About the Client
Leniu Games is a global mobile game publisher known for delivering high-quality titles across multiple genres.
With immersive graphics and dynamic combat systems, the company has built a strong reputation among players worldwide.
Their portfolio includes several successful strategy RPGs and action titles, and they continue to cultivate a loyal fanbase both domestically and internationally.
About I9: Inferno Nine
I9: Inferno Nine is a hybrid action-strategy game where players join an elite squad called “Inferno Nine.”
The game challenges players to strategically combine unique characters and weapons to defeat increasingly powerful bosses through intense battles and tactical gameplay.
Its engaging combat mechanics and deep narrative design offer players a constant sense of achievement and challenge, making it particularly appealing to fans of both action and strategy genres.
Goals & Challenges
While the game offers various in-app purchase opportunities, its monetization model relies on players reaching a certain level of in-game progression before converting into paying users.
As such, the campaign was designed around two core goals
1.
Prevent early-stage churn and drive users toward mid-to-high-level progression
2.
Increase ROAS through sustained player engagement and retention
The key challenge was to enhance the early user experience to improve playtime and retention, while gradually encouraging user actions aligned with long-term growth and monetization.
Solution
1. Time Quest Campaign to Prevent Early Drop-off and Increase Playtime
To reduce onboarding friction and help new users naturally adapt to the game, a "30-minute play" time quest was introduced.
This mechanic rewarded users for staying in the game for a set duration, effectively decreasing early-stage churn and nudging them deeper into core gameplay.
2. Hidden Quest System to Drive Core Actions and Monetization
Hidden quests were used to guide players toward specific in-game behaviors by offering rewards for key milestones.
These quests were structured around actions such as character creation, reaching levels 20/110/300/500, and completing purchases.
Each milestone was designed to instill a sense of achievement and progressively increase user investment in the game.
The monetization flow was naturally integrated into the progression system, which helped increase conversion rates and contributed significantly to the campaign’s ROAS performance.
Results
By leveraging Playio's platform, Leniu Games achieved the following results from the I9: Inferno Nine KR campaign
Metric | D1 | D7 | D30 | D60 |
ROAS | 7% | 30% | 77% | 101% |
Retention | 80% | 70% | - | - |
The combination of time quests (to extend early gameplay) and hidden quests (to encourage progression and spending) proved highly effective.
ROAS reached 30% by day 7, 77% by day 30, and continued to rise to 101% by day 60.
An impressive day-1 retention of 80% also indicated strong initial engagement, supporting sustained user activity over the long term.
This case clearly demonstrates how game-tailored, user-behavior-driven marketing strategies can produce meaningful business outcomes.
Playio remains committed to helping our partners achieve measurable success through data-driven, localized campaign solutions.
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