Hypercasual games are as popular as ever on the mobile platform. As such, many developers have dipped their toe into the genre.

As part of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5, CrazyLabs senior publishing manager Shai Sasson gave a talk on five ways to speed up your game development process on your way to hypercasual success.

"Hyper Casual games are very simple to understand and are very satisfying," said Sasson.

The genre has a broad audience, one of the biggest on the mobile platform. Moreover, they are easy to monetise and have a replayable factor.

Furthermore, the development process is much quicker for hypercasual than other genres.

They can be developed on a four-week timeline, with week one being focused on a prototype with a CTR test.

Next, week two is a CPI test which then goes to week three, where day one retention will be tested. Should the project be successful, the developer can then work on scaling the game in week four.

A worst-case scenario sees a developer waste just one week, meaning it is quick to move onto the next project and prototype.

Tips

First of all, consider ideation, you want to avoid a niche audience; instead, a developer wants to appeal to a massive audience with a simple idea.

"You need to find something to rely on," said Sasson.

Next is data, "this is very critical when creating a prototype, you need to rely on the data." Essentially you need to work with the data to optimise your idea fully.

Go with the flow when it comes to data, if you go against it, then failure becomes more likely. It is critical to save time and save resources.

The third tip is around gamification. In a nutshell, a developer needs to keep the fun while keeping the mess out of its titles. Moreover, it is crucial to stay close to the original trend that inspired the idea.

Through gamification, a developer can convert viewers into players.

More tips

Step four is the publisher itself. When presenting a publisher with a prototype, you need to ensure that the company has experience within the hypercasual genre.

"Make sure that they have similar hypercasual hits to what you want to achieve," said Sasson.

Ensure that the publisher also has an infrastructure of technology to ensure your game reaches its potential.

Moreover, communication between both parties is key, through conversations with the publishing manager feedback can be exchanged. Moreover, be sure that the publisher you are working with has experience with top games.

"You need to choose the right publisher for you," explained Sasson.

Finally, growth and live-ops are also important to consider as all time that is saved can go towards growing the title.

"Invest your time wisely," said Sasson.

PGC Digital #5 will run from February 8th to February 12th. To keep up to date with all of our coverage, check out the roundups here. There's still time to sign up - to find out more and book a ticket, head to the website.