Seasonal events
Pumpkins in the garden
It's October. A Garden Defense player opens the game and the garden is full of pumpkins. The pests wear tiny ghost sheets, and Sprig has a witch hat.
That is a seasonal event: a special theme for a time of year, that only lasts a few weeks.
Plan it on a calendar
- October: HalloweenPumpkins, spooky pests and glowing night levels.
- December: winter holidaysSnow on the garden and gift-wrapped ships.
- Summer: school holidaysLots of free time, so a summer challenge fits well.
Work backwards from the start date. The art and code must be finished weeks early, so they can pass testing and store review (the store checking each update, which can take a day or more). Then a Remote Config switch, an on/off setting stored in Firebase's cloud that the game reads without a new download, turns the event on.
Event calendar
1Event runs: 24 Oct to 7 Nov2Testing: 1 week on real phones3Store review: can take a few days4Player updates: some players update slowly
When should the update with the Halloween art be live in the stores?
- By early October, so it's tested, reviewed and on players' phones with the switch off
- On the morning of 24 October, when the event starts
- On 1 November, once we know players wanted it
Show the answer
By early October, so it's tested, reviewed and on players' phones with the switch off
Remote Config can only switch on what is already in the game. The update has to pass testing and review, then reach players' phones, before the big day.
Whose midnight?
Garden Defense has players all over the world. When it's midnight in London, it's still the afternoon of the day before in Los Angeles. So if the event "starts at midnight", whose midnight is it?
Many studios write event times in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, the world's reference clock), like halloween_start = 2026-10-24T00:00Z. Games can keep cached settings for up to 12 hours (the Remote Config lesson explains why), so we flip the switch a day early and let the game wait for the start time.
What goes into an event
- A themeNew colours, decorations and music. The same game, dressed up.
- A limited-time rewardSomething to earn, like a pumpkin hat for Sprig.
- A special challengeLike "defeat 200 ghost pests this week".
Reuse art, save time
Events don't need a whole new game. Winter in Garden Defense is the same garden with white snow tiles and a cool blue colour swap.
In Hyper Shards, holiday ships are the normal ships with a new paint job: gift wrap, snowflakes, and shard explosions that sparkle like fairy lights. Next year, the pumpkins and snow come back with something new added.
Quick check
Reusing last year's pumpkin art for this year's event is a bad idea.
- True
- False
Show the answer
False
Reusing art is smart. It saves time for the new parts, and returning players enjoy seeing their favourite event come back.
Fun, not fear
Some games push players with FOMO, which means "fear of missing out": flashing timers, "buy now or lose it forever!", or events you must play every single day.
Our studio doesn't do that. Fair events:
- Last long enough, like two or three weeks.
- Can be finished without paying.
- Bring rewards back later, so nobody loses out forever.
Quick check
Which holiday event is the fairest?
- Three weeks long, free to finish, and the hat comes back next year
- One day only, with a timer flashing "buy now or lose it forever!"
- Only players who log in every day for a month get anything
Show the answer
Three weeks long, free to finish, and the hat comes back next year
A fair event gives everyone enough time and doesn't use fear to push players. Players should join because it's fun, not because they're worried.
Next: compete together
Events bring players back at the same time. Some players want more than a theme: they want to find out who is best. Next lesson: tournaments, esports, and the wikis and speedruns fans build. After that, rewards that feel great instead of like homework.
Bolt says: Try it with your team: pick a holiday, design its theme and rewards, and name the Remote Config switch that turns it on.
Fact-checked 9 October 2026
- Firebase Remote Config: get started on the web firebase.google.com
- Apple: App Review developer.apple.com