The Players
Mysten Labs is a leading web3 infrastructure company building a decentralized web, including a blockchain called Sui and a programming language called Move.
BlueJay Games is an Austin based game studio working on Arcade Champion, a mobile-first, hybrid casual game with play-to-own elements and Hero-based NFTs.
Upptic is a leading games growth marketing company for mobile, PC, and web3 games – offering tools, data analytics, and services to help game developers acquire users, optimize marketing campaigns, and achieve sustainable growth.
The Goal
BlueJay Games developed Arcade Champion, a mobile arcade game with play-to-own elements and NFTs, and were ready to grow to a new mobile-native audience.
The Power of Mysten Labs and Sui Blockchain
Sui blockchain enabled global scaling of Arcade Champion’s player base with three unique advantages.
- The extremely low cost of transactions on Sui relative to other blockchains allowed scaling strategies in emerging markets.
- Sui was able to be seamlessly integrated into the player experience for Arcade Champion, with custodial wallets for players with no prior web3 experience.
- Transaction cost is handled invisibly in the background with no direct cost to the player, providing a truly seamless first-time web3 experience.
“Working with Upptic has been instrumental in our ecosystem’s growth. Their user acquisition strategies drove high installs at low CPI and CPA, helping us stress-test our network while helping games on Sui scale.”
– Di Pearson, Sr. Strategic Partnerships Manager, Mysten Labs
Upptic’s Strategy
Upptic worked with BlueJay to provide strategic direction, develop creative, and execute on marketing campaigns that helped drive Arcade Champion to be the fastest growing web3 game by active wallets in December of 2023.
Upptic tested multiple tactics, channels, and creative concepts, here are some of our key findings.
Channel testing
Upptic started with a broad test across most major channels on both mobile platforms (iOS and Android) in all relevant geographies. While many channels showed some promise, not many were notable outliers in terms of performance.
However, amongst mobile app video networks in emerging countries we were able to get installs at significant scale for single digit cents per install.These users showed strong retention and sustainable on-chain activity relative to their acquisition cost.
Upptic was able to meaningfully scale up these efforts which turned out to be an efficient path for onboarding mobile-native users to web3.
Creative Testing
Upptic and BlueJay tested numerous creative variations including messaging, format, length and creative style.
Choices (Video)
A traditional mobile ad performed at expectations, driving above average CPMs without generating a huge outsized return.
Over the Shoulder (Video)
One ad, sporting a very home-grown aesthetic, overperformed and became one of the champion creatives.
Static Ads
Static ads are always an important part of any diverse creative testing regiment.
Creative Takeaway
We found not mentioning blockchain or web3 to be the most effective messaging. When testing web3 language in ads, we noticed a negative or, at best, neutral effect.
Outcomes
After 90 days of testing, Arcade Champion became the fastest growing web3 game by active wallets in December of 2023.
Using a low CPI strategy, generating a daily active wallet was 10x cheaper than going after web3-native users. While this test was a proof-of-concept it is a strategy can scaled out to massive global audiences to drive net-new players into the web3 gaming ecosystem.
If you’re looking for…
A team to help you grow your mobile, PC, or web3 game – let’s talk!
A great mobile game with web3 elements, download Arcade Champion today on iOS and Android!
A top-tier blockchain to scale your web3 game with you, check out SUI.