In the past couple of months CrazyLabs' publishing team has been toying with the idea of taking those viral DIY Tie-dye social videos, and turning them into an extremely fun mobile game.

If you haven't discovered the trend yet, Tie-dye is used to create a variety of designs on various fabrics, and it can also be recognized by the use of bright, saturated colors and bold patterns. These have become somewhat cliched since the peak popularity of tie-dye back in the 1960s and 1970s, but to this day it is an inspiring celebration for DIY fans.

Skip to the happy end - the hit mobile game Tie Dye demonstrating a whopping D1 retention of close to 70% is the outcome of Furious Avocado's work per CrazyLabs's idea.

The trend first caught our eye earlier this year and has been circling in-house ever since, while we were on the lookout for a studio that can gamify the trend in the same bright and bold manner it is known for. When we met the team at Furious Avocado we knew we had a match. The studio, located in Macedonia, designed and developed this extremely addictive mobile game.

The game, currently at #1 globally for the past 2 weeks, crossed 3M downloads in a week when first released, and is now approaching 10M downloads. It is #1 in 40 countries and counting.

Tie Dye on the Apple App Store:

So how do you gamify DIY?

The key is to keep it as close as possible to the original videos, and provide your audience with a "fail-me-not" mechanism. The talented team at Furious Avocado took on the challenge and started working around the clock to make it happen.

Our publishing team worked together with their team to identify the exact flow that made DIY Tie-dye videos so viral, so we can pin-point what the game needs. The goal: create the experience Tie-dye fans want from the game: fold, band, dye, dip in the liquid and see the result.

Below you can find the initial brainstorming notes:

Starting with the first prototypes, the collaborating teams were focused on leaving the mess out and keeping the fun in. That notion is achieved in various ways: you can play with colors and splash them all over (not something you'd normally do around the house), you put on rubber bands to create that ever so familiar tie dye pattern (in a playful and interchangeable manner), and most importantly, the end result is always gorgeous - so you'll have the satisfaction and feeling of success.

That feeling is a crucial part of the fun when it comes to top charts Hyper Casual mobile games, and it's the cherry on top for the perfect gameplay flow.

Tie Dye's first initial test got 48% D1 (with only 1 level of pure gameplay in a loop and no meta game). We then continued the ongoing work with Furious Avocado and provided the in-house resources needed in order to further develop the gameplay as well as the metagame: 3D know-how, tech art, UI/UX and anything we felt the studio needs so they can complete the game and create the full experience.

It took 1 week for our partners to make the video for the game, and about 2 more to complete the full game - and that has made all the difference. We launched the game and got an astounding 68% D1, 50% D2 & 38% D3. Booya!

Below you can find images from the initial concept (1), screenshots from the first game video that went into initial testing (2), and screenshots from the live and scaled version out now on iOS and Android (3).

Concepts:

First game video for testing:

The scaled version + store images:

"Tie Dye becoming #1 is no surprise with a team like Furious Avocado", said Shai Sasson, the publishing manager behind Tie Dye.

"There was a certain mutual DNA that enabled smooth (yet very very fast) sailing for all of us, which is especially critical when running against the clock. This type of dev-publisher relationship is what we are looking for - great motivation to do a great job! This process was fast and furious, you gotta love that adrenalin rush."

"CrazyLabs was our first call when we decided to go Hyper", said Naum Mihajlovski, CEO & the Creative Chief of Furious Avocado.

"As a former employee, I knew how much CrazyLabs invests in game developers, and for us, the most important thing was to establish a long-lasting relationship with a publisher that can help us learn and grow. Working with CrazyLabs' Publishing team gave us insights into Hyper Casual game development as well as the peace of mind knowing we were backed by the best in the business."

We at CrazyLabs invite Casual games studios to explore with us why now's the time to go Hyper. Contact us directly to learn more at hyper@crazylabs.com.

About CrazyLabs

CrazyLabs is a top 10 mobile games developer and publisher (according to AppAnnie & Sensor Tower). With over 3 billion downloads, CrazyLabs is a worldwide leader in casual and Hyper Casual games development, distribution, and innovation. The company's headquarters are in Israel, with global offices in China, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Germany and Ukraine.

About Furious Avocado

Furious Avocado is an indie game studio kickstarted by a group of friends and professionals who share the passion for creating amazing games, playing games and smashing avocados. We take fun seriously!