𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀

🎉𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 🎉
An early form of the “stacking” mechanic has been around for a while, but it caught the industry’s attention 👇

..when Fortnite introduced its dynamic building features in 2017. Fast-forward to 2020, and we see Cube Surfer (May) and Shortcut Run (October) hitting the hyper-casual scene, both developed by Voodoo—refining and popularizing stacking in a whole new way.

Early 2021 saw High Heels (Rollic) and a surge of similar stacking games dominating the top hyper-casual charts. One standout was Bridge Race by Garawell Games in partnership with Supersonic from Unity, which took stacking to the next level by adding an extra output: players collect tiles to build bridges and advance through levels. This not only resulted in 750 seconds of average playtime and 45% D1 retention but also helped drive down CPI to as low as $0.22 (source: Mobidictum).

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀?

𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Easy to learn, quick to play—perfect for hyper-casual titles.
𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 & 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Watching your stack grow in real-time feels rewarding.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 & 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Progression often requires precise timing and coordination, keeping players engaged.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Quick rounds appeal to mobile gamers looking for fun in short bursts.

These benefits, combined with lower CPIs, explain why stacking mechanics appear in so many genres—from idle games like Idle Lumber or Gold and Goblins (shoutout to AppQuantum) to titles like Township (Playrix), Animals & Coins(Innplay Labs), or Whiteout Survival (Century Games).

In today’s competitive market, 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗣𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻—and the stacking mechanic is proving to be exactly that. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀!

What’s your take on the future of stacking mechanics in mobile gaming? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

🦄 Join the Brutally Honest newsletter: lancaric.substack.com
📺 Catch the latest creative trends on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/d8KmfuVK
🎈 Creative framework: How to win in 2024? https://lnkd.in/d_bK2adN