Scaling Monetization in a Cooking Simulation Game

Smartest techniques in the business.

Service: Monetization

Punchline Highlights

3.8× increase in ARPDAU (from $0.039 → $0.149) within 8 months
71 % jump in first-week IAP conversion
54 % lift in rewarded-ad views per active user

-29 % reduction in level-one drop-off

1. About the Game

A Cooking Simulation Game for casual–mid-core audiences. 90-second levels combine tap-to-cook mechanics, order juggling, kitchen upgrades, and avatar skins. The live-ops calendar pushes fresh dishes every 14 days and time-limited festivals every 28 days.

Key launch metrics (Month 0):

DAU: ~82 000 (43 % iOS / 57 % Android)
D1 retention: 32 %
D7 retention: 18 %
ARPDAU: $0.039
IAP conversion: 1.9 %

2. The Challenge (with Numbers)

Pain-Point	Baseline Data	Impact
Early churn (Level 1–3)	27 % of installs closed the app before finishing Level 3	Suppressed ad impressions & tutorial IAPs
Low IAP depth	84 % of payers bought exactly one $1.99 coin pack	Revenue plateaued despite DAU growth
Ads vs UX	Interstitial eCPM = $12.70, but 24 % rage-quit after two forced ads	Retention penalty outweighed RPM gain
Regional imbalance	Tier-3 installs = 46 % of volume, eCPM only $2.11	Missed rev share in price-sensitive geos

3. Strategy / Solution

3.1 Gameplay & Progression Tune

Combo Bar & Tip Multiplier: rewarding perfect dish streaks boosted avg. score by 31 % and session time by 38 %.
Kitchen Mastery Ladder: 3-star gates every 15 levels unlocked décor & premium utensils → provided clear mid-term goals.

3.2 Monetization Layer

Layer	Implementation Detail	KPI Uplift
First-Time Bundle	$0.99 (x3 energy, ad-free 24 h, rare pan skin). Displayed after Level 4.	18 % click-thru → 9 % purchase; 41 % of buyers made a 2nd purchase within 72 h.
Ingredient Crates	Gacha boxes (common–legendary). Dynamic pricing via Mintegral A/B engine.	Raised mean order value from $3.07 → $4.58.
Chef Pass Subscription	Weekly $2.49; ad-free, double coins, exclusive recipes.	4 % of payers; 92 % weekly renewal rate after 4 weeks.
Rewarded Ads	• “Instant Plate” skip (Unity Ads)
• “Delivery Rush” coin doubler (AdMob)
• “Mystery Ingredient” chest (Bigo)	Daily rewarded impressions/user: 0.7 → 1.55 (+121 %).
Interstitial Re-capping	Shown only after completed level if session > 3 min; opt-out via Chef Pass.	Rage-quit incidence −67 %; eCPM +19 % (better completion).

3.3 Regional Pricing & UA

AdJoy smart links fed UA campaigns with LTV cohort signals.
Added geo-scaled IAP tiers (e.g., ₹39 in India vs $0.99 US).
Local festival themes (Ramadan, Día de los Muertos) raised Tier-3 conversion by 124 %.

4. Monetization Mix (Post-Optimization)

Revenue Source	Share	Networks / Tech
IAP Bundles & Crates	46 %	Mintegral dynamic pricing, Firebase Remote Config
Rewarded Video Ads	32 %	Unity Ads, AdMob, Bigo
Chef Pass Subscriptions	17 %	Stripe / StoreKit, local currency & family share
Interstitial Ads	5 %	Frequency-capped, AdMob mediation waterfall

5. Results (8-Month Trend)

Metric	Month 0	Month 4	Month 8	Δ %
ARPDAU	$0.039	$0.083	$0.149	+282 %
IAP Conversion	1.9 %	3.7 %	5.1 %	+171 %
Rewarded Ads / User / Day	0.7	1.3	1.8	+157 %
D7 Retention	18 %	24 %	29 %	+61 %
Daily Revenue	$3.2 K	$6.1 K	$8.9 K	+178 %

(All figures are net after platform fees)

6. Conclusion

By marrying data-driven pricing, event-centric live-ops, and player-respectful ad design, this Arcade-style Cooking Simulation graduated from niche clone status to a top-grossing casual title in its sub-category. The iterative roadmap—guided by Mintegral segmentation and Unity ad analytics—proved that even mature genres still hide scalable revenue opportunities.