How Can Hyper Casual Game Stay Popular And Profitable

Hyper casual games were the second fastest growing app type in the first half of 2021, up 60% year-over-year. 

But what exactly is it about hyper casual games that have enabled such impressive growth? What are the magic ingredients that help these games scale? 

Let's dig more below.

What is a hyper casual game?

A hyper casual game is a game that is designed with minimal weight. They are relatively easy to make, but they are guaranteed to provide a high level of entertainment and replayability. Hyper casual games are made in such a way that they are approachable and enjoyable for the widest range of players.

The hyper casual games will most often generate revenue from in-app advertising, rather than in-app purchases.

The business strategy of hyper casual game publishers is usually to design and release the game quickly. After release, the goal is to acquire as many users as possible. It is usually accomplished through paid user acquisition. After gaining a significant user base, revenue is generated through paid ads displayed in the game.

Key elements of a hyper casual game

Hyper casual games are simple in their mechanics, design and concept.

There are many key ingredients that make up the recipe for their success - let's take a look at the recipe.

Simple

Simply put, we mean everything! Hyper casual games should be so simple that you don't need a tutorial to understand them. All you have to do is download them and start playing. This is the type of game you will play when you have free time and want to play it. In other words, hyper casual games should be short, easy to play and instant.

Minimalist

The user interface of hyper casual games is simple and minimalistic. The mechanics are also minimalistic, without much fancy stuff - no fancy controllers, elements or complex menus to master. 

The minimalist design means that the user needs to put almost no effort into getting started... You can play the hyper casual game on the train to work or even while watching TV, designed to help users switch off.

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Engaging

Hyper casual game is not only immediately playable, but also infinitely replayable. The short and simple game mechanics mean you'll want to play them over and over again.

Switchable

The flip side of simplicity is that hyper casual games do have a shorter shelf life than other genres. Don't despair, because their simplicity also means that users can easily move on to the next game. As a game developer, if you notice a decline in engagement, then you can cross-promote and steer them to your new game.

Easy to develop

Hyper casual games are easy to develop and publish due to their simple design and mechanics. Unlike other types of new games that can take months to develop, hyper casual games can be created and released in a matter of days. The reason for this is that hyper casual games are based on mechanics rather than plot, which makes the conceptualization and prototyping phases easier and shorter.

The key indicators of a game's potential are the 1-day retention rate and the 7-day retention rate. If the game's 1-day retention rate is above 40%, it moves forward. If it does not meet the game's KPIs, the game will be terminated. There is no point in putting more effort into a game that is unlikely to succeed.

Wide audience

Anyone can enjoy hyper casual games - they are a universally fun experience. They are mass market games that appeal to a wide audience because of their simplicity.

That's why the target audience for this type of game can be quite broad - your 28-year-old brother might enjoy it as much as your 55-year-old mom.

How do hyper casual games monetize? 

Hyper casual games are unique not only in terms of mechanics, but also in terms of how they are monetized. Here's how it usually works. Hyper casual developers want to reach as many users as possible, entertain them for a while, and show them a bunch of ads.

These games are primarily profitable through in-app advertising. More precisely, through a mix of bonus videos, playable ads and inserts. This won't generate huge amounts of revenue per user, but the overall game will make up for it in scale. 

In-App Purchases

As publishers move away from IDFAs, in-app purchases become a more attractive monetization option. According to Statista, global mobile ad spending is expected to exceed $240 billion* by 2022. 

In-app purchases are perfect for gamers. They grant additional levels of access not available to free app users, and are also used to sell ability enhancers, extended play time, and even in-app currency. 

One of the publishers getting a handle on in-app purchase games is Homa Games, a French startup focused on the hyper casual industry, which raised $15 million in funding as of February 2021 and announced plans to build a content production and publishing engine focused on three key areas, including in-app purchases. The product Homa Data will manage and optimize the monetization of ads and in-app purchases.  

Let's take a look at Homa Games' popular game Sky Roller, a free-to-play game that allows users to enjoy endless rounds of skating. One of the most popular in-app purchases for iPhone gamers is the VIP option. For $5.99 per week, there are no ads, more than 500 gems per day, and exclusive skins for user characters. 

Assume 200,000 downloads in May 2021 each with a weekly VIP subscription. That's close to $5 million in revenue from in-app purchases alone. That's a huge number to strive for, but in reality, encouraging hyper casual gamers to pay can be tricky. Not everyone will pay $5.99 per week - offering options such as a single in-app purchase for $0.99 can make a big difference.

In-app ads 

Revenue from in-game advertising is expected to increase from $42.3B in 2019 to $56B in 2024. As mentioned earlier, 73% of mobile gamers are willing to receive in-game ads. 

While these statistics demonstrate just how powerful in-game advertising is predicted to be, there is one thing to keep in mind. When placing ads in mobile apps, don't interfere with the user experience. Don't disrupt the experience with too many pop-ups or display ads that distract the user interface and risk uninstallation. If you do, this can have a significant impact. 

More than one-third of U.S. hyper casual players have abandoned such games because of too many ads. One way to prevent this abandonment is to create longer, less frequent ads on top of shorter, more frequent ads. Consider advertising with inserts between levels or when the game is paused, which can separate the experience.

Cross-promotion 

According to Statista, Voodoo was the world's most popular iPhone game app publisher in May 2021, with more than 23.1 million game app downloads.

Not only does Voodoo top the App Store rankings, but it also does a great job of cross-promoting games across its portfolio. It's fair to question this strategic approach. Why should publishers encourage users to transfer their playtime to another game, especially when 77% of users stop using the app after three days?

Think of it this way: if you have a game that users like, the likelihood that they will like another game designed by the same publisher is probably high. This is similar to how Netflix and other streaming services use "if you like this show, you might like it" to keep users watching.

Hyper casual game mechanics

It's a well-known fact that if you build a great app, users will flock to it in droves, right? For hyper casual games, remember the three S's: simple, short, and satisfying. Overcomplicating games can lead to game abandonment, so let's take a look at some of the most popular mechanics in hyper casual games.

Timing

Tap and timed games are the most popular form of mechanics for hyper casual games. Most other mechanics use either tapping or timing as their specific gameplay input method. In games with pure tap and timing gameplay, the mechanics rely on precise tapping or precise timing.  Precision is the most important aspect of the action, and the user's focus is on perfection. Only a perfect tap will result in the highest score. The rest of the game's feel and creativity relies on the ability to exploit small mistakes in taps to reduce the player's ability to win, usually in the form of high scores.

When considering click and timing mechanics, you must remove any external or confusing factors for the player and provide a clear visual goal for the player. Visual feedback is very important here, as it can clearly indicate a bad shot while also being a huge positive reinforcement for a perfect shot. The clearer the target, the harder the perfect shot and the more fun it will be to hit the ball.

Agility 

First, don't confuse agility with timing. This game is about hand-eye coordination and the ability to make quick decisions. The user should have the opportunity to dodge obstacles and collect coveted items. The thrill of collecting these items should increase their agility based on the items collected and the speed.

Puzzle

Puzzle games are a genre in themselves, but hyper casual puzzle games focus more on simplicity than complexity. A good hyper casual puzzle game usually has no end in sight. The player is simply asked to continue playing the puzzle for as long as possible, and the game does not increase in difficulty. The mechanics themselves must become more complex through the actions of the user. Good examples are 1010! by Gram Games or 2048 by Ketchapp. In both cases, the puzzle rules are set at the beginning and the board evolves as you play. Unlike other board games (such as chess or checkers) that have a clear end goal, hyper casual puzzles usually do not have a clear ending and simply last as long as possible.

These are the most difficult types of hyper casual games to develop because they are usually very clear and well-defined mechanics unique to the game itself. This is because it's hard to create a mechanic that doesn't change the game board over time to something too easy or too hard. Board games are usually a good place to look for tried and true mechanics, but make sure you choose rules that require very little or you will lose your audience in the explanation.

Merge

Do you like the satisfaction of progress? Then you probably play a lot of games with merge mechanics. The goal is simple: combine similar things to get a bonus object or result. Merging must remain exciting but also simple.

Sometimes the user is not even playing, but is happy to indulge their senses as the pieces continue to work their way into winning positions.
 

Steering

These games require players to move around a track or avoid oncoming hazards. All of these mechanics are designed to keep the user entertained and engaged in the game. The more time invested in the game, the more players are willing to invest in other resources, such as in-app purchases.