How MAS Helped ActFirst Improve its ARPDAU by 48%

ActFirst Games, the studio behind the hit RPG Obsidian Knights (available on iOS and Android), connected with Yodo1 through a former client who joined their team and recommended trying MAS. While ActFirst previously had a self-managed mediation setup, the team decided to test MAS to explore untapped monetization potential through automation and optimization of their strategy.

The Challenge: Boost Revenue With No Extra Weight or ANRs

Beyond ad revenue uplift, ActFirst had two non-negotiable requirements:

• Minimize app size. Large SDKs can significantly increase app size, reducing organic visibility and ultimately hurting install rates—something ActFirst wanted to avoid.
• Keep ANRs under Google Play’s bad behaviour threshold. Google penalizes apps if more than 0.47% of daily users experience ANRs (App Not Responding errors). This is especially risky when multiple SDKs are integrated.

The Solution: Geo-Optimized Network Setup + Smart ANR Control

To meet ActFirst’s goals, we implemented MAS with two key strategies:

• Geo-targeted network selection with size in mind. Instead of a one-size-fits-all SDK stack, we chose ad networks based on the regions that mattered most for Obsidian Knights — Russia, the USA, and South Korea. For example, in Russia, we initially prioritized Unity Ads over heavier SDKs like BIGO or Mintegral, helping to keep the app size lean without compromising revenue potential.
• Device-aware ad serving to reduce ANRs. One of MAS’s unique features is its ability to dynamically adjust ad serving based on device specifications. On low-end devices with limited RAM or CPU power, MAS can disable or defer ads to avoid app freezes — a common cause of ANRs. This proactive control happens remotely, requiring no additional work from ActFirst’s developers .

Together, these features let ActFirst monetize smarter, without sacrificing technical performance.

The Result: 48% ARPDAU Uplift with No Trade-Offs

ActFirst’s original monetization setup used AdMob mediation with Unity SDK. Yodo1 implemented a new formula under MAS umbrella : AppLovin mediation with AdMob and Unity.

We rolled MAS out in three phases:

• Phase 1: 10% MAS roll-out focused on monitoring ANRs. The selected configuration stayed well within Google Play’s ANR threshold.
• Phase 2: 50% MAS and 50% original setup, allowing for A/B testing. The results spoke for themselves — MAS outperformed the original setup by 26% in overall ARPDAU.
  • In Russia, ActFirst’s top market, MAS brought an 23% ARPDAU uplift.
  • In the USA, the second key region, the uplift reached 30%.
• Phase 3: 100% MAS roll-out across the full audience is now live. Together with ActFirst, Yodo1 decided to keep the phase 2 network set without additional tweaks. The results speak for themselves — overall ARPDAU increased by a significant 48%.

What comes next?

In the coming months, Yodo1 will support ActFirst in adding three more ad networks — Bidmachine, Moloco, and Mintegral — to further scale revenue uplift, while staying true to the original goal: keep app size small and ANRs low.

If you're also looking to boost ad revenue but feel that market solutions lack the customization you need — and managing it in-house doesn’t fully capture all revenue opportunities — it’s time to get in touch with Yodo1. We have build MAS to deliver the flexibility you need without adding pressure to your team — so you can focus on your game while we optimize for scale and revenue.

Lucas The Spider X The Ants: Case Study


Every mobile game hits a point where current players start looking for other games or entertainment options and finding new players outside of already-addressed audiences becomes more challenging.

Banding together with other games or other IP holders for crossover events renews interest among your core audience, expands your addressable markets, and boosts revenue. Licensing can give explosive power to a mobile game’s popularity and profits.

The trick is finding the right match between your game and a corresponding IP. In the case of The Ants: Underground Kingdom, a popular, insect-themed strategy title from StarUnion that caters mostly to young people, the challenge was to bring in an IP that shared thematic elements and similar story beats.

Yodo1 Licensing landed on Lucas the Spider (Fresh TV) as the perfect protagonist and universe to weave into the game. This case study shows how we identified the right IP partner for StarUnion’s game, how we crafted the partnership, and solved expected and unexpected challenges along the way.


Here’s the game trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qFTJwvehGw

This collaboration was powered by Yodo1 Licensing

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Bringing Lucas the Spider into The Ants: Underground Kingdom was a rousing success for the mobile game and the brand.

Over the course of the collaboration event, players downloaded the game over 800,000 times, blowing past the expectation Yodo1 set initially. Paying users also increased by an impressive 11%. Compared to the previous month, game downloads rose by 30% and revenue by 19.5%, with DAU increasing by 21%.

The crossover event also increased visibility for The Ants and Lucas the Spider. More specifically, the game’s rank rose by about 120 spots on Google Play and the App Store.

The event was split into five chapters, not including a warm-up period to hype players about Lucas the Spider’s imminent arrival. Interestingly enough, the biggest revenue spike occurred in the final chapter, right before the event finished, with the first chapter generating the second-most revenue. The event integration lasted for one month.

While it’s tricky to highlight a single factor behind the event’s performance, compelling content, a consistent rollout of rewards, and effective marketing all contributed to enough momentum to keep players aware, engaged, and excited.

According to Mobidictum, the collaboration generated $ 3.3M revenue in October 2024 with over 7,000 creative ads produced for the campaign.

The Ants: Underground Kingdom is a mobile strategy game by StarUnion where you lead an ant colony to survive and thrive in a ruthless natural world.

As the commander, you’ll build and expand your nest, hatch powerful Special Ants, tame wild insects for combat and labor, and form alliances to fight for dominance. From defending the queen to conquering the Sacred Tree, every decision shapes your colony’s fate in this fierce battle for survival and supremacy.

When Yodo1 Licensing first started working with The Ants, it was already a known entity in Japan, SEA, and the US, among other key mobile gaming markets. It had also gathered 50 million downloads on Google Play and the App Store, and around 400,000 players were visiting The Ants every day. Overall, The Ants was already a strong performer.

The goal for StarUnion was to sustain this level of success while finding avenues of raising engagement and revenue without fundamentally altering what made the game an achievement in the first place. A well-orchestrated IP event became the winning strategy.

On the IP side, Yodo1 Licensing identified the popular animated web series Lucas the Spider, which first caught the attention of wider audiences in 2017. Created by Joshua Slice, it featured an adorable animated spider and grew from a short film to a viral series on YouTube and other social platforms.

The show’s stories and overall tone, along with its cute art style, seemed to fit perfectly as a way to expand the in-game universe of The Ants. This was also the first time Lucas the Spider featured in a video game, mobile or otherwise.

To reengage The Ants’ current player base and welcome new audiences to the game, Yodo1 Licensing proposed a month-long crossover event featuring an IP that would exemplify what StarUnion’s players enjoyed about the game. Lucas the Spider fit from narrative, design, and play perspectives.

The Ants and Lucas the Spider shared values of curiosity, appreciation for nature, and social interaction. Yodo1 recognized that the character of Lucas had a specific charm and vibrancy that would enrich the game world, rather than distracting from the game’s core values and loops.

Understanding that the two universes would work well together, Yodo1 wanted to harness the Lucas brand to expand the game’s user base and retain its current fans.

The crossover event featured insect skins, special decorations for troops and anthills, unique avatar customization options, and redesigned chat bubbles and icons to add to the event’s immersive qualities.

To generate buzz and activate players over time, the collaboration would take place over six phases, including five chapters and a warm-up phase. Along with other features, we created a rollout plan for users to play as Lucas the Spider, Findley the Fly, Bidhi the Chameleon, Maizie the Bee, and eponymous Ants.

What we brought to the table

IP licensing can be a long and winding process, especially given that both parties need to be represented to their own rigorous standards. Yodo1 Licensing acted as the bridge between StarUnion and the IP holder so that both players maintained creative control and felt their works were being well represented.


As the bridging third party, Yodo1 brought several key actions to the partnership.

• Proactive planning: IP partnerships come with all types of issues, so we crafted an airtight yet flexible plan to counteract challenges that we’ve seen time and time again.
• Effective communication: Maintaining clear and open communication is absolutely vital. We helped set the right expectations upfront, prevented misunderstandings, and sped up decision-making.
• Adaptability: IP partners should always expect rejections along the journey. IP partnerships involve a lot of tough creative decisions. Our aim was to modify content quickly and preserve the project timelines, while encouraging a collaborative mindset.
• Expectation management: Game makers and IP holders across varying scales tend to have different expectations of what an IP partnership means and what it takes to go from conceptualization to implementation. One of the most important focal points for us is always helping our partners come to a mutual understanding of the process and intended outcomes. This is essential in balancing creative visions and approval standards.
• Focus on stakeholder satisfaction: IP partnerships should last well beyond one or two crossover events. So we take great care to support the interests of both parties and find common ground, laying the foundation for long-term success.

“The key was keeping both teams aligned on the narrative and design vision,” said Rachele Li, project manager for the collaboration. “Lucas and his friends needed to feel true to themselves within The Ants universe. We worked closely with all stakeholders to anticipate potential friction points early and provide practical solutions to keep the project on track.”

Actions Taken

After taking time to understand the game’s core loops and its aesthetics, we introduced exclusive skins and avatar customization options, weaving Lucas the Spider intricately and seamlessly into the game’s current experience. This gave players the chance to engage with a beloved IP without having to alter their behavior within the game.

Figuring out how the collaboration would look in-game was only one piece of the puzzle. Almost more important was the marketing around the collaboration, ensuring that a critical mass of current and new players experienced it.

Key Learnings

While Yodo1 Licensing has an established playbook for successful IP partnerships, every relationship and event come with their own unique challenges. Bringing together The Ants and Lucas the Spider yielded stellar results for the developer and IP holder, but the process also came with learnings for future collaborations.

Here are our five favorite insights from our supervision head Hector Wan about this collab:

1. Teamwork is everything. Open collaboration between developers, IP holders, and partners is key to tackling challenges and getting over the finish line.
2. There’s no substitute for a clear vision. IP partnerships involve a lot of creative people who care, and a well-defined vision helps everyone work toward common goals.
3. Always be ready to adapt to the many setbacks coming your way.
4. Infuse positivity into how you manage stakeholders and focus on human connections. Smoother approvals and feedback processes will follow.
5. Iterate and learn from mistakes. Build in regular feedback loops so you never miss a chance to voice potential concerns or ideas for continuous improvement.

About the Company

Founded in China in 2019, StarUnion is a mobile game publisher that focuses on bringing games from its local market to the world stage. The company has established itself as a leader in simulation games, with major successes including its flagship titles The Ants: Underground Kingdom and Beast Lord: The New Land.

About the IP

Lucas the Spider is a popular animated web series originally created by animator Joshua Slice, later developed into a television series by Fresh TV Inc. The series features an adorable animated spider named Lucas.

The IP debuted in late 2017, when Slice grew Lucas the Spider from a series of YouTube shorts into a widely recognized property. It quickly gained popularity on social media and was subsequently acquired by Fresh TV Inc. for further development.

Following its initial success on YouTube, Lucas the Spider was picked up by Cartoon Network and Boomerang, and it has since been featured on major streaming services, including Max.

About Yodo1

Yodo1 helps mobile game developers grow globally through innovative solutions, including licensing, monetization, IP partnerships, and publishing. Yodo1 Licensing, one pillar of Yodo1, creates lasting IP partnerships between mobile games and media brands to achieve awe-inspiring growth. We help developers and IP holders identify and implement thrilling crossover strategies that build customer loyalty, bring in new players, and stand out in an increasingly competitive market. To learn more, visit yodo1.com.

How a 59% Boost in Revenue Provided Breathing Room to Scale

We talk a lot about mobile games here at Yodo1—it’s our passion, after all—but did you know that apps can also benefit from tailored ad optimization and monetization strategies?

Last year, we began working with Kenpasoft, a Brazilian app developer, on their ad monetization performance, which led to a remarkable revenue surge for them. Read on to learn more about how ad optimization can lead to next-level growth and change your roadmap.

Problem: UA ROAS Wasn’t Hitting the Mark

Kenpasoft is the parent company of Brasileiro Apps, an Android-based developer that creates practical, accessible applications to meet the daily life needs of Brazilians. Their portfolio of apps includes financial, health, transport, and other tools that provide efficient and innovative solutions to enrich the lives of their users. Since their inception in 2022, Brasileiro Apps has gained popularity throughout Brazil; their most popular apps have over a million downloads.

Despite this, the company had struggled to scale as quickly as they would have liked, in large part due to narrow profit margins from the ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) of their User Acquisition (UA) campaigns. Another way to say this is that revenue from monetized users wasn’t generating enough profit to reinvest into ambitious UA campaigns. A profit problem. Aside from this, they were not very happy with the level of support they were getting from their existing solution, Google Admob.

Specialized Ad Monetization to the Rescue

In June of 2023, Yodo1 connected with them and suggested they try MAS (Yodo1’s monetization solution).

A major benefit for them was that instead of the single ad network they were using, MAS gave them access to over 15 ad networks, and crucially, without the need to get involved with the nuts and bolts of ad optimization themselves–this is all taken care of by Yodo1’s experienced growth team. So, better performance and less hassle.

Kahyam, the founder of Brasileiro Apps, says,

I found you at a time when it was becoming very unproductive working with Google AdMob (at the time this platform was so well known for monetizing apps) and we were having recurring problems, either due to account deactivation that no one could figure out the reason for, with appeals going in vain, or due to monetization getting worse and worse.

Results to Fuel Growth

In Yodo1, Brasileiro Apps saw the potential for a partner who could fully understand the issues they were facing, and do something about it. Not only would Yodo1 take a major load off their shoulders by fully handling ad management and the waterful setup, but there was also the potential for a long-term partnership with an empathetic team of experts in game growth with a track record of amazing customer support. We always look at the bigger picture and bring all our resources to bear on the unique growth challenges our partners face. In this case, it was a growth bottleneck due to underwhelming ad performance. Things started with an initial test using one of their smaller apps.

Kahyam says,

When I discovered Yodo1, I tested it on my first application and saw the results, I was surprised, it was above my expectations, and both that and all the help I received in implementation and direct suggestions for my applications, convinced me even more that working with Yodo1 would be the future for my business to progress further. I hope we have a long-lasting partnership.

With great initial results, by September of 2023, Brasileiro Apps began onboarding the rest of their portfolio to MAS, including their largest app, Consulta Auxílios e Benefícios, which uses React Native. MAS was one of the first monetization solutions to support React Native, a fact that was crucial to them.

The results were incredible. The app’s ARPDAU increased by 59% after a 7-day optimization period! This was driven by a few different factors:

• Interstitials eCPM: up 35%
• App Open Ads IMPDAU: up 70%
• The integration of banners

About the boost in eCPM, Kahyam also adds:

After the partnership with Yodo1 I had impressive results, my main application had an average eCPM that was falling month by month, it was US$5, then it dropped to US$4 and was heading to US$3. After migrating to Yodo1, this app's eCPM hit around $7 and is stable, making my earnings more predictable and scalable.

The massive boost proved to be a complete game-changer for the company and its business strategies.

Just think about it: what would a jump in revenue that huge mean to you? Whereas before it might have been a struggle just to stay afloat, such a significant increase would mean a windfall of resources to reinvest in growth and scale, which is exactly what Kenpasoft did.

With a higher ROAS, they can now focus on UA campaigns that they know will be more successful. And while before they might have been a bit cautious with their ad campaign choices, only running them for special events or holidays, for example, they can now make these decisions with more confidence in the results. It unlocked a cycle of winning and growth that continues to fuel increased growth for a massive win.

Strategically, getting help with their app monetization ensures that, with earnings on the rise, Brasileiro Apps has more time for strategic development and creative focus. On top of this, QuickPay with MAS means they can be paid quicker every month, and thus reinvest into UA campaigns faster.

What Made the Difference?

Yodo1’s monetization solution and Growth Accelerator Program are tailored to the needs of each developer, whether they produce lifestyle solutions, games, or other apps. After installation, our world-class customer service is always on hand to answer questions, brainstorm solutions, and resolve issues as and when they arise.

Teaming up with an experienced ad monetization partner meant that Brasileiro Apps could focus their time, effort, and resources on making their apps the best they can be—and creating new ones to enhance people’s lives.

Again, from Kahyam:

So far working with Yodo1 has been one of the best decisions I've made for my business, you perfectly meet my demands, which are quality and especially support.

At Yodo1, we love to see people making a living from their creativity, and we use our wide-ranging experience to make that a reality. Whatever kind of apps you create, if your user base is growing without a corresponding revenue increase, get in touch today: we can help you take it to the next level and create a growing, dynamic, sustainable business.

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Trophy Games and Yodo1: How a Simple Test Became a Lasting Growth Partnership

In September 2022, Trophy Games teamed up with Yodo1 with a simple goal: to see if their existing ad monetization solution could be improved upon. They started with just one game, Tiny Rails, to test the waters, and the results were not what they expected.

This article tells the story of their experiment, why they chose to work with Yodo1, and how it turned into a bigger partnership. It's a glimpse into the decisions game companies make to continue growing in an increasingly competitive industry, and it highlights the importance of picking the right partners to do it with.

Read on for an insider’s view of the choices fast-growing companies make to stay ahead in today’s gaming industry.

First Contact: Testing the Waters

Trophy Games is a Copenhagen-based mobile game studio with a proven track record of successfully developing and publishing games, as well as acquiring and scaling games. Their portfolio covers multiplayer strategy and manager games that include tycoon and sports titles like Train Manager, Shipping Manager, Transit King Tycoon, and Football Management Ultra, to name just a few of over a dozen hit games.

The company invests in games that it believes have solid growth potential and then works to make that possibility a reality. Part of that is never being satisfied with “good enough” or waiting until there’s a slump or a problem, but proactively seeking ways their games can do better.

This brings us to a key experiment. The well-known ad monetization mediation solution Trophy Games had been using for some time was performing well enough, but tasks like ad waterfall maintenance are time and resource-intensive, and fraught with challenges that can impact ad performance, and revenue. Was there something better?

In September of 2022, they conducted a pilot experiment using Yodo1’s managed monetization solution with one of their smaller games, Tiny Rails. For context, this solution (called MAS) is a core pillar of Yodo1’s Growth Accelerator Program, which helps developers and studios grow and scale their games. It’s incredibly easy to use: a single SDK to install and that’s it—there’s no waterfall setup or optimization required by the user, and payments are quick and consolidated.

So, it was a simple test with Tiny Rails. Expectations were neutral. One could even call it dabbling. They didn’t expect what happened next.

The Turning Point

This low-stakes experiment of switching from their previous solution to Yodo1 saw Tiny Rails hit a very significant 30% average increase in eCPM across iOS and Android.

Trophy Games had been reasonably satisfied with their previous monetization solution. The fact that Yodo1’s option, MAS, was able to so significantly outperform it, and by such a wide margin, was a surprise and made moving more games to Yodo1 a no-brainer.

In April of 2023, Trophy Games decided to test Yodo1’s monetization solution on two of their large titles, the best-selling Shipping Manager and Airline Manager, which had previously only been monetized with IAPs.

Both games saw a meaningful boost in traffic, opening the door to significant ad revenue. Daniel Luun, CEO of Trophy Games Publishing, says, “While ad monetization hasn’t been something we’ve spent a lot of time on, our traffic has increased so much that it became a real need. Using MAS is a perfect solution for us right now as it frees our employees’ time to focus on the things we are very strong at. And I think the players are happy, too.”

The positive eCPM results from the Tiny Rails experiment were crucial in this decision, of course, but Trophy Games was also impressed with the Yodo1 team’s responsiveness and expertise in managing their ad monetization waterfall. As seasoned pros in monetizing hit games like Rodeo Stampede (which Yodo1 publishes), working with us goes well beyond an easy-to-integrate SDK. Yodo1 is a growth partner helping developers and studios around the world improve their revenue, get more players, and scale globally.

It was clear to Trophy Games that Yodo1 was the specialist partner they needed; both games went live in June of 2023.

Stepping Stones to Big Things

With impressive results continuing to roll in with each new game using MAS, Trophy Games started integrating the SDK into their other games, adding a new one almost every month. And as hurdles arise, we work hand-in-hand with the team at Trophy to navigate them. For instance, ANRs (App Not Responding) errors, which had been an issue with Tiny Rails, have decreased significantly. Daniel comments, “While you (Yodo1) already helped us a lot, it's still an issue for us in some of our games, especially Transit King […] Luckily, Tiny Rails has, with a lot of effort, finally moved below the ANR threshold.”

Eventually, all of their transport management games were integrated successfully. As of now, in early 2024, they have decided to bring Yodo1’s SDK into all of their games, moving over their sports games, too.

It has become a valued partnership that blossomed and continues to expand. With Trophy Games, we continually strive for better performance, improved stability, and faster growth, as we do with all our partners. Real results, and real value as partners. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Trophy Games has built a strategic business model that focuses on picking the right games while pursuing an active growth strategy, and, perhaps most importantly, they are in it for the long haul: longevity is the goal.

Those are some of our goals, too, and we are looking forward to exploring new opportunities and deepening the relationship through the years and games to come. Read about the Growth Accelerator Program to learn more about how we partner with games at every stage of growth.

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From an ISBN to a Successful Launch: How Tap Titans 2 Got Published in China

For many game developers and studios, one particular opportunity looms large—China, the world’s largest gaming market, which is expected to generate US$94.4 billion in revenue in 2024. Yet for non-Chinese developers looking to bring their game into this colossal market, it has proven a particular challenge. Navigating the complex regulatory landscape, which includes securing the elusive ISBN license, is just one among a number of key hurdles that include game localization, marketing, and more.

With over a decade of experience in the mobile game industry, Yodo1 is proud to work with top games across the globe on publishing, marketing, monetization, and IP licensing. We have become the go-to choice for those looking to publish their games in China, and our recent launch of Tap Titans 2 serves as a great example.

Read on as we cover the process we followed to launch Tap Titans 2 in China, information that can serve as a useful roadmap for those looking to understand the process and potentially take that step themselves. Let’s get into it.

Approaching China

The original Tap Titans is the stuff of legends—launched in 2014, it became one of 2015's best action adventure game RPGs and was featured by the Google Play Store and App Store over 500 times, a mind-boggling statistic. In late 2016, the adventure continued with the launch of Tap Titans 2, inviting players back to rally a team of warriors and save the world from the rampaging titans–this time across 150,000 levels! Like its predecessor, Tap Titans 2 has also amassed over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone, cementing its status as a hit franchise.

The goal was always to launch in China, too, and the first step was securing a Chinese ISBN. As industry insiders know, in 2018 the country implemented a broad freeze on new game licenses, with only a very limited number issued since. That trend started to change last year, with multiple batches of ISBNs being released.

This was a positive sign, but things are still far from business as usual, with the huge game studios often receiving many of these licenses, while the rest have to struggle to even begin to understand the process.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/h1GjACzRZHI?si=z7rpiPTO8uxbf2DU

Seeing the time-consuming, complicated process ahead and eager to publish in China as soon as possible, in 2023, Game Hive decided to partner with Yodo1 to make that happen.

With a stellar lineup of popular hits in China—Rodeo Stampede, Crossy Road, Ski Safari, and Transformers: Earth Wars, to name just a few—Yodo1 has experience in what it takes to bring a hit mobile game to the Chinese market, and we were happy to put this expertise to work for Tap Titans 2.

ISBN and ICP—You Need Both

Due to policy reasons in China, an offline version of Tap Titans 2 had to be created first. Only after passing the review and releasing that offline version was the green light finally received to push the new update with the online version. This was not wasted time—knowing the process, Yodo1’s team worked with Game Hive to continue to improve and develop the game in the meantime so that by the time permissions were secured, it was the best it could be.

As always, throughout the ISBN application process, we work closely with developers so that we can respond promptly to implement the modifications and adjustments that are needed, streamlining and saving time as much as possible.

To give you an idea, here is a simplified—yes, simplified—flow chart of the process:

In November 2023, an additional requirement was introduced: an ICP (Internet Content Provider) registration, issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

What’s the difference between an ICP and an ISBN? Well, you can think of the ICP as your driver’s license, giving you permission to drive on the roads or operate in the gaming sphere in any way, while the ISBN is like your vehicle’s license plate or VIN—the unique identifier for your game.

Currently, we’ve been able to streamline the application process for the ICP to a one-month time frame—note that both iOS and Android platforms require an ICP.

And the logistics continue: for a game to be released on the Android platform in China, game packages need to be created that comply with each store/channel's requirements. This means that if you want to launch your game on 50 Android channels/platforms, you will need to create 50 different APK game packages with specific rules (SDKs)—yet another area where having an experienced partner makes all the difference.

Having Yodo1’s experience on their side in navigating these time-consuming and oft-stormy waters of paperwork and submissions to secure both the ISBN and ICP meant that Game Hive could delegate all that to us, leaving them free to do what they’re great at—making cool games.

From Kickoff to Launch in Just Two Months

After the initial agreement kickoff and documentation, a publishing plan was created to cover marketing, localization, and distribution strategies in depth, with a dedicated team from Yodo1 including Liu Jing, Nina, Shawn Liao, Sandy Smith, and Qianzi.

The team decided to focus on iOS preorders, which built hype around the approaching launch, leading to a rise in the app store rankings and attracting high-value players.

Programs were launched with Bilibili (the equivalent of YouTube in China) and Douyin (Chinese TikTok) creators, and working with popular influencers on these platforms proved a solid way to reach new users and increase download numbers. Fans were encouraged to create their own viral videos and other user-generated content (UGC), and a specially created Douyin filter also raised visibility and engagement with a fresh audience.

Regular posts across social media platforms and fan group interaction also contributed to Tap Titan 2’s strong social media presence. Yodo1’s creative design team worked around the clock it helps having staff all over the world! to produce top-quality creatives, including a dozen videos and trailers.

https://www.yodo1.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/tap-titans-2-got-published-store-gaming-1.mov

Strategic Localization — More Than Just Marketing

Pre-launch development continued with a solid localization strategy to ensure full compliance in all required areas, and, most importantly, to arrive at a custom gaming experience that Chinese players would connect with and love.

Whenever strategic localization comes up, the focus often turns on what you can add to a game to make it more attractive and relatable to a particular audience. This is a key game growth strategy that we often turn to—creating special events and launches around local holidays is just one example of how to do this successfully.

Strategic localization, however, is more than that. For example, games in China are not permitted to feature realistic blood or skeletons, and games that do contain these elements will need to be tweaked for them to gain approval. Our expert team is familiar with all the ins and outs of these kinds of gaming regulations and can help in making the needed adjustments and changes smoothly, quickly, and accurately.

Once the game launched, Yodo1’s publishing team monitored store rankings and player feedback as updates continued.

Key Metrics Since Launch

We are happy to report that all this hard work has paid off, with early indications showing a bright future for Tap Titans 2 in China, and solid performance as of February 2024 (the time of writing). The game saw immediate traction with comparatively high Daily Active Users (DAUs) and install rates, as well as consistent player engagement continuing well beyond the launch! Here are the key initial metrics:

• DAUs: DAUs initially soared to 60k on iOS and 80k on CN Android, with current averages settling at 60k across both platforms.
• Installs: Daily installs reached nearly 4k across iOS and CN Android, still averaging around 1,500 daily installs.
• UA: 38% of iOS installs have come from UA activities, and while Android growth was initially organic, UA campaigns were kickstarted in February to leverage Chinese New Year festivities.
• CPI: iOS CPI has fluctuated around $3.50, indicating strong potential for growth in the Chinese market.

Key Takeaways

For the reader short on time looking for the key things you need to do to successfully launch your game in China, here goes:

Regulatory Compliance First: Secure necessary licenses, such as an ISBN for game registration and ICP for online content provision, perhaps with guidance from experienced partners.

Build a Solid Marketing Plan: Utilize popular platforms like Bilibili and Douyin, work with influencers, and engage the community to boost visibility and downloads (and also stay on top of changing trends).

Invest in Localization: Adapt your game to meet cultural preferences and regulatory standards, removing sensitive content and incorporating local elements.

Customize for Different Platforms: Prepare multiple versions of your game to satisfy the varied requirements of China's Android app stores.

Stay Adaptable: Be prepared to quickly respond to new regulations and compliance requirements with the help of your publishing partner.

Generate Pre-Launch Buzz: Use pre-orders and a strong localization strategy to build anticipation and improve your game's visibility before launch.

Work With the Best

The practicalities of game publishing in China are time-consuming, yet essential for game developers who want to get into the market there. With Yodo1 in your corner, you have a strategic ally that is experienced in all facets of full-stack publishing, including marketing, monetization strategies, and more—and with a track record to prove it; the successful launch of Tap Titans 2 in this dynamic market is just one example.

We're not just a company; we're a strategic partner in navigating the complex landscape of the mobile game industry. So if you, too, have been dreaming about launching your game in the world’s biggest gaming market, reach out to our team today to learn more.

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Behind the Screams: How an Indie Gaming Studio Carved Out a Horror Niche

Ice Scream. Evil Nun. Mr. Meat. If you’re a horror game fan then you already know we’re talking about indie studio Keplerians.

Keplerians take their name from NASA’s exploratory spacecraft, Kepler, as they, too, dream of exploration and discovery—but in the world of video games. And over the last few years, they have indeed gone stratospheric, with not one but three successful franchises, each new launch highly anticipated. Ice Scream 8: Final Chapter dropped in December 2023 in just the first week reached the top 10 in Action/App Store and the top three on the Google Play Store!

How did they get here, though, and what can we learn from it? Let’s find out.

Finding Their Niche

In 2015, two brothers and a friend from the Basque Country, Spain, began their game development journey, experimenting with different games before breaking through in 2018 with the hit Evil Nun.

“We believe that success often comes from being in the right place at the right time. If something isn't working for you, switch to something that inspires you and gives you confidence. When we realized that we could carve out a niche in the horror games market, we went for it with all our energy,” says Co-CEO and Co-founder Ion Ocasar.

This realization led the Keplerians team to go all in on the scary stuff, leading to their continued success with Ice Scream: it became their most downloaded game and spawned a popular franchise, the most recent of which was the December 15, 2023 launch of Ice Scream 8: Final Chapter, as mentioned above.

Organic Marketing Through Social Media

In addition to building scary and very playable games, Keplerians have been active and engaged on social media since the start; they currently have over a million followers on YouTube alone. This didn’t happen overnight, of course, but is a connection that’s been built by regular, consistent interaction—including near-daily posts and countdowns, especially as launch dates close in.

It’s a great example of how successful organic marketing can be when developers are also passionate content creators. From dropping teasers and helpful how-to clips to teaming up with some of YouTube’s most popular gamers, Keplerians has succeeded in building an organic—and free—marketing channel, releasing content that goes directly to their biggest fans. It’s a win-win.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uxkb5wcNmhc?si=PSdVQqDS9NUv_HKA

Developers often spend a significant amount of their budget on gaining more new players, whether via ads or influencers, but don’t forget that by connecting directly to your players via the social media channels of your choice, you can be your own influencer. This can be an extremely powerful growth engine, so don’t neglect it!

Challenges of Growth

The success of Evil Nun was soon to be followed by the arrival of bloodthirsty zombie butcher, Mr. Meat, and with their portfolio growing, the team at Keplerians realized that for their games to reach their full monetization potential, they would need to take on some outside help. In 2019 they teamed up with Yodo1 for help with mobile game monetization and game growth strategies, beginning with Mr. Meat and marking the start of what continues to be a highly successful partnership.

Integrating Yodo1’s monetization SDK into their new game, Mr. Meat, had immediate results: in just two weeks, their daily ad revenue grew by 74%.

“When we launched Mr. Meat with MAS (Yodo1's ad monetization SDK), we were blown away by how much more money we could make,” said Ion from the Keplerians team, and they soon decided to use Yodo1’s mobile game monetization solution—which you can learn more about here—in all their games. In September 2022, Yodo1’s team reviewed the monetization of Ice Scream 1 and proposed recommendations to improve the ad placements, KPL applied them which helped double the revenue of the iOS version and boost the Android version revenue by 50% over the next month.

IP Collabs As the Next Step

The partnership continued in Halloween 2021 when Keplerians and Rodeo Stampede launched a spooky crossover event—a first for both games—with iconic Ice Scream characters joining in the run in Rodeo Stampede. The four-week-long event successfully generated a huge buzz across social media, delighting players and ultimately increasing traffic for both games.

“It was exciting for our game’s community! We promoted it on Discord and encouraged players to post screenshots and videos, offering rewards. Bringing new content to our existing player base and seeing their enthusiastic reaction was definitely a highlight of this collaboration,” Keplarians Co-founder Pablo Ocasar Gonzalez said.

ASO Steps up in a Big Way

As part of this continued expansion, Keplerians recently approached Yodo1 with an App Store Optimization (ASO) challenge. The download numbers for Ice Scream 1 had remained strong since its launch in 2019, yet by early 2023, organic downloads were showing a noticeable decline. This was where Yodo1’s years of experience in publishing and growing games became a major factor. Here’s Co-CEO and Co-founder Ion Ocasar on what happened next: “One of the suggestions provided by Yodo1 to increase downloads was to implement a native pop-up asking users for reviews. We implemented this feature in one of our earlier games that didn’t have such a pop-up, and it significantly improved our reviews. We are constantly occupied with new projects, and these improvement suggestions make us open our eyes to see possibilities for enhancing games that are already published.”

The result of these strategic ASO improvements led to a stratospheric rise in reviews from 2-3 per day to 200-300!

In addition to these new in-app rating prompts, the Yodo1 Growth Team did an in-depth keyword analysis to uncover further potential opportunities. Following this assessment, the team recommended that Ice Scream focus on getting rankings for new short and long-tail keywords that showed moderate levels of popularity and competition. For example “creepy games” (Popularity: 36, Competitiveness: 49). This, in conjunction with the keyword changes, resulted in a complete course correction from the downward downloads trend, doubling organic downloads, and pushing Ice Scream to #3 in “creepy games” on iPhone, and #2 on iPad. Impressive!

A Great Team

The team at Keplerians continues to brainstorm and work towards future projects, able to focus on the creative side of things while knowing that Yodo1 has their back when it comes to monetization, ASO, collaborations, and more. Daily, fast, and effective communication channels are open for any issues that come up, saving the developers’ time.

Ion Ocasar sums it up like this: “Yodo1 are constantly looking for ways to improve results, and we make a great team.”

We look forward to that teamwork continuing as we work with Keplerians toward continued growth and—best of all—more scary games!

Key Takeaways from Keplerians’ Journey

1. Find your niche: When Keplerians realized they’d found a hit with horror, they went all in on the genre, building franchises.
2. Organic marketing through social media: Keplerians effectively built a pipeline to advertise to their biggest fans.
3. Seek outside help when you need it: Growth and expansion are specialized skills that indie developers can outsource.
4. Experiment: IP collaborations and other in-game events generate buzz and further growth; doing new things with ASO, even small tweaks, can have big results.
5. Collaborate: Take every opportunity to reach new players by working with others, whether gaming influencers or IPs.

Are you feeling stuck in your game growth journey, wondering if you could be doing more, and doing it better? At Yodo1 we love to promote great games and help our partners succeed. Check out our Game Growth Accelerator Program to find out more.

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The Magic Behind Last Shelter: Survival's IP Crossover with The Walking Dead

Great things can happen when the right IP meets the right game in just the right way—for players and fans, it’s magic. One such collaboration launched on May 4th, 2023, when the universes of Last Shelter: Survival and AMC's The Walking Dead converged.

Let’s dig into the making of this unique post-apocalyptic alliance.

Setting the Stage

Last Shelter: Survival, a mobile survival SLG with over 100 million downloads, was poised for its debut IP collaboration. The game’s publishers partnered with Yodo1’s IP licensing team to help identify that perfect match and then supervise the process on their behalf from inception to launch.

Enter The Walking Dead, AMC’s iconic television series, with its compelling story of survival in a world overrun by zombies. It was the obvious choice given the show’s narrative richness, iconic characters, and passionate fanbase. Yodo1’s previous collaboration with 37 Games, integrating their title Puzzles & Survival with The Walking Dead, further solidified this collaboration and underscored The Walking Dead’s status as the premier IP for zombie-themed mobile game integrations.

Bridging Worlds

One of the keys to a great crossover game event is finding common themes between the game and the chosen IP. With Last Shelter: Survival and The Walking Dead, it wasn’t just about zombies. The famous characters and stories from the television series aligned naturally with Last Shelter’s gameplay style, making it possible to craft a storyline that felt fresh yet familiar, leveraging both established elements from the show and the game’s core mechanics, as well as its monetization system.

This is where Yodo1’s IP licensing team stands above the rest. We don’t simply bring mobile games and IPs together, then hope for the best. We are meticulous at all stages, ensuring the best possible experience for players, and the best possible outcomes for our partners. For this collaboration, we were able to leverage our 12-year history as mobile game publishers, helping make the most of characters, story elements, and props, and then weaving it all together into an experience that made players feel right at home.

Overcoming the Challenges

Collaborations invariably face hurdles. The chance for misunderstandings and misalignments throughout the supervision process is always there. Yet our experience in bridging such gaps ensured that both the developer and AMC were not only heard but truly understood and that everyone was on the same page from day one. From business negotiations and proposal suggestions to overseeing commercial arrangements, and story elements, our specialist team’s involvement turned potential roadblocks into stepping stones.

Another potential hurdle: events can get watered down and have less impact when the supervision process isn’t carried out with attention to detail, a depth of knowledge across industries, and a clear vision of success from start to finish. In this case, folding in IP elements organically while being true to the show’s characters was key to the whole thing.

We worked tirelessly to understand and respect the developer’s objectives, the nuances of the game, as well as AMC’s requirements around brand identity and integrity. As with all major IP holders, there are many approval stages along the way, which we were able to navigate smoothly. The end result? Well, see for yourself!

https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkingDeadAMC/videos/1379061332945830/

Looking Forward

This partnership shines a spotlight on Yodo1’s dual strengths. As a seasoned mobile gaming company and an industry-leading expert in IP licensing in games, we can do what others can’t: we leverage our strengths to understand games on a deep level, and then find the perfect IP to partner with. Then we guide the collaboration along a smooth track, every step of the way towards launch. We work hard to make each event fun and memorable for players, and of course profitable for all parties.

In today’s gaming market where IPs can elevate games to new heights, Yodo1 is uniquely positioned to help gaming studios and IP holders alike. And we have the track record to prove it. So if you are looking to dive into these exciting waters, reach out to our team today and find out how the wonderful world of IPs can enhance your game.

How an Indie Mobile Game Built a Legacy

Recently, IP collaborations in games have gone from a little-known marketing tactic to a widespread, powerful strategy for growth. One need only look at Fortnite’s constant stream of collaborations to see just how successful they can be. In gaming, these may take the form of limited-time IP and brand collaborations, or crossovers with other games. While the upside for such events can be huge, allowing games to tap into massive fanbases with overlapping demographics, the real challenge and skill is in matching the right game with the right IP.

Retro pixel art game Idle Slayer was going from strength to strength since Pablo Leban left his stable job to follow his dream of making games. His creativity and community-building skills all came into play, and in less than a year, Idle Slayer hit the magical million downloads on Google Play. Strategic efforts in UA and organic marketing followed, with Yodo1 helping the game reach the next level of scale, quadrupling its player base in a matter of months (read about it in the previous part of this series). The game was a true hit, and soon the potential of an IP collaboration became an exciting—and realistic—prospect.

Idle Slayer x Shovel Knight

Idle Slayer's journey took an exciting turn with its crossover with Shovel Knight, an iconic 2D side-scrolling platform game from Yacht Club Games with an 8-bit graphics style that, side-by-side, seems a match made in heaven. The classic game has collaborated with major IPs and brands, including Fall Guys, Super Smash Bros., Arby’s, and more.

Pablo eventually met up with Yodo1 IP Licensing Manager Ismael Jorge while they were both attending GDC (Game Dev Connect) in San Francisco. Among other things, they talked through what an IP crossover might look like for Idle Slayer–something that Pablo had been considering for some time. He wanted to work with Shovel Knight for its synergies in aesthetic and audience appeal, but it also resonated with him on a personal level, making it a top-tier choice for collaboration.

If his many game dev talents weren’t enough, Pablo is also a thoughtful businessman who considers every move of his game’s growth trajectory with extreme care, and he had quite a few questions.

“Even though he is a solo developer, he doesn’t have the mindset of one. He can execute, rather than come up with a list of nice-to-have things that will never get done. When he commits to something, he will deliver,” says Ismael.

Pablo made up his mind. It was indeed time for the next phase of Idle Slayer’s growth, and in Yodo1, he believed he had the right partner for the job.

“My aim was to bring Shovel Knight features into Idle Slayer, including its characters and ways to play. In this collaboration, you'll see characters you recognize, as well as a boss fight and elements from Shovel Knight's universe,” says Pablo about the collab.

Was Yodo1’s IP licensing team able to get Shovel Knight on board for the collab? You bet!

The iconic character would appear in Idle Slayer via a unique mechanic, which came about through back-and-forth brainstorming between Pablo and Ismael. The idea was to trigger the special event with a glitched special random box, instantly bringing a new level of magic and excitement into the game. Announced on the official Idle Slayer Twitter account on October 14th, 2023, and running for a limited time from November 1st to December 1st, 2023, the collaboration was highly anticipated.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/upTzPbHy8AM

Players were offered six new quest segments, a fresh boss fight, and a special collaboration skin, available for purchase with Jewels of Soul exclusively during the event. Players embarked on a quest where they encountered the Shovel Knight in a new story set in the Idle Slayer universe, complete with classic Shovel Knight elements and, as mentioned earlier, a challenging boss fight.

Pablo adds, “In this collaboration, I focused on including many references to Shovel Knight for fans to enjoy. I put special attention on the boss fight, as it's a standout feature in the Shovel Knight series.”

The collaboration proved to be a massive success, resulting in a staggering 650% spike in revenue following its launch, holding strong at a 70% increase by day ten. On top of this, Idle Slayer saw a nearly 100% increase in ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) by day ten, indicating not just more players, but more engaged players. Pablo worked closely with Yodo1’s IP licensing team to bring it to fruition, from the planning stage to asset creation, story elements, contract negotiation, promotional materials, and more. Situations like these are where Yodo1 can really leverage its secret sauce as a large mobile games publisher to make sure IPs and games are a good fit. Integrating an IP into a game successfully requires a skilled and experienced hand.

And if you’re wondering whether this is the end of Idle Slayer’s IP-crossover ventures, just keep your eyes peeled on the horizon for something Titan-sized lumbering toward you.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Despite working alone, Pablo has showcased a remarkable capacity in executing both creative and technical aspects of game development, including original art and coding, driven by a deep love for gaming, an engaged community, and a passion for making the best game possible. When you boil it down, this is the secret to success. But key partnerships, if done well, can propel great games like Idle Slayer to new levels of growth and scale, leveraging know-how, resources, and fellow game lovers.

Idle Slayer’s story isn’t over yet—not by a long shot. The journey continues, and we are delighted to be a part of it.

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How a First-time Game Dev Made a Hit Game

In a mobile game ecosystem over-crowded with clones, the story of SWAGFLIP - Parkour Origins stands out in a big way. Its creator, Jordan Ross, managed to create the massively successful casual physics game (which you won’t be able to stop playing) as a newbie developer…on his first attempt! On top of this, he was able to turn the game into a financial success with a little help along the way from Yodo1. But how did a solitary indie developer manage to navigate the crowded ocean of other games and come out ahead? Let’s dive in!

https://youtu.be/LWi2NgGzI-M?feature=shared

From Business School to Making Games

Jordan Ross’ journey started in business school, a setting far removed from Unity scripts and game loops. Yet struck by the viral impact and potential profitability of indie giants like Flappy Bird, Jordan caught the game development bug. Recalling his thinking early on: “The idea was to create something challenging, addictive, easy to expand, and with very few systems to engineer so that I could complete it in a couple of months.”

Simplicity was critical; the game had to be engaging yet not overcomplicated. It was a key insight that cuts to the heart of what makes games succeed. Any iconic mobile game, beneath all the polish and bells and whistles, relies on a really fun, often very simple, core game mechanic.

However, as Jordan’s journey began, so did the challenges. Stepping into coding posed its own difficulties. From level design to core mechanics, everything was a steep learning curve. Yet unlike many new developers who often feel they need to do it all themselves, Jordan had the pragmatic business sense to know when he needed help along the way, such as hiring freelance designers and artists to help build levels. This allowed him to launch sooner; to get the game in front of players as early as possible. It was yet another smart move on his part–rather than drag out the production stage solving imaginary problems, he was able to get real player feedback, learn fast under pressure, and start bringing in revenue.

Organic Growth Strategy

After the launch, SWAGFLIP saw an initial surge in downloads but soon plateaued. Instead of panicking, Jordan made calculated moves to boost organic installs. Notably, he tweaked initial game levels to ease the learning curve for newcomers. The result? A substantial uptick in key metrics—retention, playtime, and reviews all saw marked improvements. Ross offers a pro tip to new developers: “Start tracking your level completion metrics early on.”

It may seem obvious, but you can’t fix what you don’t measure. When you’re measuring the right things, like eCPM, retention, ARPDAU, etc., you can spot changes in player behavior and make changes accordingly. When you make that change, you can track how effective it was, like watching ripples on the surface of a lake when a stone is thrown in.

So yet again, Jordan’s business acumen has served him with the instincts to outperform the competition. Hardly a fluke.

Some Help with Growth Intelligence and Monetization

Never one to settle, and with a careful eye on his revenue metrics, Jordan eventually came across Yodo1, a game growth company that partners with developers and studios to grow their games at every stage of the journey, from monetization through publishing, and IP licensing. After learning about Yodo1’s co-CEO Henry Fong and his years of experience in the mobile gaming industry, Ross decided to implement Yodo1’s growth intelligence and monetization SDK. He hasn’t looked back since.

Switching to Yodo1 bore fruit almost instantly. Speaking on his experience: “I’ve been using Yodo1’s growth intelligence platform for a while now, so I’ve been lucky enough to watch it evolve and I’m always impressed with the speed of implementation of new features and design. They are extremely receptive to feedback and the user experience gets better every month.”

Jordan credits Yodo1 for helping him establish a well-rounded, continually evolving monetization approach that has helped SWAGFLIP thrive.

Key Learnings from SWAGFLIP’s Success

With a bright future ahead, and hopefully many more successful games to come, Jordan has some great insights when it comes to building games that succeed. Here are a few:

• Don’t just create the game you want to play. Make sure the market actually wants it, so do your research.

• Add tracking and analytics as early as possible. If you aren’t measuring, how can you know what to improve?

• If you’re still learning, create projects that you can release as early as possible. This will push you to learn faster. Also, you’ll be generating revenue, and building a portfolio of projects that can give you more options in the future.
• Trying to do everything yourself can mean becoming your own bottleneck. Don’t be afraid to spend some money (not a lot) to get help with things like art and design. It will put you ahead of most new developers.

The Road Ahead

Looking forward, Jordan is far from done. Two fresh releases are slated for the next year, and if his past endeavors are any indication, they'll certainly be worth the wait.

The success of SWAGFLIP is a testament to the power of smart decisions, be it in organic growth strategies, constant experimentation, or strategic relationships with partners like Yodo1 growth intelligence. If you’re struggling to find that next level of growth with your games, take a page from Jordan’s book. Get help from a partner with over ten years in the mobile gaming industry, and billions of players to show for it. To start your game growth journey, book a call with Yodo1 today.

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How Animal Revolt Increased its Player Base
50x with Custom UA and Marketing

This is part 3 of a 4-part series about mobile game growth featuring Animal Revolt Battle Simulator (ARBS). In part 1, learn about Lam Trinh Trong’s journey to create ARBSjourney to create ARBS. In part 2, find out how he optimized mobile game revenue and maximized his profit with MAS. Now, in part 3, we’ll explore ARBS’ publishing deal with Yodo1 and how our continued partnership contributed to the acceleration of his game’s growth.

It’s no secret… in the mobile gaming world, growing your user base is not a simple task.

With so many games vying for people’s attention, it can be tough to get your game in front of the right people. And even if you do manage to get your game in front of potential players, there's still no guarantee they'll actually download and play it.

So, what do you do as an independent mobile game developer to accelerate growth?

You get a little help of course.

Find the Right Partner for Your Game’s Growth

As a busy—and successful—solo game developer, Lam Trinh Hoang had a lot on his plate.

When you’re running a small team (or with no in-house team at all like Lam), it’s important that you understand and recognize your strengths and weaknesses so you can plan and adjust course as needed. For Lam, he knew marketing his game and growing the user base would be crucial to ARBS’ mobile success; but, after a few attempts to attract a new audience, he quickly discovered that taking on this immense task by himself was more than he could handle.

He needed a partner that could help him rapidly accelerate his game’s growth.

But this partner would need to bring more than just the financial resources he would need to help his game grow faster, they would also need to have knowledge and expertise gained from being there before. Not some cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach—someone who would work with him to create a customized strategy tailored to fit his game’s specific needs.

Having used Yodo1’s MAS platform to optimize his game economy and maximize ad revenue already, it was an easy choice when it came to making a decision about whether to partner with the company again for a publishing deal. For Lam, there was a clear benefit in dealing with one partner through every stage of his game’s growth. This–in addition to increased game revenue–is a major benefit of integrating with MAS: it enables game creators to get more exposure with Yodo1’s Publishing team who can help you unlock more growth opportunities faster.

How did it work out for Lam and ARBS? Well, in less than 12 months of working with Yodo1 to acquire more users, the game’s player base grew by 50x—and it’s still going.

Let’s see how it all happened.

The Team You Need to Scale Efficiently

After joining forces on their new publishing deal, a team was set up at Yodo1 dedicated to just one thing: accelerating ARBS’ growth. This new team included a user acquisition specialist, product manager, creative artists, game monetization experts, app store optimization (ASO) specialist, community manager, and player support specialist.

Once the team was assembled, they started working with Lam to begin research on a comprehensive user acquisition strategy, one specifically designed to fit the needs of this particular game and its users.

Get Data-Driven Strategic Insights on UA

When it comes to mobile game user acquisition, one size does not fit all—especially for the simulation and strategy types. Each individual genre requires its own customized approach to UA strategy.

What did this kind of data-driven approach to UA look like for a game like Lam’s? First of all, it meant getting to know ARBS’s player base, and taking a deep dive into its mechanics and gameplay.

This research formed the backbone of a successful—and scalable— user acquisition campaign that helped bring the game to the top of the Simulation and Strategy charts in both the US and Japanese markets!

Evaluating the game`s marketability even before launching ads, something made possible by strong connections with ad partners, was also key to a UA strategy that would not only help ARBS acquire new players, but keep those players engaged and active.

Building a strong campaign—testing and tweaking as needed—has certainly paid off for ARBS: in less than 12 months, the game’s user acquisition increased by more than 50x, reaching almost 1.5 million monthly downloads with a CPI of less than 30 cents.

Use Social Media and Influencers to Build the Hype

Targeted, creative social media campaigns focused on both platform audiences and specific regions, like Korea and Japan. Reaching these key audiences has boosted ARBS popularity there—for example, a series of interactive ads featuring actual live gameplay resulted in more than 15,000 new followers on TikTok alone in just a single week!

And after a game’s UA campaign is launched, the work doesn’t stop.

The focus remains on the game’s growth. The goal is not to sustain popularity, but to thrive, and monitoring player feedback in the community and making changes based on that feedback are all part of what is helping ARBS acquire even more players on its path to becoming a global sensation.

Another key pillar of the marketing strategy for ARBS was influencer marketing, working with social media influencers who have a large following in specific regions and are trusted by players.

ARBS already had a presence on Youtube, and after targeted marketing campaigns, it soon went viral on Tiktok, led by influencer-driven campaigns that included specially created content madae to introduce ARBS to their followers.

The Results Are In… And?

In less than 12 months of working with Yodo1 to scale user acquisition, the results were clear: the strategy was a resounding success.

ARBS saw a 50x increase in user acquisition, growing from 140,000 downloads across the Apple App and Google Play stores to nearly 7.75 million downloads and counting.

“It’s such a relief to know that Yodo1 is taking care of my user acquisition strategy and I don’t have to worry about that on top of everything else I’m focused on,” said Lam. “They have more than ten people working on my user acquisition campaigns, and there’s no way I would be able to do all of that alone, so I’m absolutely delighted with the incredible work we’ve achieved together to acquire so many engaged players and scale the ARBS brand as a truly cross-platform gaming experience.”

But that’s not all. The game also continues to perform well in terms of player retention and engagement. In fact, ARBS’s DAU/MAU ratio is now above 35%, which is more than 3x the industry average.

The team at Yodo1 is proud to have played a part in the success of ARBS. We’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this amazing game—and we’re excited to see how our UA strategy will help it continue to grow.

Ready to Scale Your User Acquisition Strategy? We Can Help.

If you think your game has reached the point where you’re ready to dramatically increase the number of active players and engaged players so you can rapidly scale your revenues, get in touch with the Yodo1 Publishing team today to find out how YOU could grow by 50x, too!

Accelerate your game’s growth with one partner—Yodo1.

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ARBS Nearly Doubles Revenue With MAS Optimization

This is part two of a four-part series about mobile game growth featuring Animal Revolt Battle Simulator (ARBS). In part one, follow along with Lam Trinh Hoang's journey from the financial services industry to a full-time game developer, establishing his company VDimension Studios, and launching ARBS.

Welcome to the second installment of our four-part series on Animal Revolt Battle Simulator, In part 2, find out how Lam nearly doubled his game's ad revenue after a little help optimizing his use of MAS by Yodo1 for mobile game monetization. As we heard previously, Lam discovered Yodo1’s MAS through YouTube and integrated its easy-to-use SDK into ARBS all on his own, and began to watch his earnings climb... what he didn’t know was that this was just the beginning.

Adjustments Based on Personalized Guidance

After integrating ARBS with MAS, Lam contacted Yodo1 to learn a little more about its capabilities and his earning potential, and that's when he got connected with Customer Success Manager Ismael Jorge, who began sharing industry best practices and (more importantly) specific, actionable steps Lam could take to introduce new ad-injection points, and that’s when things took off!

As an indie developer (and even more so as a one-man dev team), having someone by your side with expert knowledge, who is dedicated to helping you understand the bigger picture of your game’s monetization, is one of the main reasons thousands of developers worldwide choose to grow—and rapidly scale—their mobile games with Yodo1 and the MAS platform.

“For us, when we’re working with developers, you’re more than just a number,” said Ismael. “We truly care about seeing your games grow just as much as you do and we’re always looking for new ways to make each one more successful.”

To help Lam scale ARBS, the MAS team focused heavily on improving its average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) and impressions per daily active user (IMPDAU). Implementing new ad types and injection points focused mainly on reward-based videos, helped Lam create a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience while providing players with a little something extra for watching an ad. With this move, revenue skyrocketed as ARBS’ ARPDAU climbed from $0.0346 to $0.0451, and IMPDAU from 5.652 to 7.828—nearly doubling the game’s overall revenue without disrupting gameplay, which helped mitigate reviews about 'too many ads' and avoid harm to future downloads or player retention.

“Big props to the Yodo1 team for being so hands-on with developers when it comes to maximizing ad revenue because, honestly, I doubt I'd get this kind of personal touch anywhere else,” said Lam.

ARBS’ Success Opens the Door to Publishing Opportunity

With such dramatic increases in ARBS’ monetization through MAS optimization, Lam was able to catch the attention of Yodo1’s publishing team, which is always on the lookout for great games to help developers take their games to that next level. There are countless games released every year, but only a handful are able to make the jump and secure a publishing deal.

So, what makes a game attractive to publishers like Yodo1?

1. It must be unique. It’s not just based on metrics or genre, but the core gameplay is something original that makes it stand out from all of the other games in the app stores.
2. Revenue per Install (RPI). How much money the game makes per install over a certain period of time? This helps publishers to know whether an investment in user acquisition (UA) will be profitable for you and for them over the long term.
3. User Retention. Publishers will look at how many players the game can retain on day one and day seven—with ARBS this was 40% on day one and 15% on day seven, which is a typical industry benchmark for this type of game.

At Yodo1, we're on a mission to find and support memorable indie games so they can ride the top of the charts for years to come—creating long-lasting IPs able to evolve, integrate exciting new content, and build thriving and engaged communities.

“While ARBS’ popularity was a key factor in our decision to partner with Lam and VDimension, it certainly wasn’t the only factor,” said Marina Espin, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Yodo1. “The strong communication between him and our team as they worked to optimize his use of MAS was equally important, as we knew it would be key to the partnership’s success. Offering him a publishing deal was the natural next step in our relationship, and we saw there was solid potential for ARBS’ revenue to skyrocket by five or even ten times, and we couldn’t be happier to have played a role in making that happen.”

“When I meet developers who need a game growth partner, I always recommend Yodo1! By far, MAS is the best choice to generate more revenue versus a network or mediator, and the support is truly top-notch. They've been a real game-changer for me so, if you want to earn more money from your mobile games, check them out." Lam Trinh Hoang
Founder, VDimension Studios

Want to Know How Much YOUR Mobile Game Could Be Making?

Got a mobile game and are wondering whether it's earning up to its potential?

If you’re ready to take your game's monetization to the next level—we can help!

Get started right now with our Game Revenue Predictor to see how much you could be making by integrating with MAS.

And don’t forget to check back soon for part three of our series to learn about Lam’s publishing deal with Yodo1 and how it took ARBS even further with custom UA and marketing programs.

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From Finance to Gaming: One Developer’s Road To Success

This is the first in a four-part series about mobile game growth featuring Animal Revolt Battle Simulator (ARBS). Follow along with Lam Trinh Hoang on his journey to establish VDimension Studios and scale his first cross-platform hit game.

Are you passionate about gaming? Maybe you make games in your spare time and dream of turning them into a business but just aren’t sure how to make it happen. Well, Meet Lam Trinh Hoang, creator of Animal Revolt Battle Simulator (ARBS), the popular physics-based sandbox game, and follow along with us through this four-part series focusing on his early beginnings to gaming success to publishing his game with Yodo1.

An Opportunity For Change

Originally from Vietnam but now UK-based, Lam started his career in the financial services industry, making games in his spare time. When the opportunity arose for a career change, he knew It was now or never—bored of the tedium of the financial field, he wanted to try his hand at something creative and fun.

“I’d done some work on a VR game, which made only a little money, as the market for it was still too small then. I didn't want to jump into game development again without really understanding the market, so before I started making ARBS, I researched what kind of games actually sell: specifically those made by small and solo developers," said Lam. "I quickly realized sandbox-type games, ones where the player has a lot of freedom to do things inside the game, rather than constrained to a narrative, were among the most popular—like Minecraft, which was also initially created by just one person. This is super important for developers to know: people love games that give them a lot of freedom,” he explained. “They are also into games that involve a lot of physics because hitting things and watching them fly around is something that makes video games so much fun, and these are the exact things we love when we are kids!”

After deciding on the genre, Lam continued his research on Steam and YouTube, reading about, watching, and playing various games to learn what was popular in the market before finally arriving at his final decision: an animal-based battle simulator.

Challenges and Key Learnings

Even after he found his niche, the development process itself was not without challenges.

“As an indie developer, especially if you work solo, you must wear many hats. I did all the coding myself, but I outsourced some parts, like the 3D modeling and music,” said Lam.

He had to figure out how to make the game fun to play, as well as expand his skills beyond writing code; learning Photoshop, GIMP, and 3D modeling software. Lam’s not complaining, though: “I had an absolute blast making Animal Revolt!” he said.

Unlike many developers who went straight into mobile, after two years of development, Lam chose to release ARBS on Steam first, in June 2020. In fact, when Lam first made ARBS, he hadn’t planned to turn it into a mobile game at all. But as the game became increasingly successful, he wanted to capitalize on it and wondered whether it was possible to port his title to mobile.

“I realized that I could bring the game to mobile players because on the computer you're using a mouse to select, point, and build things, which is actually quite easily transferable to mobile, where you use your finger in the same way,” he explained.

That's one of the big advantages of working on your own: you know where things are and how they all work, and can adapt your game much easier to changes and new opportunities.

Discovering MAS for Monetization

Lam first learned about Yodo1’s Managed Ad Services (MAS) through another developer, Ivan Panasenko, whose YouTube video detailed his monetization experience using various ad services, running the numbers, and detailing the increase in earnings once he’d switched to MAS. “I found it interesting because I was using another monetization provider. And once I tried MAS, immediately the earnings went up without the downloads changing at all. When I found that for the same number of downloads and users I could increase my earnings, it was a very easy win for me. So whatever magic you guys are doing behind the scenes is definitely working!”

The ‘magic’ of MAS is a combination of human expertise and AI optimization, which work together to ensure your game’s ad revenue is always maximized.

The personalized support is also a big part of what Lam loves about using MAS.

“Whenever I had an issue, Ismael [from the Customer Success team] would jump on it right away and connect me with the right support staff very quickly. So that was very useful, and something that you definitely cannot get from any other monetization partner: MAS is a clear winner in this department. The support you provide for developers is way beyond anything else you can get anywhere else: personalized support where you can actually speak to someone, which is just unheard of, and they react, they respond to you immediately.”

The MAS team also provided data on ad optimization and placement, leading Lam to incorporate rewarded ads in addition to the interstitials he’d been using, further boosting ARBS’s revenue and improving the player experience.

“Big props to you guys for being so hands on with developers on how to maximize revenue, because I really doubt I would get that anywhere else. I would absolutely recommend MAS to any other mobile developer out there who’s deciding what to use for game monetization. It is the best choice both in terms of extra revenue compared to other networks, and the support that you receive. It just doesn't compare. MAS is definitely the number one choice for me and it should be the number one choice for anyone that wants to make money from their mobile game.”

Strike a Good Work-Life Balance

Lam’s advice for other indie developers reading this article is simple: “Make sure that you enjoy the work you're doing. Don't get into it expecting to become a millionaire but be passionate about games and about your idea. Do your research: ensure the market wants what you’re making. And lastly, make sure you have a good work-life balance. Work reasonable hours and go out and enjoy the sunshine and spend time with your friends and family and do things apart from just game development. It doesn't matter how fast you make the game: if it is good it will sell. So don't kill yourself working hundred-hour weeks.”

Invaluable advice not just for indie game developers, but for anyone working in a creative field! Learn more about Lam’s journey from using MAS to publishing with Yodo1 in the next part of this ARBS article series!

Want to increase your game’s revenue in three simple steps?

Check out MAS today or book a call with us to learn more!

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Keplerians + Yodo1: A Successful Partnership

MAS Boosts Revenue for Horror Game Sensation

If you enjoy horror games, you will be familiar with Keplerians and their unique portfolio of quality titles, which together have amassed a staggering 250 million downloads over three years. The partnership of two brothers and a friend from the Basque Country, Spain, are the innovators behind the worldwide sensation currently topping the horror genre charts, Ice Scream Saga, and their journey has been nothing short of phenomenal.

What you may not know, however, is that Keplerians spent many years struggling with unsuccessful games before hitting the big time. So how did the small studio turn its fortunes around and become industry titan?

Spark of Inspiration Propelled Struggling Studio to Global Fame

Keplerians was founded in 2013, but initially struggled to gain a foothold in the highly competitive games industry, forcing them to reevaluate. Then they identified a niche: unlike with PC and console games, there were few horror games on the mobile market. Their breakthrough game Evil Nun, released in July 2018, was a massive success in terms of both player satisfaction and revenue: the studio had found its path.

The team turned their attention to revenue optimization shortly after the launch of their second adventure about the bloodthirsty zombie butcher Mr. Meat. Up to this point, they had gotten as far as they had juggling check graphs and data in Ironsource. To optimize and maximize the revenue potential of their games, it was clear that an expert partner was needed.

A Chance Meeting That Changed Everything

An opportunity emerged in late 2019 when Keplerians were introduced to a Yodo1 representative by a mutual friend in Barcelona, leading to the studio deciding to give Yodo1’s Managed Ad Services (MAS) a try.

The studio was currently working on Mr. Meat, so it was the first of their games to use MAS; however, integrating the new monetization system was no walk in the park. Yodo1’s MAS team would need every ounce of expertise to pull this off, working tirelessly until the last minute into the early hours to hit the deadline and ensure a smooth transition.

It was a challenge, but everyone pulled together to make the release a success, and Keplerian was very patient throughout the process; the experience ultimately sowed the seeds for a trusted, productive, and profitable partnership.

“When we launched Mr. Meat with MAS, we were blown away by how much more money we could make.” – Keplerians, 2019

MAS far exceeded the studio’s expectations. Within two weeks, Mr. Meat increased its daily revenue by a staggering 74%. This result encouraged Keplerians to go ahead and add Evil Nun and Ice Scream to MAS, the latest becoming the game that propelled the studio to global fame with half a million Youtube followers.

Installing MAS on Evil Nun boosted the game’s revenue by 60%, while close collaboration on Mr. Meat’s ad design and game video production resulted in a further two-fold increase in in-game income, and Keplerian decided that Yodo1’s MAS would be standard on all-new games going forward.

An Ideal Collaboration With a Bright Future

The alliance between Keplerians and Yodo1 has been an asset for both parties. We have become a collaborative team with confidence in each other, no matter the challenge. Keplerians are no longer the three-man band making small games they once were. Their team has expanded to fifteen and a new office, where they can now devote their full focus on game creation.

Building Partnerships

At Yodo1, we are thrilled to partner with talented developers like Keplerians to help optimize and maximize their success, giving them freedom to innovate and grow. It’s a journey we feel proud to be part of.

We would be proud to be part of yours, too. Register on our MAS Portal today and set up MAS AI automation in just three easy steps, or contact a Games Growth Specialist here to learn more.

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How Rodeo Stampede Survived the Wild Hypercasual Years

Yodo1's Rodeo Stampede celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2021 – a clear sign of the title's enduring popularity – and while it has been a flagship title for the developer, Yodo1, since its inception, launching a hybrid-casual game with mid-core elements in 2016 was far from a surefire bet.

Henry Fong, co-founder, and co-CEO of Yodo1 spoke with PocketGamer.biz about how the game has weaved its way into its players' affections with collectible animals, all the way to its potential future of offline conventions and a media brand empire to rival Angry Birds.

Looking back on five years of Rodeo Stampede, how closely does the game resemble your original vision?

Our vision with Rodeo Stampede was always a bit contrarian, and that has paid off big dividends. Back then, when hypercasual games were starting to become a phenomenon, we wanted Rodeo Stampede to be a hybrid, close to the mid-core game, not a simple hold-and-drag to run. Players love having a zoo meta-game where they accumulate animals and build their unique animal world.

This experience is further enhanced by constant in-game content updates, ranging from maps, animals, and zoo decorations, to viral social media activities and user-generated content and communities. Last but not least, the vision and essence of Rodeo Stampede have always been built upon our close and respectful partnership with Featherweight Games.

How quickly did Rodeo Stampede meet Yodo1's projections and expectations?

Rodeo Stampede almost immediately exceeded our expectations. We used influencer marketing and local promotion efforts to launch the game, and this approach resulted in the game is the most downloaded in 27 countries. It was later honored as the 2016 Game of the Year on the App Store and Google Play. In 2020, Rodeo Stampede had more than 300 million downloads.

Mobile games are, in many ways, living entities. What have been the core pillars of living ops and keeping the game current?

Constantly adding new animals, their living habitats, and corresponding zoo spaces is our most significant focus for keeping the game alive and growing. Furthermore, in-game content and live-ops activities are linked to festive and seasonal factors: we have the Auspicious Buffalo for Chinese New Year, Giraffemas Tree for Christmas, and Thriller Wolf for Halloween, to name a few.

Other than that, we actively seek out chances of cross-over opportunities with other games, to connect game user communities, and offer players of multiple games a chance to diversify their player experience. These not only build up the game’s ecosystem but also keep it and its users in constant interactions.

Furthermore, we keep up with our users on many platforms. We stay up-to-date with their trends and desires and create opportunities for them to interact, as well as for us to interact with them and understand them better. For example, when Tiktok started to go viral in 2018-2019, we held a 'highlight moments' activity on Tiktok that captured four million views in only two weeks.

What adjustments are being made to ensure Rodeo Stampede's long-time fans are being served, as well as bringing in a new audience?

Again, we must emphasize that animal diversity is the key to Rodeo’s core loop and meta-game. Therefore, new animals are constantly added to the game, and we actively involve our players in the process. Our fan-created Snow Queen ostrich and the Women’s Day Liponess [Editor's note: a portmanteau of 'lipstick' and 'lioness'] come to mind.

Of course, to truly diversify the animal world, you also need to diversify your natural environment. New maps are regularly added, and for the first time, we are opening an aquarium. This request has become a reality thanks to the voice of our beloved sea cowboys, and it will add new ocean animals and new game mechanics.

Can you tell us about the continued monetization of Rodeo Stampede – what have been the peak periods, and what changes have you made to your approach over the years?

At one point in 2020, we saw a three-time increase in our user value, while most other casual to mid-core games would likely have gradually phased out by this time of their life cycle. We believe the harmonious mix between simple run-and-catch core gameplay and an ever-diversifying world-build-up metagame contributed significantly to this success.

The game was enhanced by Halloween-themed visuals and lasted one month. Thanks to the interstitial messages, you can access and download Ice Scream 4 directly from Rodeo Stampede.

“Once we shared the assets, the Yodo1 team took care of all integration and design details,” said Pablo, Co-Founder of Keplerians. “With all the logistics and details taken care of, it could only be a win-win for us.”

How does Yodo1 make this happen? With these games in our partner pool, we can communicate promptly, leading to successful matches and deals. Once the events are approved by both sides, our team handles all the crossover logistics, from designing the visual elements to planning the event promotion to analyzing the results.

This Keplerians-Rodeo Stampede event was the first crossover either game had participated in, and successfully generated a huge buzz across social media, ultimately increasing traffic for the respective games.

“It was exciting for our game’s community! We promoted it on Discord and encouraged players to post screenshots and videos, offering rewards. Bringing new content to our existing player base and seeing their enthusiastic reaction was definitely a highlight of this collaboration,” Pablo further explained.

Over three million gamers play thousands of games that use Yodo1’s MAS platform. This provides a rich ecosystem of players and content for creating fun and high-impact cross-overs. Yodo1's expertise in designing fun and engaging cross-over campaigns helps to create marketing buzz for the games involved, providing a free cross-promotion network that partner games can participate in and benefit from.

Out-of-the-box events like these are just some of the many ways Yodo1 works to help its partners, bring people together and increase revenue creatively.

In summary, how can crossover events like these benefit you?

1. By generating buzz across social media and providing your players with fun, new, unexpected content,
2. Increasing traffic to your game and attracting a new audience–as these games have different player bases, they give each other access to new players.
3. Limited-time events are attractive for players and can generate a considerable revenue increase during the runtime period.

If you want to work with us on monetization or game publishing and participate in these cross-promotion events between Yodo1 partners, reach out and contact us today.

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Ovaplay Finds Ideal Monetization Solution in MAS

Nigerian developer Ovaplay Interactive loves the quick payments and easy-to-integrate SDK

Lukmon Agboola fell in love with video games so much that he began making them over a decade ago. He started Ovaplay Interactive in late 2016 with the goal of turning his passion into a full time career.
People Stickman Playground 3D was his first game to gain traction, and since then he has developed 20 other games in the last five years.

Slow Payments a Major Issue

As a small, indie game developer based in Nigeria, Lukmon was not able to find a monetization partner with favorable payment terms; with his previous partner, he had to wait for two months after the revenue was generated to actually receive it.

Having to wait so long to be paid was a massive challenge, and MAS’s Quickpay system, in addition to being user-friendly, is also prompt and regular; developers receive payments ten days after the end of the month, with no further waiting. It made such a difference that Lukmon did not think twice about
integrating it into People Stickman Playground 3D.

“MAS is exactly what I wanted!”

Other challenges Lukmon experienced were monetization partners’ poor support and long SDK integration times. Yodo1 offers quick support to all its partners regardless of their size and country of origin. “What I really love about working with Yodo1 is a great support,” explains Lukmon as to why he has enjoyed working with Yodo1. Other SDKs were complicated to install, which put enormous strain on the small team. MAS’ SDK is an all-in-one bundle, with easy-to-follow integration guides and ongoing support. With innovative plugins for Unity such as the no-code Unity plugin, Yodo1 is constantly optimizing the developers’ onboarding experience, a streamlined process that allows developers like Lukmon to focus on what they do best – making great games!

The usage of MAS not only reduced the payment cycle time but also increased Stickman Playground 3D’s total revenue is by 10% and Lukmon is confident about incorporating MAS in games that the studio will develop in the future.

Partner with the best!

Do these issues resonate with you? Do you think your payment terms could be a lot better? Do you need a monetization partner that offers you quick, customized services, regardless of where you are located? Get in touch today at bd@yodo1.com to learn how!

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Meet Marvelous: A Game Developer Who Found His Dream Job

Since the launch of the Yodo1 Education Platform in 2020, thousands of students have learnt the ins and outs of the world’s most exciting industry: gaming. This $180 billion industry has been the dream of many young people, but for too long it remained inaccessible to most.

The cornerstone of Yodo1’s Education Platform is the MAS BD Certification. Completing this course allows everyone to make money from home by joining Yodo1 in the pursuit of our mission: helping developers turn fun games into successful businesses. The curriculum helps students to understand Yodo1’s platform MAS, the only ad monetization solution in the world which favors game developers and maximizes their revenue rather than the one of ad networks. By speaking with thousands of game developers every day and learning the secrets behind making a great game, our graduates are already driving the change of this industry, both in their careers and their communities.

Following a passion

Marvelous Uzong is one such graduate; based in Abuja, Nigeria, he leveraged the Yodo1 Education Platform to relaunch his passion for game development and plans to use his experience to benefit the Nigerian game development community.

Marvelous’ interest in gaming started early, using his dad’s phone to play games like Snake and Tetris and later moving on to Android games and bigger consoles. Even then, Marvelous had a big dream: to become the creator behind great games. He took concrete steps to follow his dream, studying computer science at university with a focus on gaming. There, he took up game development with Unity, eventually uploading his first game to the Google Play store: “ It was a really great feeling to share my own projects for the first time and tell everybody ‘I’m a game developer!’ - it just felt really good.”

In all, Marvelous completed five games—as well as a few other unfinished projects. But after graduating and uploading two of his games to the app store, his dream of making a living as a developer and building his own studio started to feel out of reach, as the games were making too little revenue.

“Here, my vision started to die down a bit. And I started looking for jobs that I could use to make a living after graduation. So that was how I started looking for jobs in the gaming industry. That’s when I found Yodo1’s MAS BD Certification on Instagram.”

Becoming a professional in the Gaming Industry

“I was nervous and excited at the same time: excited because I finally got the dream job I'd always been looking for in the gaming industry, and nervous because it’s something I hadn’t done before. ‘Maybe I will mess it up or something.’ I had thoughts like that. And I didn't want to mess it up. So I was quite nervous at first, especially with my first interview.”

Since then, Marvelous has come a long way. In his work as a Games Growth Specialist at Yodo1, he has now talked to hundreds of developers, and while his success at his job is enabling him to earn a good living, it’s also given him a lot more: access to creative minds that he can learn from. Indeed, starting his own studio in Nigeria is still his ultimate goal.

“I think the most important thing I've learned so far is that successful developers didn't all start as big companies with a lot of investment to back them up. From little beginnings, they grew in a step by step process. I feel if I give a bit more time to my game development dreams, I will be able to get to the point that a lot of these other big developers have reached.”

Learning by speaking with hundreds of Gamedevs

Marvelous is confident that the store of knowledge and insider experience he’s gaining while working as a Games Growth Specialist will put him on the path to success as he begins working on his own games again. Because of this, he feels his job has a bigger purpose than just earning a living: it’s giving him an inside window into the gaming industry, especially the business side of it, something he lacked when he was designing his own games earlier. “I now see this as an opportunity to learn and then channel it into my next games. And then from there, I can make better games that are better targeted towards my audience and making more revenue.”

When Marvelous began his gaming career he was doing things he thought people might like, which was mostly guesswork. But now, combining his creativity with what he has learned works in the industry, Marvelous can create a winning combination. “I started off thinking I could jump from level zero to a hundred, but I've seen that it's a step by step process. And I'm really glad that I finally know what success looks like for me.”

In speaking about his work day, it’s clear that for Marvelous it’s more than just a job. “The most exciting thing about being a Games Growth Specialist is that I get to speak with all these developers with different ideas about game development, I get to talk to them about how they made their game, the processes they used, where they started from, where they are at the moment. So I've been able to learn a lot from their game development processes. And I've also been able to use the knowledge I've learned from Yodo1 and also my own experience to impact upcoming developers.”

Marvelous has a renewed belief in his dream—developing his own games and starting a game development studio in Nigeria. The seed is growing now, nourished by the experience he’s gaining day by day, setting up the building blocks for where he wants to be in five year’s time.

Ready to Kickstart your own journey?

At Yodo1, we are committed to democratizing the gaming industry, opening it up to anyone with a passion for it. Like Marvelous, we strongly believe that everyone can find their own success in this booming industry and we give them the tools to do so.

Are you ready? Sign up for the Yodo1 MAS BD Certification today and get on the path to game industry success like Marvelous.

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Battle of Balls Meets Transformers in Chinese Crossover

As Hasbro's exclusive licensing partner for brands like Transformers, My Little Pony, Monopoly, Play-Doh and Blythe Dolls in the Greater China region, Yodo1 is partnering with mobile game developers to integrate beloved brands into games in China.

With over 500 million downloads and more than 100 million monthly active users, Battle of Balls from Superpop Games is one of the hottest casual esports mobile titles. It also has generated 600 million registered users - 60 million of which are active monthly players.

Battle of Balls (BoB) is simple yet catchy. Players start off as small spheres that become bigger as the game progresses, absorbing smaller opponents to expand and come out on top. Easy to learn, but challenging to master. The final goal? Ultimate survival.

Battle of Balls partnered with a powerful piece of global intellectual property (IP): Hasbro’s Transformers, building on Yodo1’s previous experience in successfully matching IP and mobile games.

Customized brand injections

The next step? The Battle of Balls team began the design process, finding the best way to integrate the 'Robots in Disguise' into their game.

One of the distinctive features of Battle of Balls is the toy-like appearance of many of its characters. Integrating Transformers’ IP required a new graphic approach and the Hasbro, Superpop, and Yodo1 teams ultimately decided on the sleek advanced look of the Generation 1 Transformers, highlighting each character’s specialized fighting skills. Judging by the positive reactions to the new gameplay experience, the decision was well-received by BoB players - especially in China.

During the initial three-month collaboration, BoB selected eight primary characters to inject. Three unique skins with exponential special effects were created for each Transformer chosen - players can transform up to three times in a single match - for a total of 24 distinct outfits.

The 'Turn Into Chaos' in-game event served as the official launchpad of the Battle of Balls meets Transformers collaboration and was heavily promoted across multiple social media channels, allowing players to engage with Hasbro’s brand and experience the special effects of a Transformers skin despite not having it in their collection.

Around 30 per cent of the game's active users took part in the event, with participation and average retention rates peaking in the first week.

Experimental monetisation techniques

The BoB team also developed new monetization models where players can collect multiple fragments that combine to make a complete skin, based on the mechanisms of the popular Japanese 'gacha' system.

Since it was BoB's first collaboration with such a large piece of global IP, the creative development team tested multiple gacha systems to maximize the brand and revenue, including mini-games involving cards and fusion mechanics and giving players access to certain skins through subscription-based models (such as battle passes) or direct purchase.

This monetization model proved particularly popular among BoB enthusiasts, with many players repeatedly trying their luck to expand their existing collection and find the high-value ultimate Transformers skins.

While Superpop Games created unique Transformers fragments to go along with the game’s gacha system, each of these new items retained the Transformers brand's distinct features and recognizable visuals.

Thanks to the success of this partnership, which was driven by the expertise and efforts of the Hasbro and Yodo1 teams, Superpop has now included IP cooperation in its long-term strategy to boost revenue in Battle of Balls.

Innovative Marketing, the Omnichannel Way

By leveraging the tremendous popularity of characters such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Megatron, BoB implemented multiple marketing strategies to promote the new partnership. This resulted with an in-game event, engaging social media activities, key opinion leader (KOL) live-streaming sessions and well as showcasing the Transformers brand at the China Joy offline event, culminating in what can only be called a Transformers craze.

By August 24th, 2020, more than three million players had participated in warm-up social media activities, and the 'Fight Against the Sky - Defend Justice' promotional Transformers video received well over 100,000 views after its release on Chinese viewing platforms. Coupled with influencer collaborations, this resulted in a new batch of players joining in the fun.

Organizers held quizzes on online platforms like Weibo, WeChat and Tik Tok, with prizes that included premium currency and materials for building the ultimate skin. A mobile web warm-up event promoted two weeks before the launch invited users to pre-register and receive a free Bumblebee skin, an offer that succeeded both in attracting new users and rekindling the attention of former BoB players - in all, more than 10 million players participated in the event to redeem the exclusive skin.

As the China Joy Games Expo coincided with the Battle of Balls meets Transformers collaboration launch, Superpop Games organized a face-to-face meetup with fans of both the game and Hasbro’s iconic brand, providing much-needed engagement for the community during these challenging times when social gatherings are limited.

Multiply your revenue and exposure: bring brands into your games

The player's response to the Transformers brand injection was exceptional. As well as achieving marketing engagement during the collaboration itself, in the post-event survey half of the respondents said they’d be willing to pay for their favorite IP, while 40 per cent stated they would spend more time playing a game if it had IP cooperation, particularly favoring Transformers events.

This popularity highlights the strong appeal of collaborations as the future of games, accruing benefits to all parties - the original game, the IP owners, and of course, the players!

The Yodo1 value

Yodo1 specializes in connecting game developers with intellectual property (IP) holders, fostering partnerships that make iconic characters and IPs come to life in players’ most beloved mobile games, a win-win for everybody involved.

Our brands in games team provide comprehensive project management assistance - facilitating smooth and effective communication and providing hands-on solutions to keep marketing, game content, and game design processes moving swiftly. We also help integrate online and offline promotions.

With full support in translation between English and Chinese, we help break down communication barriers and further decrease the burden on developers and IP holders.

By using our extensive knowledge and expertise in the games industry, we work to help developers and IP holders maximize their revenue potential through customized brand injections.

Get in touch to kickstart your success with Brands in Games.

This article was originally published on PocketGamer.

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Optimization In Action: How MAS Raised Kiseki’s Ad Revenue

What happens when you put Managed Ad Services (MAS) to work? Let’s ask Kiseki Games.

This two-man developer team is based out of Sydney and Brisbane, Australia. Though they started small in 2016, one of their most notable titles—Infinite Pool—has reached a million downloads since its launch just over a year ago.

As the game grew in popularity, Kiseki reached out to Yodo1. Having heard how we helped Steppy Pants become a chart-topper in Japan, they were interested in what we could do for them.

We introduced MAS, started digging into their metrics, and soon found that we could significantly improve Infinite Pool’s ad revenue. Kiseki shared our confidence that optimized ad design, more actively managed ad waterfalls, and strategically priced ad bids could go a long way and began integrating our SDK.

Infinite Pool, Before and After MAS

“Integration was straightforward and painless. Yodo1 was constantly on call to address any kind of issue we ran into and test out the build to confirm that everything was working.”

On the outset, our aim was to improve their ARPDAU by 20% globally and 50% in China. The outcome, however, surpassed all expectations.

“When we were ready to launch in May, the results were fantastic. We launched our 2.0 build with MAS and the immediate results surpassed all of our highest highs from the past. Just after launch, revenue for the first week was 60% higher than our second-highest-grossing week.”

As the buzz of the feature period died down, the user count returned to a more stable, organic level—but that didn’t mean the improvement in ARPDAU was lost.

Compared to their previous non-feature-period metrics, Kiseki’s MAS-integrated build maintained a 25% improvement in eCPMs across all formats in tier-1 countries and an impressive 70% in China. In overall revenue, the ad optimization resulted in a 30% increase.

“Prior to signing our partnership, Yodo1 answered all our questions. They made sure we were comfortable with all the numbers and aware of the potential value we were missing out on by having a more ‘hands-on’ approach that Yodo1 provides with MAS. I can certainly say they delivered.”

Looking Ahead

Launching the game with MAS has already proven successful but Yodo1’s job of improving Infinite Pool’s ARPDAU is far from over. As we learn about the player base and test buying strategies for the game, we will continue to maximize Kiseki’s ad monetization and raise their average daily ad revenue to new heights.

“From the very beginning, our arrangement with Yodo1 always felt more like a partnership than a typical business relationship. They were always ready to genuinely help as we prepared our 2.0 launch. We’re excited to continue improving Infinite Pool’s monetization and hopefully extend our collaborations with Yodo1 moving forward.”

Partner for Success

Though Kiseki started off managing ads themselves, partnering with our team has helped them drive more revenue than they ever could have imagined on their own.

At the end of the day, our experience with numerous developers tells us that letting a knowledgeable ad ops team take a hands-on approach to mobile ad management is a sure way to increase your revenue.

Yodo1’s Managed Ad Services (MAS) is a tried-and-proven formula for more cash with less fuss. Get in touch via the contact button on the header menu to find out how a partnership with us can elevate your game.

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Dmobin Studio: “You can rely on MAS to increase your ad revenue!”

We boosted ad revenue from 10% to 40% since integrating MAS.

For Dat and his team in Vietnam, making games was just a spare time activity—until they took the leap to follow their passion and started Dmobin Studio. They love developing adventure games and puzzles with game mechanics that mimic real-world physics, where players can be the hero.

The Challenge: Growing Games, Stagnant Revenue

While their games were racking up downloads, monetization was unfortunately another story.

“We had a hard time creating a monetization strategy because we didn’t have much experience optimizing our ads, and we had difficulties when using other mediation networks. Then we met Chaula from Yodo1 and discovered MAS.”

What Dmobin Studio needed most was help optimizing the ad placements and monetization model of their games, customizing it to their player base and characteristics.

The Solution: A Painless Platform and a Team that Takes Care of You

A pleasant surprise when switching to MAS was just how easy it was.

“Since we started using MAS, on average our revenue has increased from 10% up to 40%, which makes us very happy to be using it.
And the MAS team does a lot more than provide technical and managerial support: they are passionate about working with us to keep making our games perform better.”

“We now have eight games setup with MAS, and the best part of the experience is the revenue uplift.
We are definitely planning to add more games in the future.”

“We always hoped that someday there’d be a mediation platform that would help us optimize our ad revenue without a difficult set-up. If you’re looking for an easy way to monetize with great results, integrate MAS. It will help you build scenarios for optimal monetization, and you can rely on it to improve your revenue.”

"With MAS, all we had to do was register and submit our games once, then the system took care
of all the network configurations for us."--Dat, Founder of DMobin

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“Great eCPM and Stability with MAS!” - Alexander Tavintsev

With frequent game crashes during Ads, the SDK stability of MAS eliminated complaints and doubled eCPM.

Alexander Tavintsev from Krasnodar, Russia, has always loved video games; this former website designer’s life changed in 2016 when, after a simple Google search, he taught himself how to design games.

Just three months later his first game, Zombie Forest HD, was released. “After that, I could no longer do anything except create games!” Since then his one man studio has released eight games for Android, iOS and PC.

Zombie Forest HD is a hardcore survival simulation game set during—you guessed it!—a zombie apocalypse.

Complete with minigames, a heap of weapons and the possibility to play together with other players, the game will put your strategic planning skills to the test, in order to survive this global zombie outbreak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_SMygMh_KU

The Challenge: Low eCPM and Fill-Rate, Too Many Crashes

With the majority of its user base located in Russia and the former USSR countries, the fill-rates and eCPM generated by the local ad mediation platforms
were not up to the standards Alexander was hoping for. Paired with instability SDK issues and difficulties in payment, Alexander needed a different solution.

“The game crashed quite often when displaying ads. In addition, one of my games was banned from Google Play for malicious code in one of the ad networks used in mediation. Some networks also did not allow the withdrawal of profits to residents of Russia.” — Alexander Tavintsev

The Solution: 2.5x eCPM and SDK Stability with Managed Ad Services

To Alexander’s delight, his eCPM is now 2.5 times higher than it used to be. The stability of the SDK is also a major plus, and complaints of the game crashing during ad runs are now rare.

SDK integration is very easy; just install the plugin and fill in your game IDs. There is an excellent debugger that will report any integration errors in the application itself.

“On the same day I signed up for MAS, a separate group chat was created for me on Skype, where they almost instantly reacted to all my messages. I can’t say enough good things about the support response speed! Don’t be afraid to experiment. Especially if you have problems with fill rate, low eCPM or application stability. In addition to increasing your income, you can increase the stability of your game and, from there, its rating.”

If some of Alexander Tavintsev’s challenges resonate with you, why not reach out? We love nothing more than working with developers to bring their games even greater success!

"You don’t need to register with any ad network yourself–it’s all taken care of. The dashboard inside the service is also very convenient – nothing superfluous, everything is intuitive.” --Alexander Tavintsev, Founder

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Carpet Bombing Creators Partner with Yodo1 to Increase Mobile Game Ad Revenue

Relying on in-app purchases, we were dealing with bots trying to increase ad revenue before we discovered Yodo1’s MAS.

Can two guys from opposite ends of the globe, who have never met, develop games together and achieve monetary success?

They sure can.

Meet Staffan and Philip, the people behind Synthetic Mind.

Staffan in Sweden is handling the coding, while Philip in Haiti is doing the graphics. What started as one man’s new year resolution resulted, six months later, in the release of the studio’s first title: Carpet Bombing. Carpet Bombing was so popular among fans that they soon called for more.

Philip joined with some fresh ideas, and together they recently launched the sequel: Carpet Bombing 2. Anyone can pick up this simple-to-control mobile game and get the hang of it instantly. However, the longer you play, the more you’ll find yourself challenged by tougher enemies—requiring you to upgrade your arsenal and skills.

Low eCPM, Minimal Ad Income and No Communication to Fix It

Despite their success,the team had quite a low eCPM, few ad views, and a generally low income from advertisements. Considering ad revenue a bonus, they relied mostly on in-app purchases. They tried a solution for increasing ad revenue but were unhappy with the lack of communication with the platform. “It was like dealing with a bot. I had little insight into how to improve my ad income, or how to improve other aspects of the game,” Staffan shares.

A Powerful System and Communicative Partner

By partnering with Yodo1 and our Managed Ad Services (MAS) platform, Synthetic Mind was able to increase ad revenue and better understand the value of ads and the techniques that go into making them effective. From one end, our AI-powered monetization system boosted the game’s eCPM. From the other, our MAS team helped the studio optimize their game by assessing the gameplay and giving ad design recommendations.

Synthetic Mind’s partnership with Yodo1 hasn’t stopped at MAS. At the moment, Carpet Bombing is being translated into multiple languages—including Chinese and Japanese—and our team is here to help ensure their success in these and other new markets.

“By reaching these new markets, and coupled with the new Carpet Bombing 2 title, we aim to double our income and expand our studio. We have some great ideas for new games we want to bring to the world!To any devs who share our goals, I would say: get in contact with Yodo1.”

"What I appreciate most about MAS is the highly motivated, dedicated team that not only supported us in greatly increasing our ad revenue but also provided suggestions on how to improve the overall game, as well as marketing advice and market insight." --Staffan, Founder, Synthetic Mind

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Every monetization tool we tried had flaws. Within a few days of integrating MAS, our eCPM quadrupled.

Mobile game creator Crazy Owl released its first game eight years ago and new ones have been coming out since. Focusing on the casual genre, the studio now has two dozen games under their name and more on the way. Of the titles they’ve created, an addictively relaxing magnetic puzzle game called Magnet Balls PRO has been the most successful.

Limited by Traditional Ad Mediation Options

When monetizing their games, the Crazy Owl team quickly discovered the solutions at their disposal were flawed in ways that detracted from the revenue they could have earned.

“All these years I have been actively working to increase the income from my games, from trying different ad networks to creating my own ad solution. But every monetization tool had flaws and did not yield the desired results. And working on our own to build an SDK that integrates and optimizes multiple ad networks to maximize revenue has proven overwhelming.”
— Vitaliy Gorlov, Founder

eCPM x4 with the Yodo1 SDK and Managed Ad Services

Fortunately, Crazy Owl didn’t have to build their own SDK; they just had to integrate ours.

“MAS enabled us to leverage multiple ad networks with one simple and quick integration. We integrated one SDK, and Yodo1 did all the ad network integrations for us.” — Vitaliy Gorlov, Founder

After years of fine-tuning monetization techniques in our own games, Yodo1 built MAS—the Managed Ad Services platform. This single-SDK game monetization solution houses multiple ad networks and, with a combination of data analysis, human expertise, and no network bias, allows developers to achieve maximum revenue.

“Ad Revenue has multiplied four to five times and continues to grow. The integration process is very fast: invest a few hours integrating the MAS SDK and you can multiply your monthly ad revenue several times over. All types of payments are supported, including Paypal and bank transfers, and you know the money is going to come in.”

"Within a few days of integration, I was pleasantly surprised by the eCPM level from MAS—four times higher than before. Naturally, I decided to integrate MAS in more of my games." --Vitaliy Gorlov, Founder, Crazy Owl

Contact at bd@yodo1.com for more information!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OzazehACDc

Top War x Transformers Brand Integration Sets New Day One Revenue Record

On August 9, 2021, the highly anticipated TopWar X TRANSFORMERS brand global cross-over event was officially launched. This collaboration was planned, brought about and managed by Yodo1, Hasbro’s trusted digital licensing partner, who also serves as the global game’s service platform, on behalf of star developer Rivergame.

Top War ❌ Transformers collaboration event - The Transformers have landed!

The event has run for two weeks and generated tremendous interest. Due to the active engagement from both gamers and TRANSFORMERS fans, Top War broke its daily revenue record on the first day of the event launch, along with ramping up the numbers of the game’s rank in the App Store. Top War’s rank rose from 55 to 29 in China, 25 to 16 in the USA, and 73 to 45 in Japan.

These amazing figures are strong evidence of the universal appeal of the TRANSFORMERS brand and its ability to truly boost game monetization and success at a global level!

To make this landmark event possible, Yodo1 worked around the clock to facilitate the whole process by working closely with Hasbro and Rivergame, including proposal preparation, character design, and material supervision to pre and post-marketing.

Specifically, Yodo1 assisted Rivergame in combining Top War’s style and unique gameplay with TRANSFORMERS brand assets and re-designing a new look that included these visual elements and incorporated iconic characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

As Hasbro’s partner, Yodo1 continues to bring premium developers and high-quality games to the table, of which Rivergame is a prime example. Top War, a military simulation SLG, is Rivergame’s flagship title, and its widespread popularity put Rivergame in the top13 Chinese game publishers by overseas revenue in July 2021, according to Sensor Tower statistics. Top War was also selected as the Best Competitive Game by Google Play in 2020.

Top War’s demographic—mostly males in their 30s—overlaps perfectly with the TRANSFORMERS brand in terms of user base and popularity, making it an ideal choice for Hasbro to partner with, and Yodo1 was involved from concept to launch to ensure success.

From Contract to Launch in Just Three Months with the Yodo1 Team

Projects like these between top companies can take months or even years to finalize, but in this instance, the launch went live just a little over three months after the deal was signed. This rapid progress was due to Yodo1’s experienced Brands In Games (BIG) team, whose planning, know-how and hard work made the impossible happen.

“The collaboration with Yodo1 and Hasbro has achieved a highly satisfactory result. And Yodo1 has shown real professionalism throughout the process, which has made our job dealing with a large project like this much smoother. Their market knowledge and strong execution capability made it possible for us to launch this global collaboration quickly and effectively,” said CEO of Rivergame.

“We focus on collaborations that bring a massive impact for both the IP holder and the game developer. This collaboration between Hasbro and Rivergame’s Top War is a great example of this focus. We are delighted by the success of this project, which paves the way for a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership between Rivergame and Hasbro,” said James LaLonde, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Yodo1.

Is Your Game Looking For an IP Collaboration?

Yodo1 is selective in the partners chosen for mobile game IP collaboration, with stringent selection and evaluation mechanisms in place to ensure the developers we connect with IP holders are highly qualified and standouts in their game genre. Yodo1’s bilingual teams keep in close communication with the licensor and developer throughout, ensuring the project is smooth and trouble-free for both parties.

Moving forward, Yodo1 aims to broaden and continue the success with Hasbro and other global IP holders, working every step of the way to ensure that Hasbro’s strict quality standards are met. Our track record of consistently bringing value to all parties means gamers around the world can continue to enjoy games that feature their favorite IP characters.

If you are a developer interested in leveling up your game success with renowned IPs and want to learn more about possible collaborative deals, reach out to Yodo1’s BIG team today via BIG@yodo1.com.

About Rivergame

Rivergame is a fast-growing Chinese developer with a focus on global markets. Top War, their flagship title, is a fresh, addictive military simulation SLG. Started in 2018 by a group of developers and game players who wanted to realize their goals by creating innovative and entertaining games, they have gained a strong presence in the global mobile gaming market.

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to making the world a better place for all children, fans and families. Hasbro delivers immersive brand experiences for global audiences through consumer products, including toys and games; entertainment through eOne, its independent studio; and gaming, led by the team at Wizards of the Coast, an award-winning developer of tabletop and digital games best known for fantasy franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

The company’s unparalleled portfolio of approximately 1,500 brands includes MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, POWER RANGERS, PEPPA PIG and PJ MASKS, as well as premier partner brands. For the past decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media and one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute. Important business and brand updates are routinely shared on our Investor Relations website, Newsroom, and social channels (@Hasbro on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.)

About Yodo1

Yodo1 is a game platform company that helps developers better market, manage, and monetize their mobile games. Our AI-powered tools and global expertise in areas such as mobile advertising, community management, and digital IP licensing enable partners to increase playtime, revenue, and retention. Our vision is to open the world of gaming success to anyone with the talent to create and develop. To learn more, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.

This article first appeared on Pocket Gamer.

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Revenue 10x: Korea’s Banjiha Games’ Success Story with MAS

Our eCPM was declining fast before MAS. Now it’s 10 times higher!

In 2016

Three high school students got together and started an indie game studio. Today, with a nine-person team, Banjiha Games is Korea’s next big thing.They love developing adventure games and puzzles with game mechanics that mimic real-world physics,where players can be the hero.

In 2019

Banjiha’s “Seoul 2033” title won second place at the Google Play Indie Games Festival.

In 2020

Banjiha’s CEO Seungmin Paik found MAS.

The Challenge: Rapidly Falling Ad Revenue

When Seungmin came to us, they were using a traditional ad mediation platform in auto-mode: their eCPMwas falling fast and for no apparent reason. The studio had tried many products but none met their expectations. We introduced a simple solution: our single-SDK Managed Ad Services platform. “With the support of the detail-oriented and enthusiastic MAS tech team, integration was three times faster than expected,” the CEO reports.

How Yodo1 Helped: Quickly Maintaining a High eCPMthrough Customized Configuration

Why MAS?

With MAS, you will have an experienced monetization team at your full disposal. We will personally optimize your ad configuration, tailoring every setting to your game and player base. And with our team’s open-minded approach and dedication to providing continuous assistance, you won’t have to worry about language barriers being an issue: as Banjiha Games recently highlighted, anyone can benefit from MAS—regardless of where you are in the world.

"The reason to use MAS is simple: quickly maintain a high eCPM—in our case, almost ten times higher than before. In truth, there’s no reason not to work with Yodo1. Their team is passionate about helping you every step of the way." --Seungmin Paik, CEO Banjiha Games

Contact bd@yodo1.com to know more!

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