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Turning Your Concept into Profit: Step-by-Step of Sunday’s Mobile Game Publishing

Navigating the mobile game market as a game creator can be challenging. It’s vast, complex, and calls for a structured approach and an experienced team to conquer it. That’s what Sunday is for – as the next-gen mobile game publisher we provide all the guidance, support, and tools you need to create a high-LTV hit. 

Thanks to our one-of-a-kind end-to-end approach, we control every single step of the process without relying on third parties – keeping your data safe and profits complete. This enclosed and secure ecosystem of services is what makes us stand out among other top mobile game publishers. Before you take a step and apply to join it, here’s what to expect.

How to Apply

At Sunday, we seek to work with studios that have a proven track record in hyper- or hybrid-casual gaming, with a focus on quality. While we generally prefer experienced studios with a history of collaboration with other mobile game publishers or soft launches, we assess each application on a case-by-case basis -making all applicants welcome.

For studios interested in partnering with Sunday, a portfolio is a must. There’s no set format – just show us what you’ve got! It could be a store page, a drive folder showcasing your games, gameplay videos, and creatives, or a comprehensive pitch demonstrating your past work. Apply here.

How We Ideate on a Mobile Game Prototype

When a studio partners with us, we initiate the first phase of mobile game publishing – ideation – where we collaborate to shape the game’s concept. Studios take the lead in generating ideas, while our publishing managers provide guidance based on market trends. This ensures that the studio maintains a unique vision while remaining adaptable to industry changes.

The ideation phase begins with the studio assembling to brainstorm and create game design documents. These documents outline the game’s mechanics, target audience, objectives, and challenges. After that, a meeting with the publishing manager refines the concept and ensures alignment with our vision.

Once the concept gains approval, the studio takes on the actual mobile game development and starts coding, usually beginning with around 20 levels and 10-15 minutes of gameplay. Our publishing team provides support for technical issues, SDK questions, and platform-related challenges.

Initial Mobile Game Testing

With the development underway, we move on to testing the prototype – that’s where we enter the are of mobile game marketing. During this phase, we evaluate the game’s marketability and early engagement. Marketability assessments help us understand the game’s appeal, while early engagement is evaluated through factors such as retention rates and playtime. For level-based games, we also monitor game level progression and assess churn rates.

Testing is conducted through Sundash, our comprehensive testing platform, which allows studios to manage the process while maintaining data confidentiality. They can upload all game-related information, including videos and creatives, and review the results of each test. It’s a collaborative process where everyone can access the necessary data points. Once testing is complete, results are examined for areas of improvement to work on and make the game really shine.

Let’s Iterate!

Following testing, we enter the iteration phase. Here, we use data and feedback to make improvements. Our goals include enhancing player engagement, marketability, game progression, and gaming experience. We will also expand the game’s content, address technical issues, and introduce in-game advertising to assess profitability. We want to understand how many ads we can show and how receptive the audience is to them.  

A critical tool in this stage is, of course, A/B testing, which allows us to compare different versions of the game or specific game features to see which one performs better. We test each set of differing features on separate cohorts of players – the version that demonstrates superior performance becomes the chosen path. Our decisions don’t come out of thin air – they’re all based on data.

We continue to provide developer support during this phase, offering assistance with coding and technical issues while studios maintain full creative control.

This Is Where Your Game Takes Off

In the soft launch phase, the mobile game promotion comes into focus, and we gradually initiate user acquisition campaigns on a larger scale, gauging real-world performance. If successful, we prepare for a global launch. During this phase, our creative team works full-speed producing creatives to turn as many viewers into players. Meanwhile, a growth manager takes charge of acquiring users at the most cost-effective rate and optimizing the game’s monetization strategy for maximum profitability. All while game designers continuously fine-tune the game based on player feedback and our data analysis. 

And, of course, nothing stops post-launch. Our product manager becomes the primary stakeholder for published games and meticulously examines the game’s performance data. Revenue data also comes under scrutiny, marking a new phase of evaluation. We stay alert and ready to make necessary updates and improvements whenever needed.

Even after the global launch we maintain open lines of communication with the studio. We collaborate closely to ensure the game remains fresh, exciting, and profitable. 

Ready to Publish Your Mobile Game?

Can you already see it, your game becoming a hit? With our dedicated team by your side, it’s more achievable than you think. Apply now, and send us your portfolio – let’s turn that vision into reality! And if you still have questions after reading this article, please don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to support your journey.