Overview
Industry experts from Game Makers and Two and a Half Gamers discussed the evolution, business strategy, and creative approaches behind top-grossing 4X mobile games, focusing on companies like First Fun, FunFly, and River Game, and the increasing use of advanced user acquisition (UA) tactics and AI-generated creative content.
Background and Company Relationships
- First Fun (FunFly) and River Game are closely connected, sharing founders and overlapping game development.
- Founders’ roots trace back to Alex Technology, a successful Chinese developer that pioneered social and mobile games like Happy Farm and Clash of Kings.
- Post-exit, founders backed various gaming ventures and eventually formalized collaboration between First Fun and River Game, with Tencent as a key investor.
- Their collective Playbook includes sharing IP, cross-developing games, and establishing themselves as 4X leaders.
4X Game Evolution and Innovations
- Modern 4X games combine traditional mechanics with new onboarding flows mimicking hyper-casual and idle games to broaden appeal and reduce cost-per-install.
- Continuous creation and merging of game servers maintain player engagement and equalize competition, a practice dating back to Machine Zone.
- Recent hit games like Last War, Dark War, Top Heroes, and Top War deploy layered core loops, incorporating multiple gameplay genres to maximize retention.
- Innovations include disguising 4X mechanics under new themes, such as idol management (Top Girl), to attract previously untapped audiences.
Market Trends and User Acquisition Strategies
- Companies are heavily investing in colossal creative teams (hundreds of staff) to produce massive volumes of UA assets, often leveraging AI for rapid video generation.
- Frequent iteration and adaptation of creatives are essential to sustaining UA efficiency, with hyper-casual onboarding now embedded as an integral part of the product.
- The cost for UA in this genre is extremely high (often $50-$300 per install), driving ongoing creative and technical innovation.
- AI-generated and trend-chasing video ads are widely used, with companies frequently borrowing and iterating on each other's successful concepts.
Challenges and Sustainability
- The high UA spend raises concerns about long-term profitability and payback periods, though some titles reportedly see fast returns due to a well-optimized funnel and monetization.
- Competitive advantages are increasingly defined by creative output, onboarding optimization, and managing a multi-core gameplay structure.
Predictions and Industry Outlook
- The next evolution may see 4X mechanics added as meta-layers to other genres, or genuine gameplay innovation rather than incremental genre-blending.
- There is consensus that 4X studios are leading industry innovation, particularly in UA, and other genres will likely adopt similar methods.
- Social integration and early alliance formation could become key retention drivers in future 4X titles.
Decisions
- Plan future podcast episode: Team agreed to reconvene for a 4X genre recap and deeper genre overview.
Action Items
- TBD – Justin/Team: Share referenced article links and related resources in show notes.
- TBD – Team: Schedule follow-up podcast for 4X game industry recap and genre overview.