In the last 10 years the app stores have seen everything from hard-core, mid-core, and casual games take-off, but the far casual side of the spectrum is now dominating the app charts. Hyper-casual games have seen unparalleled growth, and are only getting stronger. Why? In an age of digital advertising, with a mobile device in nearly everyone’s hands, these games present advertisers with an incredibly effective delivery system… a game where screen time is immediate and addictive.
This brief article will define hyper-casual games, where they came from, and most importantly, how they can be monetized.
Hyper-casual games were born in the arcades several decades before. From Space-Travel to Pong, these games were loved by the masses because they were easy to play, but more importantly tempting to replay, and replay, and so it goes…
Modern mobile hyper-casual games have the same qualities but have expanded the definition with incredible variety and appeal. As the name suggests, these games are easy to play by using simple mechanics with no need for instructions or tutorials. The idea is to instantly tap and play, each time getting a little better than the next, which makes them highly addictive.
Here are some of the simple mechanics used in hyper-casual games and why they are effective –
Timing – very common, the difficulty of these games is determined by your timing and variated by the speed at which each round plays. With short rounds, successful hyper-casual games often offer multiple lives or chances to reduce the risk of losing a player.
Here are some additional hyper-casual game mechanics –
Hyper-casual games’ combination of simple mechanics and UI deliver a very accessible and engaging user experience. With no tutorial, even more so than casual games, players can instantly get into gameplay and get hooked on improving to reach new levels. In addition, hyper-casual games, unlike other genres that target more specific audiences, are built for the masses, which also opens up the door for various methods of monetization.
Because hyper-casual games rely on ads as their primary form of monetization, choosing the correct ad units and monetization technologies is crucial for driving revenue. In addition to evaluating specific ad units, developers need to consider factors like session length and the number of sessions per day when strategizing ad implementation to serve more impressions to users.
Read more in How to Boost Your App with Elite User Segmentation.
Here are few different categories and strategies to boost revenue for hyper-casual games –
Read more about generating the highest LTV in Targeting High LTV Users.
Learn more about in-app bidding in Waterfall VS. Header Bidding.
In the mobile app space, hyper-casual games and ad monetization make a powerful combination. Of course, it takes in-depth strategy and research to implement either. It’s exciting to think about the future of hyper-casual games when one imagines the many layers of game play and potential marketing angles. The sky is the limit in terms of the games that can be developed and how ads can be implemented. That’s the reason why DSPs, like Bigabid, rely so heavily on indredibly sophisticated machine learning technologies. If you need help monetizing your hyper-casual game with highly sophisticated AI technologies and a transparent wiz-team of data scientists and engineers, please reach out!