The Comeback of a Legend: How Merge Mansion Returned to the Leaderboard
They say the higher you climb, the harder you fall. But Merge Mansion by Metacore has proven that the key to success is the ability to rise after a fall. In 2023, the game, which had been the flagship of the Merge-2 with Complex Meta genre for three and a half years, lost its position to new competitors. However, a year later, it not only regained its standing but also broke its own revenue record. How? Let’s dive in with analys from AppMagic.
Who Challenged Merge Mansion?
First, a bit of background. For several years, Merge Mansion was the only game in its genre that consistently generated high revenue. But in 2023, three new competitors—Gossip Harbor, Travel Town, and Seaside Escape—emerged. They introduced fresh ideas in monetization and player retention, allowing them to grow rapidly and push Merge Mansion down to fourth place in terms of revenue.
By December 2023, it seemed like the game's position was steadily declining: revenue had dropped to $9M by February 2024. However, Metacore quickly took action and implemented a powerful reorganization of its LiveOps strategy. The result? By December 2024, the game earned a record-breaking $12M, increasing its revenue by 50% compared to the February low.
What’s the Secret to Success? A Full LiveOps Breakdown
To understand how Merge Mansion managed this comeback, let’s examine the changes in their LiveOps strategy. Here are the key elements:
- Increased frequency and variety of events. In 2024, the number of monthly events increased from 8 to 20. Competitors had been running over 500 events annually, whereas Merge Mansion had fewer than 200. By correcting this imbalance, the game boosted user engagement.
- Unique events. Previously, the game had too few new mechanics, mostly reusing older event structures. Now, Metacore has introduced more original content.
- Experimental events. Unlike its competitors, Merge Mansion rarely tested new mechanics in the past. In 2024, the company significantly increased the number of experimental events, helping identify which elements best drive retention and monetization.
- Adapting to player motivations. Merge Mansion had previously overlooked key mechanics like PvP, collectible albums, and leaderboard competitions. Now, these have become essential parts of LiveOps.
New Events That Changed the Game
Over the past year, Merge Mansion introduced several key events that proved to be particularly effective. Here are some of them:
Teatime Delight (Core Loop Event)
Adds a new layer of motivation by rewarding players for standard actions—merging items, completing tasks, and making purchases in Flash Sales. This increases session duration and encourages spending.
Merge it Up! (Core Loop Event)
Introduces a weekly pass with free and paid reward tracks. The cost is $4.99, half the price of the seasonal pass. This lowers the entry barrier for new players and encourages higher spending.
Lucky Catch (Meta Event)
A separate board with unique merge chains and a themed storyline. The popularity of this event led to spin-offs like Lucky Snap (birds) and Lost Gemstones (precious stones).
The Great Bake Off (Meta Event)
A competitive event with leaderboards. Players create special items using limited resources, which drives in-game purchases.
Hidden in Plain Sight (Support Album Event)
Merge Mansion’s first collectible album event. Players gather cards of varying rarity, creating long-term motivation and additional monetization opportunities through the purchase of rare cards.
Supercharge (Feature-as-Event)
A temporary energy consumption boost for faster progress. Similar mechanics are used in casino-style games like Coin Master. This is an excellent way to increase engagement and monetization.
Lessons from Merge Mansion
The story of Merge Mansion is a prime example of how a well-executed LiveOps strategy can bring a project back to the top. The game has demonstrated that the key to success lies in continuous development, experimentation, and understanding player motivations.
What can we learn from their experience?
- Event frequency is critical. A lack of new events leads to player fatigue.
- Experiments pay off. The more fresh content, the higher the engagement.
- Diverse player motivators. Leaderboards, collectible events, and unique mechanics all help keep players engaged for longer.
Merge Mansion’s approach didn’t just save the game from decline—it propelled it to new heights. Who knows? Perhaps in 2025, it will reclaim its position as the leader of the Merge-2 genre.