Endless Wander : How to Master Your Soft Launch as a Self-Publisher
CONTEXT
Endless Wander is a mobile action roguelike game developed by the French indie studio First Pick Studios. Released in 2023, it marks the studio’s debut and has been a true success, with over a million downloads.
The game stands out for its innovative approach, as this genre is typically available only on PC. Addict Mobile supports the studio with a performance-driven user acquisition strategy.
CHALLENGES
First Pick Studios chose self-publishing to maintain control over the production and monetization of their game. However, this approach comes with its own set of challenges: limited resources, a lack of user acquisition expertise, and tight financial constraints. While working with a publisher can offer financial and marketing support, it often means giving up some control.
Without a publisher, the studio has to handle UA on its own with a restricted cash flow. Outsourcing this task becomes crucial to access the expertise of a specialized agency, drive profitable campaigns, and let the studio focus on what they do best.
STRATEGY
With a limited budget, a phased strategy was implemented.
Phase 1: Soft Launch
During the soft launch phase, strategic decisions were made at every step to ensure profitability.
OS : The focus was placed on Android initially, as it offers better visibility, allowing the strategy to be adjusted based on performance.
Channels: After initial tests on Meta and Google, investments were concentrated on Meta, which delivered better results. This approach maximized performance while avoiding the inefficiencies of splitting the budget across multiple platforms.
Geos: The launch targeted key markets, including the US and Tier 1 countries (UK, CA, DE, FR, AU), to maximize profitability opportunities.
Creatives: A variety of creative concepts were tested, including gameplay, trailers, AI-generated UGCs, interactive videos, statics, AI visuals, motion designs, etc. The most effective formats were quickly identified and prioritized to optimize the budget. AI-based creatives stood out in particular: AI-generated UGCs increased ROAS D3 from 75% to 135%, while static ads improved ROAS D30 by 10 points compared to other visuals during the final month of the launch. Key elements like ad duration, character designs, and formats were also tested to prepare for the scaling phase.
This approach resulted in significant growth, with ROAS increasing from 85% at the start of the first month to 160% by the end of the soft launch.
Phase 2: Scaling the game
Building on the early success of the soft launch, the strategy is adjusted to prepare for the scaling phase of Endless Wander, with the daily budget increased by 2.5 times compared to previous months.
Reintroducing Google Ads: A minimum budget is allocated to ensure continuous optimization of this channel.
Geographical Expansion: Worldwide campaigns are launched to identify the top-performing regions, with groupings designed to optimize investments (LatAm, Nordics, Eastern Europe, Balkans, etc.). This approach boosts performance, achieving a D7 ROAS 9 points higher than the previous month.
Creation of New UGCs: AI-driven UGC tests help pinpoint the most effective creators and scripts.
Results are monitored continuously to ensure profitability before advancing to the next steps, such as launching on iOS and diversifying acquisition sources.
Throughout the project, Addict Mobile provides daily support with weekly reports and access to a custom dashboard developed in-house. Updated in real-time, the dashboard gives the studio full transparency into performance, allowing them to track investments closely. This enhanced visibility ensures tighter control and continuous optimization of profitability.
Next Steps
In November, a major game update introduced significant changes to monetization, paving the way for several key phases.
The first phase focuses on launching on iOS, along with the relaunch of Meta campaigns on Android, which had been paused in recent months. The next step will prioritize scaling these sources, with a strong focus on the U.S. market. Finally, acquisition channel diversification will begin, leveraging platforms such as Unity Ads, TikTok, Mintegral, and AppLovin.
To support these initiatives, creative production continues, including videos/gameplay, AI-generated UGC, static visuals, and soon, UGC featuring real creators.
Addict Mobile has been an essential part of our self-publishing strategy. They’ve helped us craft a UA approach that perfectly aligns with our studio’s goals and timelines.
They brought great creative ideas while remaining open to ours, making the whole process feel like a true collaboration.
By handling the day-to-day campaign management and providing detailed reporting, Addict Mobile made managing UA effortless for our studio.
Don’t hesitate to contact our teams
Addict Mobile can help you improve your performance.
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