.
! Gold chests can be purchased in the shop.
! At least 1 guaranteed rare card.
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Why we like it:
! With an 8 hour unlock time, the gold chest is
perfect for unlocking while the player sleeps,
creating a powerful morning engagement
opportunity.

Chest Details
Breaking down what’s inside – Magical Chest
What’s inside:
! Magical chests are rarely rewarded for winning battles.
! Magical chests can be purchased in the shop.
! At least 1 guaranteed epic card.
Unlock Time:
12 Hours
1 200–250 30 1 Epic, 6 Rare
2 270–330 41 1 Epic, 8 Rare
3 340–425 51 1 Epic, 10 Rare
4 400–500 60 2 Epic, 12 Rare
5 460–575 69 2 Epic, 13 Rare
6 520–650 78 2 Epic, 15 Rare
7 760–950 114 3 Epic, 22 Rare
Drop Table
37% Chance of 2nd epic
70% Chance of 2nd epic
30% Chance of 3rd epic
60% Chance of 3rd epic
80% Chance of 4th epic
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Monetization
Clash Royale uses a single premium currency
Just like Clash of Clans, Gems are the sole
premium currency in the game.
! Gems are the only currency that can be
purchased directly using real money.
! Players cannot buy gold directly with real
money. Instead, they can convert gems into
gold.
! Players can buy chests with gems.
! Chests bought with gems can be opened
immediately.
! Chests are priced dynamically based on the
player’s current arena level.
* Prices shown are in AUD
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Monetization
Dynamic pricing increases the cost of a chest over time
Arena Silver Gold Magical
1 25 75 380
2 30 80 400
3 30 90 470
4 30 95 500
5 35 100 600
6 35 100 600
7 40 120 800
Chest Pricing Table
As the player progresses through the game reaching
high-level arenas, chests will offer a greater amount of
rewards (see slides 20-22). To account for the increase in
rewards, the price to purchase a chest in gems also
increases proportionally.
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Monetization
“Log Jam” effect promotes gem spend
One of the unique aspects of Clash Royale compared to
other games is the lack of an energy system. Simply put,
players can play as much as they want. This effectively
allows the player to earn chests more quickly than they can
unlock them.
With only 4 chest slots, players face a minimum of 12
hours to open all the chests they can earn in a well-played
15-minute session.
Players may continue to play but face a warning that they
will not receive new chests while their chest queue is full.
This mechanic forces a player to either spend gems to hurry
up the unlock process, or return regularly to achieve an
optimal earning rate.
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Social Features
Returning feature – Clans
A returning feature that was wildly popular in Clash of
Clans is the concept of a clans:
! Unlocked at king level 3
! Can have a maximum of 50 members
! Clan members can request cards and donate cards to
other members.
! Players can donate up to 2 cards per request.
! Players may request up to 10 common cards or 1 rare
card per request.
! Players receive XPand gold for donating cards to clan
members.
! Players are limited to donating 60 common cards per
day to clanmates. Rare cards count as 10 common
cards.
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Social Features
New social feature – TV Royale
Taking a cue from games like Hearthstone and their
popularity on streaming sites such as Twitch, Supercell has
developed an embedded match replay service called TV
Royale.
! Unlocked after completing the tutorial.
! Players can view epic matches between some of the top
players in CR.
! By highlighting top players, Supercell elevates top
players to celebrity status.
! Each player’s battle deck is visible to help the
community uncover the strategies used by top players.
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Notifications
Standard re-engagement flows are present
Clash Royale asks for notification permissions upon first start, and sends notifications:
! When free chests are available
! When chests have been unlocked
! When clan members donate cards
! At standard re-engagement times (between 1 and 7 days of inactivity).
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Summary
Overall
! Clash Royale is well positioned to be the next chart topping hit for Supercell. Using a familiar
game mechanic with just the right amount of innovation, Clash Royale will engage existing
Clash of Clash maniacs in a new experience while expanding their reach into new audiences.
! Just as other games in the CCG genre have done before, evolving and growing Clash Royale
will be critical to achieving sustained, long term success. Engaging the community and
addressing player concerns will critical in developing a product that clears the high bar set by
games like Hearthstone.
Lessons
! Tried and true game mechanics presented in a new context can create powerful experiences.
! Extended soft launches in larger territoriesallow for a more optimized and balanced gameplay
experience.
! Chest/card pack style mechanics are notoriously addictive and compelling for players and
should be utilized where they make sense.
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Get in touch!
You can contact us at:
Email
adrian@adriancrook.com
Online
adriancrook.com
Twitter
@adriancrook
Skype
adrian.crook
We are always accepting new mobile social design and development
clients.
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Clash Royale Game Design Teardown: Analysis of Core Mechanics, Monetization, and Strengths/Weaknesses

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Clash Royale Game Design Teardown: Analysis of Core Mechanics, Monetization, and Strengths/Weaknesses