Monetization Uplift in a Casual Game

1. About the Game 

This case study evaluates a Casual Game designed for a broad audience with simple mechanics, daily goals, and a cozy visual theme. The gameplay is intuitive and non-competitive, ideal for short sessions during downtime.

2. The Challenge

• Low Revenue per Daily Active User (ARPDAU): Stuck under $0.06 despite decent install volume
  
  
• Unmotivated Engagement with Ads: Users skipped or ignored rewarded videos
  
  
• Lack of Retention Drivers: No mechanics to encourage return beyond Day 3
  
  
• Poor Premium Currency Utilization: In-game currency went unused, undermining IAP potential
  
  
• Seasonality Slump: Monthly active users dropped 23% during non-peak quarters
  
  

3. Strategy / Solution

Personalized Incentives

• Introduced adaptive rewarded video offers based on user behavior
  
  
• Segmented players by ad engagement frequency and adjusted cooldown windows
  
  
• Rolled out seasonal daily reward calendar that unlocks via ad view or small IAP
  
  

Session Structure Optimization

• Added end-of-session bonus wheel with high perceived value
  
  
• Integrated pause screen ad prompts with low interruption threshold
  
  
• Created daily mini-objectives triggered via a video ad
  
  

Cosmetic Store Enhancements

• Cosmetic refresh every 48h using Bigo and Adjoy ads for free unlocks
  
  
• Ad-gated avatar customization for low-spending users
  
  
• Gave users Unity Ads-powered sneak previews of upcoming skins for opt-in views
  
  

Time-of-Day & Frequency Tweaks

• Adjusted ad delivery based on active time zone and historical peak session times
  
  
• Used Unity and Mintegral to rotate ad networks based on CPM performance
  
  

4. Monetization Strategy

• 
  Interstitial frequency capped to 3 per day per user
  
  
• Rewarded ads aligned with core goals (not side quests)
  
  
• Cosmetic monetization made visually appealing with previews
  
  

5. Results (Long-Term Performance)

6. Conclusion

By refining ad timing, personalizing offers, and turning cosmetics into revenue assets, this casual game turned light users into monetizable audiences without affecting gameplay enjoyment.

Hybrid monetization with smart segmentation helped scale without creating friction, showing that even low-stakes games can achieve high-impact outcomes when paired with behavior-driven ad placement.