IP’s in Hypercasual Games: Should Developers Consider it?

Over the last few years, hypercasual games have consistently dominated the gaming charts. According to Apptopia in Q3 of 2020, the top 10 hypercasual publishers had their games downloaded 1.9 billion times, growing their downloads by 31% YoY in the third quarter. More recently, the iOS and Android stores have seen an increase in IP mobile games, and some of these games have appeared in the hypercasual category. 

As a developer, you might be wondering if creating an IP hypercasual game is worth your time. Below, we provide three reasons why partnering with a publisher to work on an IP hypercasual game could be worth it. Let’s dive in!

• Increase your game’s marketability
• Increase in LTV (lifetime value)
• Enhance brand value perception

INCREASE YOUR GAME’S MARKETABILITY

One big advantage of partnering with a brand is the ability to lower the CPI of your game. It’s easier to market something that has already been branded – in this scenario, we expect the brand to have a big fan base and a large audience that follows the brand’s developments. This can leverage your game in ways a non-IP hypercasual game would since you’re not only marketing to your usual audience but you’re also attracting brand loyalists. It’s also possible to explore other marketing tactics such as snap lenses and/or influencer marketing to leverage your game.

Featuring your game can also increase its marketability. Both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store want to demonstrate that they host high-quality games. By partnering with a well-known brand, it’s highly possible you’ll have your game featured in one of the stores. This provides more recognition and visibility to your game, which can lead to more downloads, increased visibility, more high-quality users, and more engaged users. Needless to say, all these usually result in higher revenue.

INCREASE IN LTV ( LIFETIME VALUE)

Another great thing about IP’s is that they’re able to increase the LTV of your game. Regular testing to see how users interact with your game is crucial to understanding how players respond to specific events, trends, or ad placements. Once you know this, then you’ll be able to create a strong monetization strategy. For example, brand loyalists are more likely to be attracted by unlockable content related to the brand and thus more likely to interact with the content you provide. This content can be unlocked through Ads or IAP’s (in-app purchases) which, ultimately, will boost your LTV.

ENHANCE BRAND VALUE PERCEPTION

Partnering with a well-known brand can provide your studio with high brand-value perception. In other words, the industry will value your game development services more highly because your studio is associated with a well-known brand. A high brand value perception can ultimately bring your studio more opportunities and more recognition in the industry. If you’re looking for funding or hiring new staff, being associated with an IP can help you leverage this. Keep in mind that this is only true if both brands are in good standing, and both have solid reputations within their industry.

and remember…

Brands provide strong feelings, stories, elements, and ways that consumers think and feel about the brand itself. For this reason, there are many audiences that love and are loyal to certain brands.  

When partnering with a brand, make your game stand out not just by following the brand’s guidelines but also by taking advantage of what the brand can offer to your game in terms of character creation, collections, or rewards.

When Homa Games worked on their latest game NERF Epic Pranks! their main goal was to bring players the ultimate NERF experience to mobile. They did this by adapting brand concepts to their game that they knew players and loyal audiences would ultimately love.

For example in NERF Epic Pranks! players are able to collect different blasters as they reach new levels as part of the gaming experience. To top it off, they provided players the opportunity to obtain the VIP blaster if they decided to get the subscription base. If your brand has collectible characters of this type, you need to leverage this.

Example of the NERF blasters created by Homa’s creative team:

If you have any questions about IP’s or hypercasual in general feel free to reach out to Homa Games at contact@homagames.com.