A Winning Formula for a Hybridcasual game?

The hybridcasual genre has exploded in recent years, becoming extremely popular among gamers of all ages and skill levels. These games blend the game mechanics of hypercasual with the depth and replay value of casual games, appealing to a wider audience and offering new experiences. So it’s only natural that game developers would pounce on this genre.

Hybridcasual games continue to grow in popularity, with a total of 5,090,783,077 downloads in 2022. This is a 3% increase from 2021 when the genre’s boom began.
*Hybridcasual Games Playbook by Sensor Tower and Homa

⚫ WHAT IS HYBRIDCASUAL?

We define hybridcasual as games that are simple and satisfying, but deep. They have simple controls, juicy visuals and sounds, and an easy-to-learn core loop. At their essence, they’re a hypercasual game. But the magic relies on adding casual progression systems on top. Features like a game economy, multiplayer, leaderboards, RPG-like equipment, cosmetics, and decorations.

⚫ HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?

There are three main approaches to developing a hybridcasual game. One, you start with a hypercasual game and add meta-features. Two, you start with a casual game and simplify the core loop to its bare essentials. Three, you start completely fresh. All three approaches work. It really depends on your own preferences.

⚫ WHAT SHOULD YOU TRACK?

It’s important to decide which key performance indicators (KPIs) you want to measure. Because of the nature of hybridcasual games, in-app purchases are critical to your strategy. And lifetime value is also important here. It’s all about keeping your players around. If you need help, at Homa we have the tools, know-how, and expertise to help you figure out exactly what to pursue and how to work. And how you can overcome obstacles and succeed in this exciting and lucrative genre.

⚫ SHOULD YOU DEVELOP YOUR NEXT GAME IN HYBRIDCASUAL?

Yes. It can be trickier than other genres. But the benefits outweigh the challenges. Simple mechanics mean you appeal to more players. More depth means those players will stick around longer. And features like in-app purchases can lead to a more stable income.

Whether you're an experienced developer or a newcomer to the field, it's important to have the right resources and best practices in place to succeed. The Homa Academy can help you do just that. Here you’ll find tutorials and guides with comprehensive information about hybridcasual. As pioneers in the genre, we also have a growing team to help you develop, market, and monetize hybridcasual games. With the right knowledge and approach, your chances of success are much higher.

KNOW YOUR FOUR MS TO SUCCEED IN HYBRIDCASUAL

⚫ MECHANICS: KEEP THEM SIMPLE

If your game mechanics are simple, you’ll appeal to as many people as possible. Hybridcasual games are popular with the masses , so they need to be easy to pick up and play, regardless of skill level.

Make sure your controls and design are simple and everything is accessible. Always keep in mind a user-friendly experience so that your game is easy to play and captivates players. You can achieve this by adding clear, concise instructions, using a few buttons, introducing new elements slowly, and making sure upgrades are necessary for progress.

⚫ META: USE META-FEATURES TO ADD DEPTH

Meta features can turn a simple game into an experience. They hook players and help keep them engaged for longer. This is why many hybridcasual games have deeper gameplay elements, such as puzzles, stories, and collectibles. Social features are also a particularly effective way to extend the life of your game. Also, many hybridcasual games offer a multiplayer mode – either co-op or competitive. This adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the gaming experience.

All of these elements encourage players to continue playing, even after the game is finished. But even with deeper layers, decisions should be easy. For example, allow players to upgrade a character with a single click. That way, players can get right back into the gameplay and don’t feel overwhelmed with too many decisions.

⚫ MONETIZATION: FOCUS ON IN-APP PURCHASES

Monetizing a hybridcasual game cannot be done through advertising alone. In-app purchases are key. So you need to consider how your in-game economy works. How many currencies should you have? How do players earn them? Which ones do you spend on extras, and which ones are essential to your core gameplay?

Set a goal that at least 30% of lifetime value comes from in-app purchases. Create a roadmap and use templates and pre-built assets to quickly offer new content to your players for purchase. If you need help, Homa has the resources, best practices, and asset packs. With these, you can master in-app purchase design to maximize potential revenue from your hybridcasual game.

Ads in Hybridcasual games are often optional and are displayed in exchange for user benefits. This advertising strategy allows the games to generate 50% of their revenue, without discouraging users from playing. *Hybridcasual Games Playbook by Sensor Tower and Homa

⚫ MISSION: DEVELOP A POST-LAUNCH PLAN

Hyridcasual is all about the long-term strategy: have a broader vision for your game and continue to optimize it post-launch. You want to keep producing content and keep players excited about your game. That’s where the value of the game lies. So what is your post-launch mission? How will you continue to add features and content? And when? At this stage, you should consider adding characters or assets from other IPs. To facilitate this, Homa is building an IP portfolio so you can focus on game development rather than technology.

In the meantime, you should also test different meta-features and economies to see which ones achieve the best lifetime value. For example, in Zombie Defense, the team at Homa was able to divide the audience into three tiers. A softer ad-based economy was pushed to the basic players, while heavier levels and an IAP-based economy were proposed to whales.

If you know your four Ms – Mechanics, Meta, Monetization, Mission –and how to approach them, you’re closer to creating a hybridcasual hit. That’s the secret. And if you want to dig deeper into hybridcasual, check out Sensor Tower and Homa’s “Hybridcausal Games Playbook”.

And be sure to visit Homa Academy for more insights!