The sector’s “finest PC map game” has a recent realizing – what if it became as soon as OK for folks to proceed?

The “largest PC strategy game globally,” Teamfight Tactics, has a remarkable perspective on players departing from the game. According to Peter Whalen, the TFT game director at Riot Games, that’s quite legitimate! If your foundational philosophy is designed under the assumption that players will leave, yet they will also return.

During a Teamfight Tactics panel at GDC 2025, which was attended by GamesRadar+, Whalen acknowledged that many games engage players “with elements like daily quests, progression cycles, and complex meta systems,” alongside events and limited-time content aimed at “boosting engagement frequency and minimizing player turnover,” but over time this can lead to a declining player base that “consolidates around the most dedicated users.”

“But what if we aimed for a game that could last indefinitely?” he proposed. “We can’t depend solely on attracting new players; otherwise, we’ll exhaust our audience. We must realistically accept that players will leave – there are only so many hours in a day for them to play. So that really leaves us with one choice, which brings us to the question: what if we focused entirely on reacquisition?

“And that is the essence of cyclical reengagement. It’s a strategy around foreseeing player turnover and fully committing to creating significant moments for them to return.”

Churn it down (and up)

Stating this is all well and good, but actually designing around this philosophy is far from straightforward. Significant moments are still essential, and players need “to have a fantastic time” when they return. This also necessitates that the team “align perfectly with publishing” because “it doesn’t matter if you have the most captivating content in the world if nobody is aware of it.”

Effectively executing this “strategy of avoiding player loss,” as Whalen described, is crucial because “you want your players to remain content.” He pointed to examples of games that emphasized player retention, which we’ve all experienced, and felt relieved when they were finally removed.

“Ultimately, your players want to have fun when they return,” he added. The game must strike a balance between being familiar and fresh – “it’s a delicate balance to achieve, and for us, it’s something we constantly consider.”

It should feel fair with a level playing field regarding skill and progression while evading feelings of regret.

“Players can’t feel bad about the time they missed,” Whalen continued. “This means their story can’t fall behind, and there can’t be cool, limited-time content that they could never obtain.”

However, there’s a reason why so many