How Yodo1 Helped Heartopia Boost Its Revenue by 171% with the My Little Pony IP

The Heartopia × My Little Pony collaboration was one of the cutest aesthetic partnerships we facilitated this year — and also one of the strongest in performance, boosting Heartopia’s revenue by 171%. So, how did we make it happen together with XD Inc. and Hasbro?

In this case study, we’ll cover:

• Background of the studios and games
• Integration overview
• Opportunities and challenges
• Key results
• Essential learnings for simulation games

About the Studios and the IP

This was our first time bringing Hasbro’s IP and XD Inc. together — so here’s a quick look at both sides.

Game: Heartopia by XD Inc.

Heartopia is a 3D life simulation game set on a dreamy island where players, guided by the Star Spirit, develop their towns, customise freely, and uncover hidden stories through interactions with residents.

XD Inc. is a global publisher and developer with 38 free-to-play and premium titles and over 50 million MAU (Monthly Active Users) as of 2022.

IP: My Little Pony by Hasbro

My Little Pony (MLP) is a toy line and media franchise with a 41-year history, known for its cute, colorful ponies. Designed to inspire girls to express their individuality and embrace others’ uniqueness, it has evolved through five generations from G1 (1983) to the current G5 era.

Hasbro is a global entertainment company and one of the world’s largest toy and game manufacturers, home to brands like Transformers, Monopoly, Nerf, and My Little Pony, and a developer of both physical and digital IP experiences across gaming and media.

Bringing My Little Pony into the World of Heartopia

Event period and promotion

The event ran from July 17 to August 24, 2025, and was available exclusively in Mainland China

How character entered the world

While the ponies were preparing gifts for the School of Friendship, Discord’s chaotic spell accidentally sent both the Harmony Cards and the Tree of Harmony to another world. They traced it to Heartopia’s Whale Island, where the Tree is slowly withering — and the ponies themselves can’t freely enter or leave this world.

Integration content

• IP Content: The ponies themselves don’t appear in Heartopia, but their themed costumes, vehicles, and collectible cards do — inspired by the six main ponies: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
• Gameplay: This collaboration uses ‘the Tree of Harmony’ and ‘Elements of Harmony’ to develop event gameplay and story. Players can collect elements and rewards from the withered Tree of Harmony, then contribute energy by watering it for additional prizes.

Finding the Right Fit and Overcoming the Challenges

To provide more insight into this and the following sections, we invited Sylvie Shi, Project Manager of the collaboration, and Ke Sun, Head of Strategy and China Publishing, to share their perspectives in an interview-style format.

Q: How did we identify this growth opportunity?

Ke Sun: After its July 2024 release, Heartopia quickly climbed into the top ten sales charts. The XD team wanted to sustain that momentum by partnering with an IP that complemented the game. We identified My Little Pony as the perfect fit — bringing a fresh dose of charm and cuteness that resonated with Heartopia’s core audience of 15–35-year-old females.

Q: What was the biggest challenge Yodo1 helped to solve?

Sylvie Shi: Time management was a major challenge — especially around licensing approvals and coordinating market events. For example, the extra steps required for music licensing required careful tracking to keep everything on schedule. Also, we ensured brand alignment on both sides and kept refining creative integration options throughout the process.

Costumes based on the Mane Six characters from My Little Pony.

Despite the complexity, our expertise in IP collaboration project management and deep understanding of the IP made the process seamless, saving significant time for both XD Games and Hasbro, which was our goal.

Results and Impact

Q: What are the performance highlights of this collaboration?

Ke Sun: This collaboration delivered impressive results in both revenue and downloads, while also making a strong impact on the fan community. Compared to the non-collab period, the event achieved:

• +171% in Heartopia’s revenue (totalling $5.89M)
• +34.38% in Heartopia’s downloads (totalling 642K)

The campaign also set new records for community engagement and brand visibility:

• Record-Breaking Social Performance. Promotional content surpassed 18.2M views, with event posts becoming the game’s best-performing of all time.

• Successful Combination of Online and Offline Exposure. The Taptap Fest stream reached 3.53M+ views, while the offline Ponyverse Festival generated 33.8M+ Rednote hashtag views, pushing Heartopia’s search indices on Weibo and WeChat to all-time highs.
• Higly Positive Player Feedback. Players praised the high quality of assets and the My Little Pony–themed atmosphere, leading to a notable boost in positive community sentiment.

Data source: AppMagic

Key Learnings and Takeaways

Q: What are the top insights this collaboration brings to life stimulation games?

Sylvie Shi: There’re three key points we highlighted to keep in mind for facilitate future collaborations in this simulation genre:

• Timing collaborations with key game events or milestones can amplify their impact. We strategically launched Heartopia x MLP collaboration during Heartopia’s anniversary celebration, maximising user engagement and tapping into moments when players are most active and likely to spend.
• Social Interactions are important for life stimulation games too. These features encouraged players to share their in-game experiences and collaborate with others, enhancing and deepening fan engagement. For example, Heartopia introduced a unique Tree of Harmony map where players could gather, take photos, and complete quests, as well as a Badge Collection feature that let them exchange badges and use them to decorate their homes.
• Exclusive content sales help boost revenue. In Heartopia, the launch of My Little Pony–themed items created a strong monetization stream, as players eagerly purchased unique pieces to dress up and share the vibe with others in the game.

Commemorative Merchandise (Badge Collection) that were introduced in Heartopia.

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Vehicles based on Mane Six characters’ ponies that were introduced in Heartopia.

By integrating these insights, simulation games can effectively enhance their gameplay, engage diverse audiences, and increase their commercial success.

About Yodo1

Yodo1 helps mobile game developers grow globally through licensing, monetization, IP partnerships, and publishing. Yodo1 Licensing builds lasting IP collaborations between mobile games and media brands, helping both sides create crossover strategies that boost loyalty, attract new players, and stand out in a competitive market. Learn more at yodo1.com.