ironSource met with Erwann Thebault, head of publishing at Homa Video games, to study his insights and experience on tips on how to create and develop hyper-casual video games. Learn on to study some greatest practices for cultivating a profitable technique in your hyper-casual recreation.
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How did Homa get into hyper-casual video games and why do you deal with this style over others?
Homa was based in 2018 to provide hyper-casual builders – a brand new style on the time – an information pushed and technological strategy to development. Supported by the arrival of Carlos Mas Rodriqguez, VP Gaming at Homa, we’ve since diversified and innovated into new recreation genres, such because the extremely informal and idle arcade sub classes, in addition to introduced IPs into the house.
How does the hyper-casual style differ from different recreation genres when it comes to monetization and UA?
In comparison with different genres, the common LTV is comparatively low for hyper-casual video games because of the shorter session size and excessive addictiveness. The hyper-casual style can also be very depending on a low value of acquisition and, second, is extremely based mostly on robust person acquisition and monetization optimization as a result of low margin on absolute worth.
When it comes to monetization, a big portion of income for hyper-casual video games comes from promoting – greater than 90% – whereas a small, however not insignificant, portion of income comes from in-app purchases.
Whereas different apps and video games have very distinct goal audiences, our merchandise are addressable to… everybody! We work with an extended record of premium companions and take a really granular strategy to person acquisition to make sure we’re buying as many customers as attainable, no matter their geo and gadgets. Expertise and creativity drive Homa’s technique to distribute cell gaming merchandise throughout a large viewers – 5B lively gadgets worldwide.
The place does Homa get inspiration when creating video games?
We have now a couple of processes in place to assist our groups unlock creativity. First, we leverage our personal expertise. Our advertising intelligence staff developed a sequence of instruments that may spot upcoming developments available in the market that may change person’s expectations to preferences. We then pitch distinctive concepts and prototypes based mostly on this knowledge to our partnered studios and assist them construction their very own ideation processes.
Second, contemplating concepts can come from wherever and we’ve 100+ staff at Homa, we’ve constructed an inner concepts module so anybody within the firm can pitch an concept to the advertising intelligence staff. It then will get reviewed, authorised, or challenged.
How are you aware if a recreation shall be a hit? And the way do you determine to kill a prototype?
We rely closely on expertise. We use our testing platform, HomaLab, and data-based merchandise to evaluate the total potential of a prototype, and we use inner KPIs to find out whether or not a product is price our full consideration.
For instance, for a basic hyper-casual recreation, we purpose to achieve a CPI under $0,25 within the Android US market to maneuver ahead with a recreation.
If a prototype doesn’t meet one requirement of our testing and pre-publishing standards, we’re ready to “kill” the prototype and cease growth efforts at any second.
Are there any new alternatives for hyper-casual recreation builders to develop and monetize their video games?
We predict it’s essential for recreation builders to problem the present state of the market, and to carry a tech and data-driven strategy to every stage of the publishing course of. Curiosity and innovation are a few of our core values, they usually encourage our groups to find new alternatives for builders and customers on a weekly foundation.
First, incorporating adaptive monetization is turning into priceless. Gamers work together otherwise with every advert placement inside our video games. With adaptive monetization, we are able to tailor our monetization technique to suit every particular person’s expertise. This fashion, we are able to enhance the gaming expertise whereas boosting LTV.
Second, there are an rising variety of IAP alternatives. Traditionally, in-app purchases haven’t been a robust income driver (lower than 5%) for the hyper-casual style. As our video games grow to be extra partaking and extra premium, we’ve seen the chunk of customers paying for in-app purchases rising.
Third, it’s essential to make the most of enhanced A/B testing instruments. We consider that operating significant A/B exams is the important thing to enhancing the gaming expertise for our gamers. Our N-Testing software has been a large focus for our tech staff up to now few months.
Fourth, the Chinese language market has a quickly rising participant base and represents a robust development alternative for all builders. At Homa, we’ve invested closely on this geo – strengthening partnerships with native gamers, understanding the tradition round gaming, hiring specialists, and so on. – to make sure we seize this incremental development.
Do you’ve gotten any suggestions for tips on how to grasp cross promotion?
To run profitable cross promotion actions, it is advisable grasp a couple of issues. First, tackle the cross promotion advert to the appropriate viewers. Be sure to have a working algorithm that ensures you’re exhibiting significant promotions to your viewers. Efficiency KPIs, reminiscent of CTR & IPM, are important to the optimization course of. Second, create visuals that suit your advert placements and mess around with the placements. Apart from the gameplay itself, the 3-second rule is a crucial component of efficiency. Third, create a robust model so folks really feel snug wanting into your different merchandise. Providing distinctive and artistic experiences will make your customers fascinated by the remainder of your portfolio.
Are there any secrets and techniques to making a successful UA technique in your hyper-casual recreation?
The key to mastering your UA technique for hyper-casual video games is granularity. Regardless that we purpose to achieve as many customers as attainable worldwide, we rely closely on knowledge and proprietary tech instruments to make sure we’re spending our person acquisition finances correctly. Mastering all person acquisition actions takes time, but it surely’s an essential asset for a cell video games firm.
We’re additionally extremely fortunate to have a proficient and motivated staff. Because it’s a really fast-paced surroundings, we plan to maintain investing closely in person acquisition innovation within the subsequent few years – new requirements, new companions, and new applied sciences.
Why did the hyper-casual recreation style develop so extensively in 2021?
First, because of the rewarded gaming expertise on cell, there’s a rising viewers of non-gamer gamers – we’ve plenty of new customers who hardly ever performed any video games earlier than. Hyper-casual video games tackle a need for easy however very enjoyable video games.
Second, hyper-casual recreation development is supported by the modern and quick iterating nature of cell recreation manufacturing. The time it takes to create a brand new cell recreation is getting quicker and quicker – all you must do is tweak some mechanics to create a wealthy gaming expertise.
Lastly, the worldwide pandemic boosted the variety of recreation downloads and cell utilization. The hyper-casual style was positively impacted by this unlucky scenario.
What are hybrid-casual video games and the way do you see them affecting the trade?
Hybrid-casual video games are a intelligent merge of hyper-casual video games and informal video games. They leverage the very best of each worlds: marketability and accessibility from the hyper-casual merchandise and long run gameplay expertise and social from the informal recreation style. We got here up with the time period “Arcade Idle” at Homa, which is what we name the sub style of hybrid-casual. We just lately printed Farm Land in partnership with the French studio, LolTap.
It’s very optimistic for the trade! On the developer facet, it gives the chance for smaller and fewer skilled groups to work on a deeper gaming expertise with out commiting to a 6 to 12 months growth roadmap. On the person facet, it creates one other accessible gaming expertise for brand spanking new avid gamers.