When Epic Plane Evolution by Voodoo launched in 2024, it looked like just another hypercasual flyer.
But in Q2 2025, it surprised the industry.
● Monthly IAP revenue skyrocketed from $592K → $1.4M in just one month
● Growth came almost entirely from iOS users in the US, while Google Play barely moved
The Secret?
A step-by-step shift from ad-driven monetization → IAP-led monetization.
And interestingly, 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐎𝐒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐝.
Key Moves:
● Plane Tickets – consumable “energy” system that created natural spend pressure
● Hard Currency Redesign – gems became essential for upgrades, not just optional
● VIP Membership – replaced ad removals with a high-value bundle (unlimited tickets + ad removal + daily refills)
Results:
● US average spend grew from $5 → $13 per transaction in a few months
● Hard currency packs & VIP bundles now drive revenue instead of ads
But the growth wasn’t bulletproof
● Heavy reliance on one region (the US)
● Limited meta systems led to weaker retention
● Rising UA costs making scaling harder
Interested in reading full breakdown on this?
🎯 https://lnkd.in/gE33u_kN
Takeaways:
With the right monetization design, hypercasual isn’t the ceiling. Even the simplest loops can turn into hybridcasual success stories players are willing to pay for.
But long term sustainability requires meta depth, diversified markets, and retention first design.
What other 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫 → 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 success stories do you think we’ll see in 2025?