In recent years, hyper-casual games have really taken off, shaping a big part of the gaming industry’s evolution. These games are loved for their simple mechanics, quick and easy gameplay, and freemium models, making them incredibly addictive and relevant today. Voodoo, a Paris-based company leading the charge in hyper-casual gaming, has set a high standard with the addictive games it’s launched.
In this blog, we’ll explore the reasons behind Voodoo’s success and how it has become the top hyper-casual game company.
This is a case study on one of the giants in hyper-casual game development: Voodoo. We will start by understanding the essence of hyper-casual games and gradually learn all their nuances. We will also understand how Voodoo grabbed the market’s attention through its breakthrough in this domain. Other things that we will cover in this blog are:
How Voodoo relies on data to develop new titles
We will study its method of rapid prototyping and publishing
We will also glance at how it leverages marketing and user acquisition
The monetization strategies Voodoo relies on
How it has a global reach, and we will talk about its partnerships
The Essence of Hyper-Casual Games
One thing that really draws people to hyper casual games is their simple mechanics. The minimalistic design, easy onboarding, and quick levels or missions make these games engaging and fun for various players.
Players often find quick gratification and a rewarding sense of achievement in these games. Titles like Helix Jump and Hole.io have become well-loved for their straightforward mechanics and engaging, lucrative design, setting the standard for hyper-casual games.
Understanding these factors and applying them to their games is what established Voodoo as the leading hyper-casual game company.
What is Data-Driven Game Development?
Voodoo is all about data-driven game development, giving it a special edge over its competitors. The agency uses unique methods to test prototypes and carefully monitors all the important metrics. These metrics include:
Retention Rates
The agency monitors everyone who downloads and plays the game and monitors whether they turn up again to play it eventually.
Cost Per Install (CPI)
The cost per install helps deduce the marketing budget that the agency can allocate to the project, streamlining your budget.
Playtime
The agency also keeps an eye on how much time a user spends playing the game or during a single session. Monitoring this can be really helpful for the company in boosting revenue.
Voodoo carefully analyzes these metrics to understand the game’s potential during its game development stage before launching it. If the game excels in all these areas, it’s given the green light to be released. However, if it doesn’t meet the mark, the agency decides to halt the project early in its development, saving time and resources.
Voodoo’s Rapid Prototyping and Publishing Model
Voodoo’s approach to game development is unique; the agency trusts its in-house team while also outsourcing some parts of the process. They rapidly produce multiple simple prototypes, selecting the best among them. Below is a detailed description of Voodoo’s iterative process:
Test Multiple Ideas Simultaneously
Before settling on a final idea, Voodoo carefully tests many options. It’s common for several mobile game ideas to be discarded along the way before one great game is finally launched and finds success in the market.
Minimize Development Costs
Before investing resources, Voodoo carefully selects the most promising prototype, helping to significantly reduce development costs.
Accelerate Time-to-Market
Voodoo manages to deploy games much more quickly than its competitors, giving it a real advantage in the market.
Marketing and User Acquisition Expertise
Voodoo invests quite a bit in marketing to attract and keep users. They allocate a generous budget for targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Google. These campaigns effectively encourage more installations at affordable rates and help draw in a specific demographic by highlighting the game’s features.
Additionally, since the company effectively leverages metrics and data, it uses this information to launch creative advertisements tailored to different demographics and age groups. Its focused marketing approach enables it to reach millions of users quickly.
Monetization Strategies Used by Voodoo
Hyper casual games often use freemium models, which means agencies try out different advertising strategies to earn money from the game. Here are some of the methods that Voodoo uses:
In-App Purchases
Voodoo warmly offers a variety of in-app purchases to enhance your experience. You can enjoy customization options, remove ads, boost your gameplay with power-ups and boosters, or discover special seasonal and limited-edition items. And they hope these options make your time with them even more enjoyable.
In-Game Advertising
You can implement ads directly within your game, just like Voodoo did. The agency adopted the approach of displaying various types of in-game advertisements to players. In-game ads featured in Voodoo-developed games could include any or all of the types of ads listed below.
Voodoo’s global ecosystem enables wonderful collaborations with various game development companies, opening doors to a rich world of creative minds from all around the globe. These partnerships truly inspire innovation and bring fresh ideas to life.
Besides harnessing the creativity of its talented team, Voodoo also expands its reach by collaborating with external teams. This approach allows the agency to share resources with other companies, providing its employees with valuable exposure and the chance to contribute to a variety of exciting projects.
This intuitive approach helps Voodoo remain relevant amid the constant flow of gaming ideas and the creation of innovative games.
Iconic Titles and Success Stories
Voodoo has released some of the most successful titles in the market, including these hyper-casual games:
Helix Jump
Helix Jump is undoubtedly Voodoo’s most popular game, with over 500 million downloads to show for it. It’s a simple yet challenging game that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master, making it incredibly addictive.
Hole.io
This is a fun and easy-to-understand game where players get to control a black hole. In this world, you’re guiding a small black hole just like others do at the same time, and it grows bigger as you eat more objects. The goal is to outgrow the other players and have the biggest black hole in the city.
Crowd City
Crowd City is a fun and addictive game made by Voodoo, where you start in a city and grow your crowd by touching other white characters. The goal is to gather as many people as possible and beat your opponents by getting close to them and making them part of your group. It’s a simple yet exciting game that keeps you wanting to play more.
The games mentioned above are great examples of hyper-casual games because of their simple design, easy gameplay, and wide accessibility.
Final Words
Voodoo’s tremendous success in the hyper-casual gaming market is not due to luck or chance; it results from its innovative approach and thorough research of the industry. Utilizing metrics and collaborating with like-minded developers and global leaders in the field helped Voodoo reach the pinnacle of hyper-casual games.
If you’re inspired by Voodoo’s success and want to launch your own hyper-casual game, you can collaborate with experienced developers. BR Softech, a leading game development company, offers end-to-end hyper-casual game development services to bring your idea to life.
FAQs (Frequently-Asked Questions)
1. What is a Hyper Casual Game?
Ans. Games that require little to no effort, involve zero skills from players, and don’t demand much time fall into the category of hyper-casual games.
2. Why is Voodoo considered the best hyper casual gaming company?
Ans. Voodoo has a long portfolio of developing hyper-casual games, and the game’s influence on the market and players is enormous. Their approach to developing games is derived from data and analytics, which helps them curate titles that are bound for success.
3. What is Voodoo’s testing process for its game prototypes?
Ans. Voodoo’s testing process includes analyzing retention rates, playtime, and cost-per-install. These three factors help Voodoo meet its benchmark and curate cost-efficient games that remain highly in demand.
4. What are some of Voodoo’s most popular games?
Ans. Voodoo has developed numerous popular games, with Helix Jump being the most successful, featuring over 500 million downloads. Their other well-known titles include Paper.io, Aquapark.io, and Hole.io.
5. Why are Voodoo’s games so successful?
Ans. Voodoo’s games are straightforward and easy to enjoy, making them perfect for quick fun. They’re lightweight too, so you can play them on most devices without needing powerful graphics. This broad appeal means players of all ages and backgrounds can join in and have a good time.
Nitin Garg is a seasoned tech entrepreneur and the visionary founder of BR Softech, a globally recognized leader in game development. With over 13 years of industry experience, he has been instrumental in transforming BR Softech into a powerhouse of innovation, offering cutting-edge solutions in Video Games, Blockchain Games, NFT Game Development, and card games like Poker, Rummy, and Teen Patti.
Nitin’s deep expertise in emerging technologies, combined with a sharp business acumen, has helped position BR Softech as a trusted name in the international gaming arena. Under his leadership, BR Softech has built a global clientele of 3,000+ satisfied customers and scaled a dedicated in-house team of 180+ skilled professionals.
