Case Study: How Our UA Campaigns Powered a Successful Global Launch
- Tanja Levo
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Launching a game globally is no small task but when driven by smart user acquisition and performance marketing, the payoff can be huge. Here's a look at how our UA campaigns performed during the global launch of Starborne: Frontiers, focusing only on acquired users (excluding existing players). The core of the launch strategy is, of course, to grow the number of users. Since the start of the launch, we started growing the daily installs by nearly five-fold. That required systematic but well-planned scaling of campaign spend. Strategic campaign pushes during meaningful content updates drove spikes in growth. This growth was fueled by fresh creatives, targeted expansion, and timely game updates.
Monetization gains and ROAS wins
During the launch period, we leveraged in-game data to guide our UA campaigns toward acquiring more valuable users. The results were clear: significant growth in both revenue and ROAS. These gains weren’t just about better targeting but they also reflected improved monetization design and stronger retention among high-value player cohorts.
One of the key takeaways was the importance of close alignment between marketing, game design, and monetization. They must work hand-in-hand to drive long-term success. Incremental, user-friendly changes to monetization tend to perform best. Sudden shifts, on the other hand, can disrupt user behavior, reset campaign learning, and in the worst case, collapse UA efficiency altogether.
Building a loyal player base during global launch
To achieve sustainable growth and long-term profitability, UA campaigns must focus on acquiring high-quality users who engage meaningfully with the game. In Starborne: Frontiers, we measured this through our "loyal users per install" metric, which tells us how effectively campaigns are bringing in players who remain active beyond the first few sessions.
Traditional time-based retention metrics don’t always capture the full picture. Especially for mid-core titles, where players may not log in daily, but engage deeply and consistently over time. In these cases, loyalty and behavioral depth matter more than frequency alone. By tuning campaigns for this kind of engagement, we’re building a more stable foundation for both retention and monetization.
Rising ARPU signals higher player value
While loyalty and retention form the base of a healthy player lifecycle, Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is the metric that shows how effectively that engagement translates into monetization. Over the course of the launch, we saw a 6x improvement in ARPU that reflects both smarter targeting and stronger in-game economics.
This growth didn’t happen by chance. It was the result of:
Better user segmentation in UA campaigns, helping us reach more high-intent players.
Incremental improvements in monetization design, such as balancing offers, pricing, and progression pacing.
Tighter alignment between marketing and live ops, ensuring players saw value and opportunities to spend at the right moments.
Importantly, the ARPU gains came without harming player experience. The game focused on user-friendly monetization. No paywalls, nor pressure, just rewarding progression and value-based offers. As a result, it attracted players who were not only loyal but also willing to invest more deeply in the game.
For a mid-core RPG like Starborne: Frontiers, this kind of ARPU growth is a strong signal that both UA and game design are working in sync to drive long-term value.
Looking Ahead
This UA-driven global launch proved that with the right strategy, it's possible to scale aggressively and profitably. As we look ahead to our next global launches, our focus remains on right targeting, user-friendly monetization, and the players at the heart of everything we do.
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