The challenge: Launching an FPS into the world's most competitive mobile category

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Mobile FPS is one of the toughest categories in gaming. Into that market, Tencent Magic Cube Studio launched Arena Breakout. The brief was ambitious and the constraints were real:

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• Brand awareness outside the Greater China region was low.
• Initial download volumes underperformed internal targets.
• The user-acquisition budget was well below category leaders.
The team needed a UA approach that could buy attention efficiently in markets where the brand had no equity.

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The strategy: Three pillars, one optimisation loop

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We built the plan around three coordinated workstreams, fed by a single performance dashboard that allowed daily reallocation of spend.

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Mainstream reach, format-matched creative‍

We ran paid placements across major platforms with creative variants tailored to each surface to gain recognition in the crowded gaming landscape.

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Event-timed activations‍

Rather than spending evenly, we concentrated bursts around moments when FPS audiences were already in-market.

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Precision targeting and continuous CPI optimisation‍

Using technical tools for precise targeting and cost management, we built lookalike audiences off the highest-LTV cohorts in the first few weeks, progressively excluding low-converting segments.

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The results

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Through targeted and strategic media placement, our efforts propelled Arena Breakout to global success:

• Top downloaded game in 50 countries
• 15M+ downloads
• 15% lower Cost Per Install (CPI) than the market average

Launching in a crowded market on a tight budget? See how we can apply the same data-driven approach for your brand. Book a free strategy session.