Designing XR Games and Experiences for Long-Term Engagement
At Magnopus, we’re fortunate to have a team that includes talent from the AAA games industry. Many of our developers, designers, and engineers have contributed to some of the most successful and immersive games, bringing with them a deep understanding of what makes interactive experiences engaging, dynamic, and rewarding.
Our team applies their experience in game mechanics, player psychology, and content longevity to ensure that our XR experiences are not just fun, but designed for long-term engagement (LTE). Long-term engagement isn't just about getting people to download and play a game – it’s about crafting experiences that keep them coming back.
In this post, we’ll explore the importance of LTE, how to measure it, and actionable strategies for designing engaging experiences. We’ll also dive into how we used all of our knowledge of LTE to craft The Office World experience for Meta Horizon.
The Office World, developed by Magnopus for Meta Horizon, leverages various techniques to encourage LTE.
What is long-term engagement?
Long-term engagement refers to the ability of a game to retain players over an extended period. Players expect continuous innovation, seamless interactions, and evolving dynamic environments. This has the benefit of building a thriving community, strengthening brand loyalty, and ultimately lowering acquisition costs – keeping an existing player is far more cost-effective than acquiring a new one. Whether it's through compelling gameplay, social features, or consistent content updates, maintaining engagement separates successful games from those that don’t stand the test of time.
Key features of successful games: how and why they work
LTE can be implemented in various ways, but the same feature won’t deliver identical results across different genres and platforms. Factors like product strategy, development scope (indie, AA, AAA), and target audience should shape the approach.
For instance, a 40-minute dungeon with valuable rewards might work well on PC but be less effective in VR, where sessions average 30 minutes, or on mobile, where players prefer shorter, on-the-go experiences. Similarly, challenge levels must align with audience expectations – casual players gravitate toward accessible, narrative-driven, or light-strategy mechanics, while hardcore gamers seek skill-based challenges and competition.
To sustain engagement, it's essential to identify features that fit both thematically and gameplay-wise. Successful games strike this balance by refining popular mechanics and consistently introducing fresh content.
| Feature | Example Game | How it drives egagement |
|---|---|---|
| Daily rewards | Genshin Impact | Encourages players to log in regularly with meaningful bonuses. The collection economy drives the value of various resources, making them desirable to obtain to craft or buy in-game items. |
| Live events | Fortnite | Time-limited events create urgency to participate and reasons to return to the experience. New cosmetic content drives players to earn Vbucks and check in the store to see what has appeared. |
| Social mechanics | League of Legends | Clans, leaderboards, and ranked matches build community and competition. Esports community becomes a way for players to engage without directly playing the game. |
| Session-based gameplay | Candy Crush | Short, repeatable gameplay loops designed for quick engagement are effective in capturing these audiences, as they are compatible with busy schedules and gameplay on the go. |
| Core mechanics | World of Warcraft | Provides depth and replayability usually by requiring players to develop motor skills, strategic proficiency or leverage their knowledge of the game. |
XR and LTE
In XR gaming, LTE becomes even more critical due to the immersive nature of the experience. Take Beat Saber, for example, which is designed for long-term engagement by combining intuitive interaction-driven gameplay, social elements, and smart retention strategies. Its rhythmic, hands-on mechanics keep players immersed, while responsive in-game objects encourage exploration and develop skills. Multiplayer modes and leaderboards create natural social hotspots, fostering competition and collaboration that incentivize players to return. Live events, custom song packs, and ongoing updates keep the experience fresh, while well-timed notifications remind players of challenges, rewards, and limited-time content. All this ensures that Beat Saber remains engaging long after the first playthrough.
Interaction-driven gameplay to keep players engaged with the environment and other players.
Live events & social spaces to encourage collaboration and/or competition and increase the incentive to return.
Push notifications to remind players to return, whether for a special event, a daily reward, or a limited-time challenge.
Case study: The Office World, Meta Horizon
In partnership with Meta and NBC Universal, we brought the beloved IP The Office to life in VR on the Meta Quest 3 via the Meta Horizon platform. We were tasked with creating a virtual experience that captured the awkward, cringe-worthy humor and lovable chaos of The Office, while giving Horizon players a reason to keep coming back. We leveraged all of our knowledge on LTE to craft an experience that blended nostalgia and innovative gameplay to give fans plenty to discover over time.
Role-playing as a core engagement driver
We designed The Office World to encourage roleplaying, drawing inspiration from games that let players create their own fun. In Meta Horizons, for example, a supermarket setting naturally leads to cashier and customer roles, similar to pretend play in childhood.
To foster this, we recreated iconic office locations with interactive props that encourage playful, immersive experiences. Sitting at reception provides an obvious role, enhanced by elements like sweets, a pretend-call phone, and a red button that broadcasts “You’re late!” to all players. Michael’s office and other familiar spaces support similar engagement – one player even reenacted the iconic “I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY” scene.
Progression systems and currency-based rewards
Players earn in-game currency through activities and can spend it on vending machine items, encouraging repeat play. To deepen engagement, we introduced mini-games, leaderboards, and rank-based progression – from temp to general manager. Currency multipliers reward high performance, while desk customization serves as both a personal touch and a status symbol.
Continuous content updates
We provided seasonal updates for Christmas and Halloween, featuring visual changes and themed decorations, which kept active players engaged and helped rekindle interest with both long-time or inactive players.
A solid LiveOps (Live Operations) plan ensures a game stays fresh and engaging for years. These days, players expect games to deliver more valuable content over time. Depending on the success of a game, it may grow to multiples of its original scope as years of development continue. By employing the method of LiveOps development in many cases, teams can replace the need to create sequels and optimise the lifetime value of their existing audience.
A successful live ops strategy may include:
Regular content updates: New characters, levels, storylines, and mechanics.
Seasonal events & challenges: Time-limited modes that drive periodic spikes in engagement.
Dynamic in-game economy & rewards: Games can use in-game currency earned through play to unlock exclusive items, cosmetic skins, or badges, creating an ongoing reward loop.
Competitive and replayable mini-games
Within the world, dynamic mini-games drive replayability and social interaction. Games like The Floor is Lava feature randomized start and end points, while PvP matches remain unpredictable. Other games, like Bats, Bats, Bats, and Angela’s Cats, randomize object spawns – leading to both competition and spontaneous roleplay.
Meta Portal integration
To further incentivize engagement, we integrated Meta Portal rewards, including stickers and exclusive outfits. These collectables encourage ongoing participation and provide tangible goals for players to pursue.
A note on measurement
To design for long-term engagement, tracking key metrics and using A/B testing is essential. Retention rates (D1, D7, D30) help measure how well a game keeps players engaged over time, while churn rates and “stickiness” metrics like DAU-to-MAU ratios provide insight into player habits. A/B testing allows developers to experiment with different features and optimize gameplay based on real player behavior, while data segmentation helps tailor experiences to specific audiences. By continuously analyzing and refining based on these insights, developers can create games that keep players coming back.
Final thoughts
At the heart of designing for long-term engagement is the principle of creating a meaningful exchange between a player’s time and the value they receive. Games that succeed in retaining players do so by offering rich, rewarding, and socially engaging experiences that evolve over time.
By leveraging data, understanding different player types, and implementing proven retention mechanics, developers can craft experiences that stand the test of time, whether on mobile, console, or XR environments.
At Magnopus, we apply these principles to design immersive XR experiences that keep players coming back. We hope this post provides valuable insights for your own projects and look forward to seeing how you create experiences that engage your audience for the long haul!
