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Hello readers,
I’ve talked about this before, but when Singapore went into a “circuit breaker,” I had a very intense affair with a mobile puzzle game called Best Fiends. Something about the combination of simple Candy Crush-esque game mechanics with a whole universe of fun characters to unlock was just very appealing to me as I sat cooped up at home.
Often, finding the right game to play can feel like a Goldilocks situation – many players are looking for something that’s more involved than just button mashing or matching tiles, but at the same time, they aren’t always keen on the intense competition found in more “serious” titles.
For China-Singapore game publisher Habby, addressing this need proved to be the key to its success.
Today we look at,
- How Habby’s revenue shot up 197x in a year thanks to its “hybrid-casual” game
- How this Singaporean startup is making mental healthcare accessible and available to more people
- Other newsy highlights such as a US proposal to delist the Chinese companies listed in the country, and more details on Singapore’s new tech pass
PREMIUM SUMMARY
This genre-mashing gaming startup’s meteoric growth
Mobile gaming is a lucrative – and competitive – space, which makes it even more amazing that China-Singapore game publisher Habby has managed to break into the market, increasing its revenue from just US$1 million to a whopping US$181 million within a year.
- Hitting the bull’s-eye: Habby’s success came from Archero, a “hybrid-casual” game where players aim to kill waves of enemies by shooting arrows at them. By crossing genres and combining the simple look and feel of hyper-casual games with sophisticated mid-core gameplay, Habby created a title that appeals to young people looking for something more sophisticated to play.
- Monetization magic: Ads and in-app purchases (IAPs) are the two most common ways game publishers monetize their games. Archero is no different – although it grants players bonuses for watching ads, which creates an extra incentive. Archero was the largest contributor to Habby’s revenue, but significant marketing spend for promoting the game means that profit margins are pretty slim.
- Keeping the momentum Archero’s revenue looks to be on a slow decline, which means that the game may have already hit its peak. Habby therefore needs to address a perennial challenge for gaming companies – what’s the next big hit?
Read more: China-Singapore game publisher went from making $1m to $181m within a year
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