Capybara GO Global Launch UA Case Study

Fond of Capybaras? Then, you can now play with the lovable, oversized creature in Capybara Go!

It’s a text-based roguelike RPG from Habby, the team behind hits like Archero and Survivor.io. So, is it a typical cute pet game? Almost! I already published a Capybara GO global launch case study, but this one is now updated with the US global launch data and some additional interesting soft launch stuff! Keep reading to know.

Why Capybara GO is Unique

The game lets you dive into the world of the adorable rodent in a completely unexpected way. It puts you on an epic journey where chaos and adventure go hand in hand. Your adventure begins and ends with a capybara, literally.

You’ll bond with your new furry friend, kit it out with gear and set off on an endless series of randomized events. The world around you is full of surprises, with every decision influencing your path to victory or defeat.

You’ll form alliances with other animals and face a variety of enemies along the way. One of the best things in Capybara Go is obviously the capybaras. And the animal companions, who are allies and help you navigate the game’s challenges.

The best friend of the Capybara is a crocodile who also helps with his travels. Also, you can deck out your capybara in better gear and new skills with each new event.

The ultimate Template

Also, Capybara GO is the latest update on the Habby template, which eclectically takes all the proven mechanics from other big games and masterfully absorbs them into its signature metagame. Let’s follow this evolution piece by piece to understand it.

The core gameplay is really unique, as this is much closer to the social casinos like Monopoly GO than the usual Habby’s skill-based cores such as Archero or Survivor.io. You go through multiple days of adventure with your Capybara, clicking on the next day, with things happening automatically. You encounter different random choices, events, battles, minigames, + Skill randomizers with the three skill choices as per rogue-lite RPG. There is no player movement, no input during battle, just metagame and auto-play.

Because HP and DMG are still important, this creates a new genre – A Social Casino RPG.

Ironically, they literally added some minigames from the biggest Social Casino Game, Monopoly Go, such as the treasure guessing one.

As described, the core gameplay is very simplistic and is quite similar to the social casino loop, where spending energy on different multipliers saves time if you accumulate too much of it.

Therefore, this mechanic of “autoplay” is also integrated into Capybara GO in a similar fashion. It is hidden under the travel button, also their Idle mechanic claim area of UI.

Moving on to the next game, Capybara GO got a lot of systems from Legend of Mushroom (which took a lot of its own system from Legend of Slime). Namely, the side mode setup with two attempts for free and two attempts behind a rewarded video. This is the main source behind the game’s different currencies and energy systems. Again, taking something from a proven metagame setup, I expect we will see this also in the next Habby game, as their template will keep all of these upgrades.

On this “stats rolling” mechanic, we can clearly see that Habby not only takes mechanics and duct tapes them to their meta, but they also iterate. As we see the reference in Legend of Mushroom, where this was just one statue that was holding the stats, in Capybara GO, every single pet has its own stats to hold and reroll, which really multiplies the spend depth of this mechanic, as now you need to strategize and rall the stats on all of your pets instead of one global statue.

The resource source for this stat rolling mechanic was also iterated. In Legend of Mushroom, there is actually a farming and crops stealing mechanic behind the currency that rerolls these stats.

In Capybara GO is the Mine, where the player gets these teal crystals and uses them on pets. The mine itself is also taken from Legend of Mushroom/Legend of Slime Meta, but as you see, it is again iterated and simplified. Instead of going down forever, deeper and deeper, even having consumables, it’s much closer to the treasure guessing game from Monopoly GO. You need to find the Cappy King, open it and then you progress to another room. Again, it is elegantly streamlined and iterated.

And if we are at it, the Cappy King opening is again taken from Brawl Stars’s star chest system. Here, the player has multiple chances to increase the chest’s rarity by clicking multiple times before opening it, giving it a much more rewarding and “gacha” like feeling.

Again, we see the power of iteration, how a lot of these mechanics are carefully tied to each other but still compliment themselves.

The Mount and Artifact power layer is also taken from Legend of Mushroom. It is an easy-to-use and separate upgrade layer that is mostly tied within limited events, where the best rewards are part of this system (the events are also copied 1:1 :D) . Why reinvent the wheel if something works already? This gives Capybara GO one of its main strengths, and that is that the game is still technically in soft launch (US release November 20th), and it already has 7 progression vectors. When Survivor.io launched it had 1.

Some things remained the same, such as the signature three-chest types shop. This is a staple for Habby, and here also lies one of their main ad monetization strengths: the bottom chests always offer 3+1 rewarded ad placements per day. Why change something that is already working well?

We will watch very closely what will happen during the US release, but my guess is that because the game is so approachable now, even though being and RPG, the social casino layer and very popular Capybara theme could really increase the total addressable market of the usual Habby RPG audience. I also expect dozens of copycats and few actual iterations on this new “Social Casino RPG” genre, which could really evolve the genre to an interesting direction.

We also can’t ignore that Archero 2 is currently in soft launch, so Habby will want to time this correctly. Case study incoming!

Helpful Things for New Players

General Tips

• Level all pets to 5,10,15.
• Use a tunic, guardian rings, and icy bubbles. And yes, your guardian rings and icy bubbles stack.
• If you’re stuck, travel or spam tower.
• Reset all gear levels and max out weapon > armor, then highest rarity S gear > highest rarity normal gear.
• Use elephant and ice fox.
• Use staff. Although you will hear of late-game players talking about how broken the bow is, the staff is undisputedly the best for newbies. This is because newbies will have low crit/combo/counter%, and weapons that give these stats cannot be utilized properly. For staff, everyone can utilize a flat skill dmg % increase as it will just give your rage skills/lightning/dagger, etc, more damage. Staff worked pretty well for me.
• The server resets at 8 am GMT+8 (Singapore time).
• Pull for mount and artifact in capymachine first before pulling for pets.

Equipment

Example: Is Dragons Breath or Revival Cape better? It depends. Dragon Breath is better in this chapter because there are more turns in the chapter, and the healing is more valuable than the revival cape. Revival cape is good in towers where bosses have high burst damage, and you need to tank a large damage ult.

Travel

There is no magical formula to clear chapters. Everybody needs to spend hundreds of energy trying various equipment to clear a hard chapter. Travel and farm tower to upgrade talents and get more blueprints to make your capybara stronger.

Skills

Different skills are better in different game modes.

Example: Double atk on turn1 is amazing in dive because bosses very harder the stages you clear consecutively, so killing them fast is important as you cannot out-tank their damage. Conversely, double atk on turn1 is terrible in chapter, since there are 30 turns and sustained damage is more useful than burst damage (especially for later chapters).

For chapter: skills with scaling damage that complements your build are best. War vet, combo proficiency, and crit proficiency are all good damage skills if you have the corresponding stats to synergize with them. If you are dying, take skills that provide healing such as counter proficiency. What skills to take just depends on what you need, dmg or survivability.

Anyway, what chapter are you on?

Scaling the User Acquisition

Capybaras have become incredibly popular online lately, and there are a few reasons why they’re stealing the spotlight:

1. Wholesome Vibes: Capybaras are known for their calm, chill nature. They’re incredibly peaceful animals, often seen lounging, swimming, or just relaxing with other animals. In an internet culture that often celebrates “wholesome content,” capybaras perfectly symbolize relaxation and positivity.
2. Friend to All: Capybaras are famously sociable animals that get along with many other animals, from birds to cats, dogs, and even crocodiles. This has led to a lot of viral content where capybaras are hanging out harmoniously with unlikely animal friends, giving them a reputation as the “friendliest animal in the animal kingdom.”
3. Meme Potential.
4. Aesthetic Appeal.
5. Popularity of Animal Cafés and Zoos: In certain parts of the world, especially Japan, capybara-themed cafés and hot springs (onsen) have become popular, where people can see or even interact with these animals. This exposure helps Capybaras gain more fans who share their experiences online, feeding into the viral nature of Capybara content.

In short, capybaras have become icons of relaxation and friendliness, which is refreshing in today’s fast-paced world. They’re the ultimate “chill animal,” and the internet can’t get enough of their vibe!

As mentioned, Capybaras are known to be able to socialize with almost every single species. From guinea pigs to alligators, you can find cute videos of them hanging out with any species.

Riding an Alligator clip made it to the UA videos, but basically, the whole game is built around it. These videos (as well as those above) have millions of views on YouTube and TikTok. Capybara made their K-pop debut with BLACKPINK.

The game utilizes minimalistic 2D graphics to deliver an immersive gameplay experience showcasing our main character—Capybara! Capybara is a popular animal with wide appeal and big meme potential. Let’s stop a little bit here.

It seems the internet has moved on from cats and dogs to rodents when it comes to consuming cute animal behavior. TikTok’s latest sensation has come in the form of the Capybara, the world’s largest rodent, native to South America. These semi-aquatic, herbivorous giants have captured the hearts of millions online, sparking a capybara craze that shows no signs of slowing down.

Capybaras, often described as giant guinea pigs, have gained immense popularity on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Their lovable and relaxed appearance, along with their amusing behaviors, have made them an online sensation. But what exactly set these rodents to viral stardom?

Meme Potential: Their laid-back demeanor and unique, often funny expressions make them perfect meme material. Capybara memes, especially ones featuring their serene reactions to chaotic situations or their “couldn’t care less” vibe, resonate with people dealing with the stresses of modern life. Phrases like “Capybara energy” or “be like a capybara” have become shorthand for staying calm and relaxed.

Aesthetic Appeal: Capybaras have a distinctive, almost cartoonish look that makes them stand out. Their rounded shape, expressive faces, and smooth fur make them visually appealing, and people can’t help but love their adorable yet odd appearance.

Habby did their homework well. It smells a lot like marketability testing at its best. The most crucial part of mobile game development is laying strong foundations from the very beginning. Early marketability testing allows you to gain insights into how well your mobile game’s creative concept will perform during user acquisition and how your game concept resonates with the target audience. I’ve run hundreds of campaigns on different games using different types of creatives. You need to do everything you can to decrease the CPIs to a minimum. Capybaras help in this case! A lot!

In order to scale your game, you need to be able to squeeze every last bit of user acquisition out of it. Marketability is your best friend when it comes to decreasing CPI because scaling a mobile game is all about the CPI vs. LTV equation.

Scaling a game is not only a function of a killer user acquisition operation. It is also a function of a LTV. You can only scale your budget until the LTV allows you. Eg. If your LTV is $10, you can run profitable campaigns until you hit $9 CPI (or any other CPI that you calculate based on your margins). This is very simplified because you need to consider a payback period of your campaigns = when do you want to see your money back. Is it D30, D60, D90 or D365? But that would be for a separate article. Simple, right?

Currently, Capybara GO is making 850k USD/day from IAP (in-app purchase) revenue. Felixes’s humble guess is an additional 150k USD/day in IAA (in-app ads) revenue, which accounts for 20%.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The US and some other countries were launched on November 19, 2024.

According to Sensor Tower data, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are the strongest countries. Now US being on the 5th place.

Quite interesting to see almost 700k downloads in US after the global launch, but “only” 1Mil in IAP revenue, which might be $1.3Mil. in reality. Thats pretty low! I was speculating they are only running CPI campaigns. But then I checked the creatives. Uff, what surprise. Creatives they run in US are just not gonna work.

Habby is a Chinese developer, meaning they know the Chinese market well. I would speculate that all activities in the West will be multiplied by 2-3x from what we see now. Would this be bigger than Survivor.io? I bet it will in Asia!

In the past month or so, it has gradually emerged in a few overseas regions and successfully entered the top ten of the game’s best-selling list in Southeast Asia. Its remarkable achievements have attracted the attention of many industry insiders. It has also entered the No. 1 free list overseas and the top three of the new game best-selling list.

We can see they are utilizing all the big UA channels: Facebook, Google, TikTok, and Unity, but they were missing out on Applovin.

Applovin is finally in the UA channel mix.

Well, I would assume this is the next step immediately when the US is open. If no, I might need to reconsider the prediction!

This was my original thought. They are very slowly ramping up the spend in US. I was expecting way bigger push. Black Friday? Maybe. Maybe not!

Could you guess where they are spending the most money? Oh yeah! Google it is. Most of their budget has gone there since the “global” launch began.

You can clearly see this is just a warm-up! A warm-up with $1mil/day is not a bad warm-up, hah!

What they need to do next is very simple. Start producing more playables and push the pedal to the medal on Applovin, its their biggest channel on Survivor.io nowadays and go ballistic on TikTok! There is only 1 creative on Tiktok in US for Capybara go and its not TikTok Creative Challenge. What is happening, Habby? GO, GO, GO!

Why TikTok?

Remember the MEME material I mentioned before? Exactly! 400k posts about Capybaras. Well, no. Only hashtag #capybara has 400k posts. Go figure!

Ok, lets dive a bit deeper into the sensation. Please take a moment to appreciate the beauty of Habby’s decision. This is not an accident!

This video has 114 million views. I repeat! 114 million!

This is just a natural step to scale, as if there is no tomorrow. I mean, Habby already did it with survivor.io back then. I wonder if this is gonna be the same situation with US release. Let’s see in a couple of days, but I would expect it! Hell no! Its gonna be bigger..

Creatives

Capybara GO creatives are the blend of every trend out there that works for mid-core. Mass battles, survivor.io gameplay, (UGC) hooks, AI voiceovers, backpack heroes combined with sword survivor.io. Just a big WOW!

Mark my words. This is gonna be HUGE! Same as the creative depths for Capybara GO.

Again, what a great set of concepts running in Asia. Only 20% of this is running in US. Why? I don’t get it. Go Habby, Go! Get those creatives and launch in US and rest of the world.

My favorite creative at the end!

Playables

It looks quite weird to see only one playable up and running, but then I realised Google is still the biggest channel.

Takeaways & last comments

• The Habby template makes every consecutive game scale faster with a full feature set.
• Creative depth for Capybara GO is just never-ending in Asia. So many great concepts following creative trends! They are falling behind in the US. They need to start adding new concepts ASAP to the mix.
• TikTok is a big contender for the biggest UA channel of this global launch. Not only because of the Survivor.io example but also because of the MEME potential + performance I can see in multiple games.

• For a successful global launch and scale, you need both a killer UA and a killer game. It’s not easy to do it without one or the other. Easier said than done!