Hypercasual games see 78% boost from story-driven ads despite low spend

Emotion-driven stories boosted performance by 78% in hypercasual games while receiving 40% less ad spend. 

That's according to AppsFlyer’s state of creative optimisation report which showed that the top 2% of ad creatives in games still drive 53 percent of total spend.

Outside of games, that figure drops to 43%, showing a shift toward broader testing and targeted messaging. 

Furthermore, the report found that creative production is growing fast outside of games, with top non-gaming apps increasing output by 18% year over year and now averaging 2365 variations per quarter. 

Although games still lead in total volume, mid-tier gaming advertisers are producing less than last year which could hurt them as competition rises.

A clear shift 

AppsFlyer's report also showed that grabbing attention isn't enough as creative choices must also drive long-term engagement. 

In gaming ads, music artists boosted user retention by 50% after seven days compared to movie stars despite getting less than 10% of the celebrity budget.

“We’re seeing a clear shift in creative strategy, with marketers not just scaling top performers, but scaling variety,” said AppsFlyer director of product - gaming. 

“In gaming, high spenders still dominate production, with apps spending $7m+ per quarter to generate nearly 3x more creatives than those in the $4-$7m range. 

“But in non-gaming, growth is more evenly distributed across tiers, suggesting creative scale is no longer just for the biggest players but that it’s becoming a strategic imperative for everyone.”

You can access the full report here.