You may be wondering how a game can be hyper and casual at the same time. At first, they don’t sound overly appealing. They are produced with unsophisticated mechanics and only perform simple tasks. But, this simplicity of them is what makes hypercasual gaming so popular.
Arguably, the first-ever hypercasual games to exist were in the late 1960s. Games such as Pong and Space Travel were simple, minimal, easy to learn and play within minutes. These games meet this hypercasual gaming criterion but didn’t have the instant accessibility for users like mobile games provide. Hence, the exponential demand for them over the last few years.
This new craze of hyper-casual mobile gaming is simply selling for itself. Not only are most of the mobile games include freetoplay, but they also require little to no learning, minimum effort and can be played for 10 minutes to 10 hours anywhere and anytime. With simplistic designs and a lack of narrative, hypercasual games are breaking down all existing gaming barriers, making them accessible for every type of gamer.
These games are most practicable on mobile devices. Yet, can be found online for computer gamers. This instant, and often free, accessibility to them via mobile phones has caused this surge in demand and popularity. Since December 2019, the hypercasual game industry has increased by 72%.
The gaming world was once for home gamers. Games could and would only be played at home on console devices. But, due to phones being mobile and constantly connected, it is easier than ever to play on demand.
According to ironSource, two-thirds of mobile gaming downloads is occupied by hyper-casual games. The most popular being 5 Hoops, Dodgeball Duel and Hole.ioo, all created by Voodoo. Voodoo is a game developer solely focused on freetoplay hypercasual games. You may wonder how these freetoplay gaming companies make any profit, or money at all. This is down to monetization from ads and in-app purchases (IAP’s). Around 95% of monetization comes from ad revenue. This can include short videos, banners, and interstitials.
Other ways for games to be monetized is through cross-promotion and premium features. Both strategies entice consumers to use a particular brand due to feeling personally targeted. Cross-promotion is most effective for the bigger brands, such as Voodoo, as they have multiple games which they can promote through each download. For smaller brands, premium features such as more coins can increase profits.
All forms of ads are a way for these companies to make a profit and monetized games are essential for making these games free to play.
The aim of these companies is to encourage gamers to stay connected for as long as possible. This is so that they consume more ads and may be encouraged to purchase IAP’s. To do this, they need to make the game engaging and interactive, as simple and minimal as these games can be.
A key way of keeping a gamer engaged is through mechanics. Due to mobile phones having movement and timing sensors, this means a mobile device can be used as for swerving or turning mechanisms such as steering wheel or a dodger for oncoming hazards.
Timing and agility mechanics are another active function of these games, which work to make gamers more engaged. These mechanics promote competition and if a player loses, it will encourage them to play again. Hence, they will play for longer which will create more ad revenue for the game.
Other mechanics include social interaction, where users can interact or play with friends via Facebook or Twitch. This allows the games to be social and consuming, making a gamer want to stay and socialise for longer.
Hyper-casual games are consistently evolving and aligning to all peoples needs, gamers or not. So, there is a lot of competition. With most of the world’s population being mobile users, these games are targeted to everyone. Anyone can play them, whether they have gaming ability or not.
Not only have mobiles made hyper-casual games more popular but so has the gaming culture. Playing games was once a hobby. Now, it can be a career that can earn gaming-experts millions per year. There’s no wonder hyper-casual mobile gaming is becoming such high demand.