Skycards, a mobile game from Flightrader, launched initially in December 2024 and quickly built a loyal following. The concept was refreshingly simple: track real aircraft, add them to your collection, and enjoy the satisfaction of edging closer to completion. It wasn’t built on complex mechanics or heavy competition, but on the joy of collecting. This struck a chord with aviation enthusiasts and casual gamers alike.

However, yesterday’s release of Season 1, a major update to the game, has raised questions about whether that success could be disrupted. Players now face seasonal resets, required to re-collect the planes they had already earned. Progress that felt permanent now feels temporary – and with it, some players say the reason they played each day has been diminished. The response has been swift, with a wave of one-star reviews appearing on the app store and widespread criticism of the update across social media channels.

When product development runs ahead of insight

The reaction to Season 1 highlights the risks of innovating without fully understanding consumer motivations. Players were engaged because Skycards offered permanence, progress and the joy of completion. The new update, by design, reduced those elements.

This is where consumer research should play a pivotal role. Through feature testing, beta trials and in-app surveys, developers can understand not just how people use a product, but why they use it. A small-scale test of the seasonal reset mechanic might have highlighted the strength of attachment players felt towards their collections – and signalled that removing permanence could change the appeal.

The importance of testing before launch

Feature and app testing allow companies to trial new ideas in a controlled way. By engaging a small segment of users, developers can gather evidence about likely reactions, refine mechanics and avoid alienating their core audience.

This often means understanding the hierarchy of features: which aspects keep people coming back, which would they pay a premium for, and which could risk disengagement if changed. Innovation should add value to the core experience, not take away from it.

The danger of assumption-led innovation

Skycards is not alone in facing this kind of challenge. Across industries, it is common for businesses to move quickly on new ideas, guided more by internal assumptions than by consumer evidence. However the risk is that without testing, even well-intentioned changes can unintentionally remove the very elements that customers value most.

Innovation built on assumption, rather than insight, can undermine loyalty and erode trust. By contrast, good quality research ensures that new features strengthen the core experience instead of weakening it.

What businesses can learn from Skycards’ update

1. Test before you launch: Research helps flag unintended consequences early
2. Understand motivations, not just behaviours: Data and analytics will show you what people do, but research can uncover why
3. Don’t assume growth equals permission to pivot: Expansion does not necessarily mean consumers are ready for large changes. Smaller, slower changes can be more effective at keeping your loyal user base happy

Why research matters

In fast-growing products, the pressure to innovate is intense. But growth is sustainable only when it builds on the motivations that drove adoption in the first place. Market research provides the guardrails:

• App testing to reveal which features enhance enjoyment and which detract from it
• Feature testing to trial new mechanics like seasonal resets before wide release
• Consumer insight to ensure innovation is rooted in the motivations that matter most

What’s next for Skycards

Skycards’ developers still have an opportunity to adapt. By listening to feedback and adjusting Season 1, they could preserve what made the game special while still introducing new layers of engagement.

The broader lesson for any business is that growth must be nurtured through insight-led decisions, not assumptions. Products succeed not just by adding features, but by staying true to the reasons consumers loved them in the first place.

If you’re interested in learning more about app testing and consumer insights, get in touch with us today.