Monitoring in-game data streaming live at 2K Games, facilitated by AWS and Rockset
Sanju Sriram, Technical Director at 2K Games, led a discussion on the best practices for real-time game telemetry alongside Andrei Muratov from AWS and Julie Mills from Rockset in a free webinar. The focus of the discussion was on proactively using telemetry to improve player experience and retention through early detection of friction points.
Real-time game telemetry collects data on game interactions, purchasing behavior, movement, and user interactions. This data is crucial for gaming companies, as it allows them to create and iterate on in-game features. For instance, at 2K Games, Sanju Sriram ensures a seamless and immersive gaming experience by implementing engaging push notification strategies.
One key practice discussed was proactive player support using telemetry. By monitoring real-time signals such as sudden spikes in disconnects, repeated failures at the same mission, or session drops after specific events, support teams can detect player frustration early. This enables intervention before players churn, boosting retention and lifetime value (LTV).
Another practice emphasised was the establishment of fast escalation routes from player support to community managers and developers. During high-risk incidents, such as bugs or outages, this helps manage player sentiment and control the narrative on social platforms. Signals for escalation include repeated tickets about live issues, increased negative keywords, and drops in customer satisfaction metrics.
Effective telemetry pipelines convert raw log data into structured and contextualized metrics enriched with metadata (e.g., deployment and infrastructure context). This enriched telemetry enables deeper analysis and faster root-cause identification for performance or stability issues.
Incorporating AI layers on top of telemetry data (such as conversational AI for observability) can help translate natural language queries into telemetry searches, summarise root causes, and propose actionable remediations in real time. This approach transforms raw telemetry into system-level understanding, accelerating incident response and improving player experience.
Andrei Muratov, Business Development and Solutions lead for Game Analytics and AI/ML for Games at AWS, has 20 years of experience in the games industry. He is responsible for developing solutions and enabling game developer success with analytics and AIML. Julie Mills is the Director of Product Marketing at Rockset, partnering with gaming companies to understand their technical and business requirements for search, analytics, and AI-powered applications on streaming data.
The webinar concluded with a live panel discussion on real-time game analytics. Alissa McAloon, Publisher of the website, moderated the discussion, bringing a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. Alissa has a passion for immersive sandbox games and TTRPGs outside of work.
The webinar provided actionable examples and deeper insights on implementing these practices operationally, offering valuable advice for gaming companies looking to optimise their telemetry systems and improve player experience and retention.
Data-and-cloud-computing technology played a significant role in the webinar, as Andrei Muratov from AWS discussed solutions for gaming companies to leverage analytics and AI/ML, while Julie Mills from Rockset highlighted the importance of search, analytics, and AI-powered applications on streaming data. The combination of technology and telemetry data allow gaming companies to proactively address player issues, such as early detection of friction points through real-time player support and fast escalation routes for high-risk incidents, ultimately improving player experience and retention.
