Leagues: A Season-Based Leaderboard System for Live Service Games

What Are Leagues in Metaplay?

Leagues are a season-based leaderboard system built into the Metaplay SDK. They match players against opponents of the same rank, enabling competition, progression, and rewards based on in-game performance.

Leagues are a proven retention and LTV driver for live service games — giving players a reason to return each season, compete with peers at their level, and build lasting connections within your game's community.

How the Leagues Feature Works

The Leagues feature is built around four key concepts:

• League — A single competition system with its own players, seasons, and rules
• Season — A limited time period during which a single league round is contested
• Rank — The level the participant is playing at; a higher rank implies higher competition performance
• Division — A bucket of players grouped together for a single season, each at a specific rank level

Why Leagues Drive Player Engagement

Social engagement and community

Leagues allow players to interact with each other within the same game, climb the ranks, and advance through divisions — sparking a sense of community. Offering rewards at the end of a season based on division performance motivates competitive players to keep pushing.

When players form alliances and compete against rivals, it creates emotional bonds that encourage them to return to the game again and again to play with friends and compete against enemies.

Competitive fairness through matchmaking

Competitive mismatch is a key reason for churn. Skilled players lose interest when a game isn't challenging enough, and beginners find it frustrating to compete against much more experienced opponents. By matching players based on experience, rank, or even IAP spend, Leagues create a more captivating game for everyone.

Building a stronger game community

Giving your players a sense of belonging in your game is vital for retention. Leagues let you build communities where players interact based on common experiences and shared game traits, forming connections that keep them invested in your game long-term.

How to Implement Leagues in Your Game

Leagues are included in the Metaplay SDK and ready to integrate into your game. The feature is fully customizable — you can define your own scoring rules, season lengths, rank structures, and reward systems.

Read the full Leagues implementation guide in the Metaplay documentation to get started.

Metaplay Leagues FAQ

Can I customize the league structure for my game?

Yes. Leagues are fully programmable — you can define custom scoring systems, season durations, rank tiers, division sizes, and reward structures to match your game's design.

How do Leagues handle players who join mid-season?

The system supports late joiners by placing them into appropriate divisions based on their rank. You can customize this behavior to match your game's progression model.

Can Leagues work alongside other social features like guilds?

Yes. Leagues are designed to complement other Metaplay features including guilds, matchmaking, and player segmentation. You can create guild-based leagues or individual competitions.

Is there a limit to the number of players in a league?

No. Leagues scale with your player base — the division system ensures players are always matched with a manageable group of peers regardless of total player count.