Scaling Ad-First Monetization in a Hypercasual Game

1. About the Game 

This case study focuses on a hypercasual mobile game launched on Android and iOS, designed with one-tap controls and low onboarding friction. The game targets a mass market demographic across Tier-1, Tier-2, and Tier-3 geos and operates on a pure free-to-play model with a primary monetization focus on in-app advertising.

Upon soft launch, the game had high install velocity but was monetizing below industry benchmarks. Average eCPM was low, interstitials weren’t being optimized, and player sessions were too short to support meaningful ad exposure. The team needed to rapidly improve monetization without compromising engagement.

2. The Challenge

• Low eCPM: Average global eCPM was $5.20, far below genre leaders
• Short Sessions: Average session length was 46 seconds, not enough for meaningful ad placement
• Interstitial Avoidance: Users frequently closed the app after being shown early interstitials
• No User Segmentation: All users treated the same; high LTV users were not identified or optimized for
• Lack of Ad Partner Diversity: Only two ad networks integrated (Unity Ads, AdMob)

The core problem: how to boost monetization in a high-churn genre without harming retention or CPI attractiveness.

3. Strategy / Solution

Ad Stack Optimization

• Integrated Mintegral, Bigo Ads, and Adjoy in addition to Unity and AdMob
• Switched to bidding-based mediation using MAX and ironSource to ensure dynamic floor prices
• Country-level eCPM segmentation allowed for better ad targeting

Placement Engineering

• Interstitials introduced after the 2nd failure, then every 3rd session (reduced early churn by 14%)
• Rewarded Ads added for optional revives and unlockable skins
• Playable Ads featured in interstitial slots to boost install rates for advertisers and raise bids

Behavioral Segmentation

• Users tagged by behavior: “tappers” (low retention), “loopers” (3+ daily sessions), and “explorers” (try new modes)
• Revive ads only shown to loopers; explorers shown offerwall mini-surveys
• Tappers received minimal ads in first 2 sessions to avoid churn

A/B Testing

• Conducted multivariate testing for:
  • Interstitial frequency (2 vs 3 per session)
  • Revive reward value (100 pts vs 1 extra life)
  • Skippable vs Non-skippable interstitials

4. Monetization Strategy

• 
  Interstitials were the top driver but only effective when delayed to post-hook moments
• Rewarded ads doubled session time on average
• Playable ads raised advertiser engagement, improving auction bids

5. Results

6. Conclusion

In hypercasual games, every second counts. By rethinking the ad strategy around user behavior, market segmentation, and mediation optimization, this puzzle-style hypercasual game multiplied its revenue and engagement without harming retention. Rather than overloading with ads, the team used timing, formats, and incentives to align monetization with user flow.

Smart ad engineering and network diversification remain key to growing revenue in short-session games.