Shweta Pakhare – May 24, 2024
This blog series called ‘Why Publish With TapNation’ will explore the many benefits of partnering with TapNation as your mobile game publisher. We’ll delve into our experience, proven strategies, and commitment to maximizing your game’s success.
Introduction
TapNation is a leading mobile game publisher and developer in an industry dominating the app market right now. With 189 billion volume downloads predicted to reach by 2027 (Source: Sensor Tower Report 2023), finding the right publishers with the expertise and approach to level up your game is crucial.
What makes TapNation one of the best on the market?
- 1,3+ Billion mobile game downloads
- 50+ games published including hyper casual + hybrid casual games
- +60 million monthly active users
- Top 14 Financial Times 1000 EU’s Fastest Growing Companies 2024
- Top 1 Les Champions de la Croissance 2024 by Les Echos and Statista
- Member of the French Tech Next 40/120
TapNation’s Impressive Track Record
Since 2019, TapNation has set a high track record in just over 5 years, bringing high-performance hit games such as Thief Puzzle (260M+), Ice Cream Inc (266M+), Giant Rush (200M+), and many more! With a robust portfolio of successful games, our expertise stems from our creative and data-driven approach, leading us to build promising game concepts and guide them to top ranks. We then test and improve game metrics, analyzing key performance indicators such as Cost Per Install (CPI), retention rates, Average revenue per user (ARPU), Playtime, and improving user experience with our rigorous standards for AB testing to maximize the LTV (Lifetime value) of your game. TapNation ensures that every game we publish has the potential to be a hit and profitable.
Overview of Publishing Strategy
From its inception, TapNation has seamlessly blended a data-driven approach with a focus on creativity. During our inception days in 2019, we concentrated solely on hyper-casual games and our primary objective was to develop flexible, innovative mobile games informed by data. We crafted marketable concepts and let our audience guide us. This helped us adapt the games in real time to achieve target metrics and ensure profitability.
As we transition towards more hybrid and puzzle-oriented long-term strategies, emphasizing in-app purchases (IAP), our commitment to creativity and data remains unwavering. Our mission, as a mobile game publisher, is to create compelling games that captivate players, ensuring they invest their time and enjoy the experience we provide.
TapNation’s publishing process is a blend of creative ideation, sourcing, rigorous testing, and game improvements. Here is the step-by-step process:
1. Game Ideation: Analyzing market trends, conceptualizing and producing game pitches.
2. Production support: The publishing team is with you during the entire production process, needed for game success.
3. Submit your game: Finished APK or portfolio elements (ideally playable).
4. Marketability test: Data analysis to assess potential (CPI, APPU/LTV, retention, playtime).
5. Meet the TapNation team: Founders, Publishing, Tech & Data, Motion Design, User Acquisition and Marketing.
6. Soft launch & testing: Opening of new networks and increase of marketing budget, A/B testing & data optimization, access to studio platform for metrics monitoring.
7. Global launch & success: Full-throttle marketing spend to generate profit, maximized player base, profit sharing, repeat process.
Success Stories and Case Studies
TapNation’s success is best exemplified by its portfolio of hit games. Each game is a testament to TapNation’s strategic approach and commitment to quality. For example: In one of our hit games, “Giant Rush,” you navigate a giant through a series of obstacle courses, with bonus levels and boss fights along the way. By making subtle tweaks to the game, we managed to make significant improvements to the game’s retention:
- Introducing a slow-motion animation when a player smashes through a wall boosted D1 retention by 4%.
- A new ‘special big boss’ mechanic improved D1 retention by 2% and D3 by 4%.
- Moving the gauge multiplier resulted in a 14% increase in RV watches.
Giant Rush now boasts roughly 125 million downloads and generated roughly $12 million in revenue during its first 6 months. Moreover, through our A/B testing process, we managed to boost LTV up to 100% in 30 days, which is yet another proof of the incredibly huge positive it can bring to your game.
Another success story is “Ice Cream Inc.,” where we increased IAP by 250% on Android and increased spending on the SDK network by 35% based on AB tests on the IAP pricing and placement. TapNation’s strategic improvements and creative ideation helped make the game soar to new heights!
“Thief Puzzle,” is one of our most successful games with over 270 million downloads to date. It continues to improve and engage its vast audience through meticulous fine-tuning. We’ve reorganized the game’s flow and added a shop featuring rewarded videos, which boosted video ad engagement by 21%. Also, we introduced a completion percentage to entice users to finish specific levels, increasing level completion by 15%.
Additionally, we’ve overhauled the game’s monetization strategy, incorporating audio ads and native ads to enhance revenue while maintaining an enjoyable player experience. These enhancements ensure “Thief Puzzle” remains a top choice for players and a benchmark for success in the mobile gaming industry,” says Kinsey Dardanus, our Chief Product Officer.
Hero Making Tycoon is our latest game in hybrid casual. It has swiftly climbed into the top 30 of the top-grossing casual idle tycoon games worldwide for 2024. Gradually, it boasted over $2,000,000 in revenue and more than 5,000,000 downloads lifetime (Source AppMagic). This game has brought in a global audience with its innovative fusion of hero creation and management. It allows players to build their superhero workshop, train a diverse team of heroes, and thwart villainous threats.
Hero Making Tycoon is a blend of strategic resource management, dynamic hero development, and a captivating blend of RPG-tycoon elements. Players are drawn in by multiple progression paths and a variety of monetization strategies, including in-app purchases and limited-time events. The game’s idle mechanics and extensive customization options keep players engaged. This naturally encourages both short bursts of play and extended gaming sessions.
Conclusion
As a mobile game publisher, we offer a wealth of experience, a data-driven approach, and a track record of successful game launches. Accordingly, you get more than just a publisher, you get a partner committed to your game’s success. By choosing TapNation, you’re choosing a pathway to success in the competitive world of mobile gaming.
In the next part of this series, we will delve deeper into TapNation’s innovative approach, strategy, and advantages. This will help you explore how we can help transform your game from a promising idea into a successful reality.
Stay tuned for the next blog in our series, “Why Publish with TapNation!
Here’s a breakdown of the in-depth publishing process and how to publish a hit game with TapNation.