Multi Maze 3D by RoboFruits Games was first released in October, and immediately stood out among other hypercasual puzzle games. It reached the top five in the games charts in over 30 countries as well as the number one spot in the puzzle games category in over 40 countries.

Dive in to learn how a game that got high costs-per-install (CPI) became a global success with over 20 million downloads so far.

Multi Maze 3D has already crossed 20 million downloads and climbed to the top of the charts, yet this game never passed the CPI test – not on Facebook, TikTok, or Snap. So how did it make it to the top? How did it even get released?

RoboFruits Games, the game development studio behind Multi Maze 3D, started working with CrazyLabs two years ago. When the studio first presented the idea for a game with different 3D mazes, CrazyLabs Publishing team recognised the potential and liked the new angle to a hypercasual puzzle game. The concept included a maze with balls you had to collect in order to win and move to the next level - simple, quick to play, and fun.

RoboFruits Games created their first video ad and started testing it within the CLIK Dashboard. The initial goal was to check all the major parameters: CPI, Retention, and 24-hour usage.

The very delicate and precise swipe mechanism of Multi Maze 3D makes it super-easy to play: players just need to swipe left and right to rotate the maze and help the balls out. Their goal is to increase the number of balls using the multiplier gates.

"The initial prototype was a pretty straight forward 3D puzzle game," recalls Nir Miretzky, Senior Publishing Manager and Head of CrazyHubs at CrazyLabs. "Our monthly trend report showed the growing interest in multiplier gates, and we thought it could be an interesting addition to Multi Maze 3D." The results showed that while the CPI was too high on all of the networks tested, the usage and the retention were remarkable.

CrazyLabs’ approach to testing, which is based on multiple key performance indicator (KPI) combinations (looking at all tested parameters and deciding how to proceed accordingly) was the entry point for this game, since the team wasn’t focused on CPI alone. The great usage numbers and retention percentage meant the game was highly playable and has the potential for good average revenue per user (ARPU), which may lead to it being profitable even if the CPI is high.

At first, the goal was to try and reduce the CPI. This was done using the OCD-satisfying moments in the game - the kind that make you stop scrolling and click.

Some players like to see the balls multiplying. Others get a kick when all the balls finally get together and pour out of the maze. Once you recognize these fun and satisfying moments, you can include it in your video ad.

This reduced the CPI by 30 per cent to $0.53. The next step was to add the chain as a gate and create a satisfying moment in which the chain is ripped. Once this was added to the video, the CPI went down to $0.42 - an overall decrease of 45 per cent in the CPI.

At this point, CrazyLabs' Game Product team joined forces with the RoboFruits team and started playability and monetisation tests to understand whether the game can scale. The main goal now was to increase the ARPU.

3 tips to increase the ARPU in hyper-casual puzzle games

1 - Add a challenge that can make the player even more active within the level

In Multi Maze 3D the team added a silver chain - players had to collect a certain amount of balls in order to break it. This was a challenge that’s fun and satisfying to pass.

2 - Add boss levels to create more interest

In the first boss level in Multi Maze 3D CrazyLabs played with different camera angles to find the sweet spot that made it look like a live level. It broke the conventional level funnel, and gave the players a different experience they were not expecting, while feeling extremely skilled for it (since the boss level uses the same mechanics). This addition resulted in an ARPU increase of three per cent.

3 - Add features that remove idle time within the level

CrazyLabs also added an option to ‘fast-forward’ to the next level once the balls are being poured out of the maze. By clicking the FF button, the players became more active and felt in control of the idle time they experienced while waiting for the balls to come out. This new option inside each level improved the ARPU by 10 per cent.

Soon after these challenges were added and new video ads created to reflect the new gameplay, tests on different networks showed a decrease in CPI. The changes lead to an increase in the ARPU while maintaining the already high 24-hour usage, which meant the game could move to scale. Once in scale, the game started climbing the charts, and this was the official stamp that the game is ready for full launch.

The success of Multi Maze 3D is the result of excellent teamwork between CrazyLabs and RoboFruits Games, who proved to be incredibly professional and creative. Their hard work and focus are exactly what every studio needs in order to create a successful and profitable hyper-casual game. CrazyLabs looks forward to working with them on their next hit games.

Multi Maze 3D is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

For more info on CrazyLabs approach to testing, check out the table of KPI combinations below and visit the CLIK Dashboard.