If you enjoy horror games, you will be familiar with Keplerians and their unique portfolio of quality titles, which together have amassed a staggering 250 million downloads over three years. The partnership of two brothers and a friend from the Basque Country, Spain, are the innovators behind the worldwide sensation currently topping the horror genre charts, Ice Scream Saga, and their journey has been nothing short of phenomenal.
What you may not know, however, is that Keplerians spent many years struggling with unsuccessful games before hitting the big time. So how did the small studio turn its fortunes around and become industry titan?
Keplerians was founded in 2013, but initially struggled to gain a foothold in the highly competitive games industry, forcing them to reevaluate. Then they identified a niche: unlike with PC and console games, there were few horror games on the mobile market. Their breakthrough game Evil Nun, released in July 2018, was a massive success in terms of both player satisfaction and revenue: the studio had found its path.
The team turned their attention to revenue optimization shortly after the launch of their second adventure about the bloodthirsty zombie butcher Mr. Meat. Up to this point, they had gotten as far as they had juggling check graphs and data in Ironsource. To optimize and maximize the revenue potential of their games, it was clear that an expert partner was needed.
An opportunity emerged in late 2019 when Keplerians were introduced to a Yodo1 representative by a mutual friend in Barcelona, leading to the studio deciding to give Yodo1’s Managed Ad Services (MAS) a try.
The studio was currently working on Mr. Meat, so it was the first of their games to use MAS; however, integrating the new monetization system was no walk in the park. Yodo1’s MAS team would need every ounce of expertise to pull this off, working tirelessly until the last minute into the early hours to hit the deadline and ensure a smooth transition.
It was a challenge, but everyone pulled together to make the release a success, and Keplerian was very patient throughout the process; the experience ultimately sowed the seeds for a trusted, productive, and profitable partnership.
MAS far exceeded the studio’s expectations. Within two weeks, Mr. Meat increased its daily revenue by a staggering 74%. This result encouraged Keplerians to go ahead and add Evil Nun and Ice Scream to MAS, the latest becoming the game that propelled the studio to global fame with half a million Youtube followers.
Installing MAS on Evil Nun boosted the game’s revenue by 60%, while close collaboration on Mr. Meat’s ad design and game video production resulted in a further two-fold increase in in-game income, and Keplerian decided that Yodo1’s MAS would be standard on all-new games going forward.
The alliance between Keplerians and Yodo1 has been an asset for both parties. We have become a collaborative team with confidence in each other, no matter the challenge. Keplerians are no longer the three-man band making small games they once were. Their team has expanded to fifteen and a new office, where they can now devote their full focus on game creation.
At Yodo1, we are thrilled to partner with talented developers like Keplerians to help optimize and maximize their success, giving them freedom to innovate and grow. It’s a journey we feel proud to be part of.
We would be proud to be part of yours, too. Register on our MAS Portal today and set up MAS AI automation in just three easy steps, or contact a Games Growth Specialist here to learn more.
