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Mastering Retention Podcast

Ep.74: Unlock the secrets of hyper-casual games

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSrDyIDh0Ts
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🎙️ Mastering Retention Podcast: Navigating the Hyper-Casual Gaming Landscape with Christoph Sachenhausen
Host: Tom Hammond, Co-founder of UserWise
Guest: Christoph Sachenhausen, Managing Director at Sunday
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Introduction

👋 About Christoph Sachenhausen:
Managing Director at Sunday, a hyper-casual mobile game publisher.
Background in software development and startups.
Led the creation of successful mobile products despite initial lack of experience in the field.
Sunday has grown to a team of 30, with six successful hits and plans to launch 15 new games this year.
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Journey into the Gaming Industry

🎮 Early Beginnings:
Started programming at 14-15 years old, learning from books and manuals.
Studied industrial engineering but maintained a passion for software and startups.
Interned at Rocket Internet, gaining experience in the startup environment.
🚀 Entrepreneurship and E-commerce:
Co-founded his first startup with friends, which eventually failed but provided valuable lessons.
Joined About You, a German e-commerce platform, as a product lead.
Built their mobile app and website from scratch.
Witnessed the shift towards mobile shopping in 2015.
🎯 Founding Sunday:
Friends from his first startup founded Applike and invited Christoph to start a games publishing company.
Despite no prior experience in game development, he took on the challenge and founded Sunday.
Aimed to create a casual, relatable brand in mobile gaming.
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The State of Hyper-Casual Games

🌐 Market Evolution:
Hyper-casual gaming has become more competitive than three to four years ago.
Increased number of studios and higher-quality games make it harder to stand out.
User acquisition strategies have become more sophisticated, requiring multiple ad networks.
📈 Business Model Insights:
Hyper-casual games are likened to ad-supported content like news websites or TV shows.
The core is to capture user attention and monetize through ads without causing churn.
Emphasized the need for extremely good content to keep players engaged.
🍬 Gaming as Snacks:
Analogy: AAA games are like a three-course meal; casual games are like a Big Mac; hyper-casual games are like M&Ms.
Hyper-casual games offer quick, enjoyable experiences that provide short bursts of satisfaction.
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What Makes Sunday Different

🤝 Developer Empowerment:
Sunday focuses on supporting developers with tools, guidance, and financial support.
They have three in-house development teams, which helps them understand the development process intimately.
Offer a more personalized approach compared to larger publishers.
🎮 Empathy and Support:
Recognize the struggles developers face and provide coaching through the development process.
Aim to empower developers rather than just publish their games.
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Advice for New Hyper-Casual Studios

👥 Key Roles in a Small Team:
Game Lead: Oversees game design, level creation, and project management.
Gameplay Developer: Focuses on using Unity effectively to build game mechanics quickly.
Technical Artist: Implements models, animations, and visual effects directly in Unity.
🎯 Finding Success:
Be open to the hyper-casual development and testing process.
Understand what motivates players to play and convert on ads.
Keep teams small and agile to iterate quickly.
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Emotions in Hyper-Casual Games

😊 Evoking Basic Human Emotions:
Aim to trigger strong, basic emotions within seconds through gameplay and ads.
Examples of Emotions:
Growth: Games where players grow or collect to become stronger (e.g., "Hole.io").
Disgust: Unusual or weird elements that intrigue players.
Social Acceptance/Rejection: Games focused on fitting in or standing out.
Reproduction/Multiplication: Games involving merging or multiplying characters (e.g., "Count Masters").
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Finding Game Ideas

💡 Sources of Inspiration:
Iterating on current hit games by adding a unique twist.
Drawing from social media trends and pop culture, though cautious of their fleeting nature.
Revisiting older hyper-casual or indie games and reimagining them for the current market.
Exploring the emerging genre of Idle Arcade, combining idle mechanics with direct player interaction.
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Measuring Success Beyond CPI

📊 Focusing on IPM (Installs Per Mille):
Due to changes like increased CPIs and ATT impacts, CPI is less reliable.
IPM measures how well an ad converts, providing a clearer picture of marketability.
Use IPM to predict the potential for scaling on SDK networks rather than just social media.
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LiveOps in Hyper-Casual Games

🔄 Opportunities with Idle Arcade:
LiveOps can enhance retention in games with longer lifespans.
In hyper-casual, immediate rewards are more effective than long-term currencies.
Challenges exist due to the nature of hyper-casual players seeking quick, uncomplicated experiences.
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Multiplayer in Hyper-Casual Games

👥 Limited Success So Far:
Few successful examples of multiplayer hyper-casual games.
Potential reasons include added complexity and a mismatch with player expectations.
May work better on social platforms where players can invite friends.
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Partnering with Sunday

🤝 Open Collaboration:
Sunday is open to working with studios worldwide.
Interested developers can contact them via their website, email, or LinkedIn.
They look for portfolios and prototypes to assess production quality.
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Lessons for Casual Game Teams

🚀 Embracing Iteration Speed:
Casual game teams can learn from hyper-casual's rapid prototyping and market testing.
Early hands-on testing can validate concepts before deep investment.
Adopting a "fake it before you make it" approach to gauge player interest quickly.
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Marketing Strategies

🎯 Ad Creation and Testing:
Start with a large number of ads (e.g., 300 for new games) and continually iterate.
Use pop culture trends to boost ad appeal but be ready to adapt quickly.
Recognize that ad performance declines over time; constant refresh is necessary.
📺 Importance of Banners:
Banners can contribute 10-15% additional ad revenue.
Especially effective in games with long session times.
Non-intrusive and do not significantly impact player churn.
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Tips for Player Retention

🔑 Keeping Players Engaged:
Introduce elements of surprise and novelty in gameplay.
Ensure that players are curious about what's coming next.
Regularly add new challenges, mechanics, or twists to maintain interest.
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Conclusion

🌟 Final Thoughts:
Hyper-casual gaming remains a dynamic and challenging field.
Success requires understanding player psychology, rapid iteration, and effective marketing.
Sunday's developer-centric approach aims to empower studios to create engaging content.
📞 Connecting with Christoph and Sunday:
Email:
contact@sunday.gg
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or
publishing@sunday.gg
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LinkedIn: Christoph is open to connections and inquiries.
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