Mobile App Success Story: Gardenscapes

If it is Monday then an inspirational story about a successful app is all you need to start your week right. Today, we will talk about Gardenscapes, a mobile game that allows users to spend their free time in a fun way but it also offers a lot of challenges for those who want to train their brain. We will list down the reasons why this game reached the first places in leading app stores.

Brilliant Idea

Gardenscapes is the creation of Playrix, a game development company from Russia, founded by two brothers, Dmitri and Igor Bukhman. They created Playrix in 2004 and for a while, they focused on casual games for PC. So, at first Gardenscapes was designed for desktop. It took the team four years to build Gardenscapes for mobile. In August, 2016 the game was launched on main app stores and it became popular also in China and Japan, as VentureBeat highlights. In the same year, Facebook named Gardenscapes the game of the year. With over 800 experts located all over the world, the main goal is to offer high – quality products and this is obvious when you think about the success of Gardenscapes and other three games created by Playrix, Homescapes, Fishdom, and Township. For Gardenscapes, the storyline and the gameplay attract users and offer them a great experience. The game is available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

How Gardenscapes Did It

We discussed in a previous post about the most efficient methods for promoting a casual game. Let’s take Gardenscapes as an example for a better understanding of this category of games.

Free To Play

Gardenscapes is about renovating a garden helped by a butler named Austin. While some players struggle to earn coins and to buy lovely decorations, others understood the idea of the game and enjoy the journey without thinking too much how to win the game. The huge number of levels intrigue players and transform the app into an addictive adventure. Gardenscapes is free for the ones who just want to download and play. Along the road, users can be convinced to buy some items for advancing to the next level. The company behind the game focused on this type of monetization for all the apps created. Therefore, every game produced by Playrix follows this freemium model.

Match–3

Gardenscapes is actually a combination of two concepts. It allows players to build their gardens and it also offers match–3 options to unlock the story. This idea is very convenient for those who prefer this type of game. Actually, during the soft launch, the second part wasn’t even available but its creators realized that a match-3 game would increase users’ interest for their product. And it appears to be a good decision because this section of the game generates more revenue than the garden renovation. The graphics are amazing and this is an essential aspect for people to adore the game.

Storytelling

There are hundreds of match –3 games over there but the story and decorations offered by Gardenscapes make the difference between this game and any other similar products. It is a sure fact that this interesting narrative attracts users and convinces them to go back to the game. Even though some gamers are too eager to play and don’t read everything, others are interested in the action and the characters which improve the overall experience. Sometimes it takes much longer to complete the levels but this doesn’t have to discourage users. Finding new solutions is part of the game and it wouldn’t be that fun if it would be too easy! Those challenges keep users connected to Gardenscapes.

Rewards

Rewards represent the most important factor in the game. Players receive free coins (which can be used for improving their garden) if they watch a video. This is very important when you want to find a way for monetizing your app. Going back to compelling elements of Gardenscapes, there is also a Lucky Spin which allows players to win more currency or extra lives. When users play these match – 3 puzzles they expect to win power-ups. With the latest update of the app, creators included more bonuses for restoring the garden. Speaking of which, developers prepared a lot of surprises for the end of the month when players will have the chance to celebrate Easter in their own virtual gardens. In the same time, all fans can find great events with prizes. They also can brag on the game’s official Facebook page with their success and share their opinions with others.

Bonus Tip: Provide New High – Quality Content

Casual games are meant to be simple. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t difficult to build one and to maintain users’ interest in it. Even though this type of games offer relaxing moments, there are many factors that determine their success. As we said before, Gardenscapes was built in four years, which is a lot taking into account that there was already a version for desktop created by the same team. Additionally, they know that their work isn’t done even though the game is in the app store. Moreover, for some hard levels, Playrix provide walkthroughs and tips, while some videos reveal the most interesting elements of the game. Adding fun and entertaining features all the time is hard but it is also mandatory for the success of your app. For growing their product, Gardenscapes’ creators had to update it often, to bring more innovative tools and to keep their audience engaged. Developers need to bring always something new and valuable for users. This way, gamers know that their favorite app is being supported.

Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this story about Gardenscapes and you agree that it represents a great Monday motivation. It doesn’t matter where your team members are located as long as you follow the same goal and you focus on connecting with your users for offering them high-quality apps!