Critical Strike is a F2P real time multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Turkish game studio Vertigo Games. Players engage in strategic and fast-paced battles as two opposing teams, experiencing a unique competitive environment enhanced by modern graphics and a detailed game economy.
I worked as Product Manager on Critical Strike CS: Online FPS during its most impactful growth period between 2021 and 2024. During my tenure, the game scaled significantly—reaching over 100 million downloads, generating $500K+ in monthly revenue, and maintaining a steady 20,000+ concurrent users at peak hours.
Vertigo Games, 2021 - 2024
Role
Product Manager (Sr.)
Methodologies
Product Management, Game Economy Design, Game UX Research & Design, Game Design, Live Ops Management, Data Analysis, A/B Testing, Localization, QA Testing, Team Management, Project Planning, Release Planning
Tools I Used
In Critical Strike project, I was responsible for end-to-end product development and live service operations. My contributions covered a wide range of areas including:
Live Ops Design & Execution: Designed time-limited events, seasonal systems, and engagement-driven content pipelines.
Game & Economy Design: Developed and balanced in-game systems, progression, reward loops, and monetization structures.
A/B Testing & Data Analysis: Led experimentation across pricing models, feature releases, and UX flows; used telemetry and cohort data to drive decisions.
UX Research, UX Design & Player-Centric Improvements: Conducted user research and playtests to refine onboarding, controls, and core game loops.
Project Planning & Team Management: Managed product roadmap, collaborated with cross-functional teams, and aligned release cycles with strategic goals.
This role demonstrates my ability to scale and operate a high-performing F2P live mobile game through data-informed product thinking, hands-on design work, and coordinated team leadership.
I served as a Product Manager for 3 years, taking on various responsibilities and delivering numerous initiatives. Below, I listed the releases we delivered during this period in chronological order, specifying the work I carried out and adding details on the key initiatives
Update 12.7
Live Ops: Lunar New Year
February 2024
Senior Product Manager of the Release
Update 12.6
Live Ops: Winter Warfare
December 2023
• Release Plan: New Live Ops Event
• Game Economy: Monetization for new Live Ops Offers, Battle Pass
• Game Design: New weapons, consumables and cosmetics, Daily Spin Feature
• A/B Tests
Update 12.5
Live Ops: Nightfall Duel
October 2023
• Release Plan: New Live Ops Event
• Game Economy: Monetization for new Live Ops Offers, Battle Pass
• Game Design: New weapons, consumables and cosmetics, Chest monetization updates, Battle Pass
• A/B Tests
Update 12.3 & 12.4
Live Ops: Summer Vice
August 2023
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game Design
• Battle Pass Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• Feature Update: Battle Pass Game & Economy & UX Redesign
• New Feature: Seasonal Draw
Update 12.2
July 2023
• Feature Update: Daily Login Rewards Game, Economy & UX Design
• New Feature: Daily Login Streak Game, Economy & UX Design
• A/B Tests
Update 12.1
Live Ops: Underworld Ops
June 2023
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game Design
• Battle Pass Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• New Feature: Playtime Rewards Game, Economy & UX Design
• Monetization Updates
Update 12.0
Easter Update
April 2023
• Feature Update: Rate Us Popup Game Design & Logic Update
• Monetization & Offer Flow Fixes
• New Feature: Boost System Game Design & UX Design
• Weekday Offers Monetization
• New Feature: Instant Upgrade Game, Economy & UX Design
Update 11.9
Live Ops: Wildwest
March 2023
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game Design
• Battle Pass Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• Feature Update: Game End UX Flow Updates
• New Feature: Square Spin Game Design & UX Design
• Feature Update: Card Game Game Design and UX Redesign
Update 11.8
February 2023
• A/B Tests
• New Feature: Daily Deals Game Design & UX Design
• Feature Update: Free Rewards Game Design & UX Redesign
• New Feature: Level Based Offers Game Design & UX Design
• New Items: Special Weapons & Characters Game Design
• Live Ops: Lunar New Year Offers Monetization
• Feature Update: Missions Page Game Design & UX Redesign
• Feature Update: Arms Race to Battle Pass Game Design & UX Redesign
• UX Update: Game End UX Redesign
Update 11.7
Live Ops: Dark Frost
December 2022
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• Player Level System Update
• Missions Update: UX Design
• Feature Update: Weapon Level Up & Unlock UX Redesign & Game Design
• New Feature: Character System Game Design & UX Design
• New Feature: Clan Tournament Game Design & UX Design
• New: Tactical Consumables Game Design & UX Design
• New Feature: Clan Trophy & Skills Game Design & UX Design
Update 11.6
Live Ops: Until Down
October 2022
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• New Feature: Special Weapons Game Design & UX Design
• New Game Mode: Control Point Game Design
• Missions Update: Control Points Missions
• New Feature: Inbox
• Game Tips Update
• Missions Update: Control Points Missions
Update 11.5
Live Ops: Summer Vice
August 2022
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• Weapons Product Updates
• Game EndS Spin Product Updates
• Battle Pass UX Design Update
• Main Menu UX Design Update
• Clan Perks Game Design & UX Design
• Clan Updates Game Design & UX Design
Update 11.45
June 2022
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
• No Ads Offers Monetization
• Daily Growth Offers Monetization
• Daily Supply Offers Monetization
• Subscription Product Update
Update 11.4
Live Ops: Springtide
May 2022
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
• A/B Tests
Update 11.3
April 2022
• Daily Rewards Product Update for Long Term Retention
• New Tactical Consumables Product Details and UX Design
• Game Economy Updates with new Offers and Live Ops Offers
Update 11.1
Live Ops: New Year 2021
December 2021
• Live Ops Event Plan
• Live Ops Offers for Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Game & Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product, Game and Economy Design
Update 11.0
November 2021
• Clan System Game Design and UX Design
Update 10.9
Live Ops: Halloween 2021
October 2021
• Live Ops Offers for Monetization
• New weapons, consumables and cosmetics Product Design
• Battle Pass (Arms Race) Product Details and Economy Design
Update 10.8
October 2021
• League System Game Design and UX Design
• Profile UX Design
• Weapon Cosmetics Product Updates
• Leaderboard UX Design
• Settings UX Design
• Global Chat UX Design
Update 10.7
August 2021
My very first major update. During this process, I assumed the following roles:
Product Manager, Game Designer, UX Designer, Researcher, Analyst, and Tester.
The features I worked on in the 10.7 update were:
• Daily Rewards: UX Redesign & Product Update
• Consumables: Game Design, UX Redesign
• Arsenal Item Inspect: UX Design
• Game Modes: UX Redesign
• Card Game: UX Redesign
• Item Stats: Game & UX Design
• Arsenal Skins Screen: UX Redesign
• Game Search & Game Loading: UX Redesign & Product Update
• Game Tips: Redesign
• Lobby, Squad & Private Room: UX Redesign
• Lobby Tutorial: UX Redesign
• Friends System: Product Design
• Friend Invite System: Product Design
• Referral System: Game & UX Design
Start
March 2021
In March 2021, I started working as a Product Manager on the game Critical Strike at Vertigo Games, joining a small team of 5 members.
