Goalden League Online Football was the first title to be developed by Games & Leaves, and as a game studio for sports games, we hit a point that many developers eventually face: we’d been working on Goalden League Online Football for over a year, and we were deep in our own echo chamber. Every feature, mechanic, and piece of feedback was filtered through the same internal lens. We were passionate, but we’d lost perspective.
Decision-making started to feel random. We couldn’t agree on what was working and what wasn’t—and we worried we were missing critical opportunities to make the game better.
That’s when we realized we needed external eyes. Honest feedback from people who weren’t in the room with us. That’s when we turned to GoTestify.
Breaking Bias with Real-World Player Testing
Setting up our first GoTestify session took less than 10 minutes.
We started receiving videos and feedback daily. Watching players interact with our game—hearing what they thought, seeing where they struggled or enjoyed—was a game changer.
It didn’t take long for us to spot patterns and problems that we hadn’t seen internally. We were too close to the project, but real players weren’t. Their fresh, unbiased reactions gave us a clearer picture of what needed to change.
"It was the first time in months we had confidence in our design decisions again—because they weren’t just ours anymore. They were backed by real player behaviour."
Mihai Tabacaru, Game Designer - Games & Leaves
Turning Insight Into Action: What We Tested & Changed
As we were fast approaching our final phases of development, we decided to set up each playtest to replicate the potential play patterns of casual players when released on the App Store.
Each playtest consisted of evaluating players over 3-4 sessions, and during the process, we retargeted previous players to assess improvements later into the game.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what we were validating with GoTestify to educate our decisions and how it influenced development:
1. Camera Perspective: Reframing the Goalkeeper Experience
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Challenge: We used the same camera angle for both Striker and Goalkeeper roles.
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Feedback: During the initial playtests, players found it disorienting and unnatural.
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Change: We flipped the camera 180°, placing it behind the Goalkeeper.
- Result: It instantly felt more intuitive. Multiple testers noted the improvement, and it became one of the most pivotal changes in development.
2. Goalkeeper Controls: From Tap to Swipe
- Challenge: We weren’t sure which input method felt best for defending.
- A/B Testing Process: We tried “Tap at the right time,” then “Tap as fast as you can,” before landing on “Swipe.”
- Result: The swipe mechanic felt most natural and skill-based, and testing confirmed that it kept players more engaged during matches.
3. First-Time User Experience (FTUE): Reducing Friction
- Challenge: From feedback, our onboarding was too text-heavy and slowed down the experience.
- Impact: New players were disengaging early.
- Change: We streamlined the intro, cut unnecessary text, and improved pacing.
"One of the best parts of GoTestify was how much time it saved us. The platform’s automatic summaries helped us filter through feedback quickly, so we could focus on what mattered most. We’re a team of 18 people, and GoTestify gave us the power of a much bigger QA and UX team. It’s now part of our development pipeline for every major gameplay or meta change.”
Mihai Tabacaru, Game Designer - Games & Leaves
The Results: Retention That Speaks for Itself
After applying what we learned through GoTestify, we saw immediate improvements:
- 📈 Day 1, Day 3, and Day 7 Retention increased
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⏱️ Session Length went up—players were staying longer
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🔁 Session Frequency rose—players were coming back more often
What’s Next for Goalden League?
With fresh feedback continuing to roll in, the future looks bright for Goalden League Online Football. Our team remains committed to building around what players truly want—thanks to insights that only come from watching real people play.
🎮 Goalden League Online Football is available now on iOS and Android.
📩 For press or partnership inquiries: stefan.bielau@gamesandleaves.com
Key Takeaway
Bringing players into the game design vision helps make pivotal decisions faster, aligns teams, and impacts player retention/ROI.