Your web game is ready to play!
Now what?
In our previous Unity Web e-book, 5 fundamentals for creating web games, we explored how to plan, prototype, and design for web platforms. We dove into the reasons why web platforms are so valuable: reaching gamers quickly, extending play sessions with fast load times, and offering design philosophies that focus on optimization.
In this e-book, you will gain insight on launching and operating web games directly from web gaming site CrazyGames, which captures the eyes of 35 million monthly active users. Additionally, experts from game monetization company Xsolla offer guidance on driving revenue from web games, and game developer ULTRAHORSE gives a firsthand account of shipping and operating their web game and what they learned along the way.
It covers the following principles:
1. Embrace the launch benefits of the web
2. Choose the right platform partner
3. Stay dynamic with monetization
4. Keep content updates frequent
5. Honor your community
In our previous Unity Web e-book, we explored the potential speed of global shareability that the web platform provides. However, this just scratches the surface since the web also offers instant access, reduced iteration time, and opportunities for marketability testing.
Choosing web
As part of their multiplatform strategy, the ULTRAHORSE team chose to launch SquadBlast on the web for several reasons. First, the web offers unparalleled ease of access where players can jump into the game instantly without downloads or installations. This significantly lowers the barrier to entry and allows the game to reach a large and diverse audience. The team distributes their game across various web portals, from their own website to platforms like CrazyGames and Y8 that reach millions of players.
“Web gaming also gives us the flexibility to rapidly iterate and update our game. We can push changes quickly and gather immediate feedback, which is crucial for a multiplayer game that requires constant balancing and refinement,” says CEO Anatolijs Ropotovs.
Strategizing web compared to other platforms
The ULTRAHORSE team approached their development and launch strategy differently than they would on other platforms.
When preparing for a large multiplatform launch on marketplaces like Google Play, the App Store, or Steam, you may want to build up towards a single, massive release day. In order to be noticed on cluttered mobile stores, you often need an ambitious user acquisition campaign right out of the gate. On Steam, you can spend months building towards a wishlist to ensure a strong start. These approaches require significant upfront investment and can carry risk.
“One of the advantages that launching on the web offers is that it allows for a more gradual, iterative approach,” says Ropotovs. “We started small, initially launching SquadBlast on our own website and Discord server. This allowed us to gather feedback from a core group of players and make rapid improvements. From there, we expanded to smaller web gaming portals, then to larger ones.”
This step-by-step approach helped the team experiment and refine the game at each stage, fix issues, and optimize performance before they scaled up to larger audiences. The process was more controlled and allowed for continuous improvement.
“Another reason for web development is that there’s no approval or patching process delays. With web, we control our own destiny. We can push updates whenever we need to, allowing us to be much more agile in our development process,” says Ropotovs.
Approaching marketability testing
The CrazyGames team cites the flexibility that the web offers for early testing as one of the platform’s most valuable aspects.
“The web audience tends to be more accepting of games that might be considered less polished and it’s easier to iterate on the web since users easily jump right into each new version of your game,” says Rafael Morgan, vice president of marketing and partnerships at CrazyGames. “This allows for faster validation of concepts and mechanics, giving devs the chance to gather critical data and feedback quickly after the initial release.”
The CrazyGames team provides devs with key metrics like click-through rates (CTR), conversion to gameplay, session lengths, and retention rates, as well as tailored player feedback. Once the core gameplay loop is validated, they work with developers to refine their monetization strategies, but, as Morgan says, “we strongly recommend focusing on the gameplay first.”
Executing a soft launch vs day-one global launch
With a soft launch, developers can release in a smaller market, allowing them to gather crucial insights into gameplay, retention, and monetization performance without the pressure of a full-scale release. This phased approach can highlight any necessary adjustments to optimize the player experience and monetization potential before going global.
In contrast, a global day-one launch aims to capitalize on maximum visibility and can generate significant momentum early on. However, it carries higher risk. If the game isn’t perfectly tuned, players may churn quickly, impacting long-term traction and monetization metrics. “While day-one launches are valuable for established franchises or highly polished games with substantial pre-launch testing,” Morgan explains, “they may not always be ideal for newer or evolving titles.”
CrazyGames is gearing up to start incorporating soft launches more structurally into their release strategies. This approach aligns with their goal of helping developers iterate on early player feedback, enhancing the game based on real user behavior and ensuring it’s optimized for a broader audience.
“We’re excited to see how expanding our soft launches to all our developers will support them in refining their games and driving stronger engagement and monetization when they fully launch,” says Morgan.
Ensuring your game reaches the right audience is a challenge on any platform. Luckily, there are potential partners out there that can help with discoverability, monetization, and connecting with your player base.
Attracting a platform partner
When considering studios to partner with, CrazyGames looks for games that balance high conversion to gameplay with retention. According to the team, for a game to succeed, it needs an engaging core gameplay loop, a simple, repeatable gameplay mechanic that’s fun and accessible yet challenging enough to keep players coming back. Additionally, a game should be easy to learn and play right away, but should also offer layers of depth to maintain long-term interest.
“Fast load times and immediate gameplay are also important,” says Morgan. “Minimizing initial download size is essential in web games, as long wait times can lead to drop-offs. Getting players into gameplay quickly maximizes user engagement, retention, and monetization potential.”
Going beyond platform distribution
Building relationships with portals and platforms has been crucial in helping the ULTRAHORSE team navigate the unique landscape of web gaming. It provides them with resources and opportunities that go far beyond simple game hosting.
In addition to distribution, their platform partners offer valuable support. Working with companies like CrazyGames provide significant cross-promotion opportunities. They feature promising games prominently on their platform, which has been a huge boost for SquadBlast's visibility.
“Some platforms also offer marketing support, helping us reach their established user base through targeted promotions. CrazyGames provides great technical tooling that allows optimizing deployment at scale,” says Ropotovs.
In terms of monetization, they’ve been able to leverage platform-specific strategies. Many web gaming portals have their own advertising networks, which they’ve integrated alongside their in-game purchases. This dual monetization approach helps them to effectively cater to both paying and non-paying players.
“While we haven’t entered into any strict exclusivity agreements, we do create platform-specific events or exclusive cosmetic items for players on particular platforms,” says Ropotovs. “This helps drive engagement on these platforms while still allowing us to maintain our broad distribution strategy.”
Lastly, the team’s upcoming launch with Discord on their Apps / Activities platform is opening up exciting new possibilities. It’s allowing them to integrate SquadBlast directly into social spaces to blend gaming and community interaction in novel ways.
Taking it one step at a time
ULTRAHORSE’s user acquisition strategy for SquadBlast has been about gradual expansion and constant lessons. A key consideration from the start was many PC and console game players’ perception that web games were of lower quality than native platform games.
“We anticipated that PC and console gamers were not going to be first adopters of SquadBlast on the web. We started small and had our own studio team play and polish the game. This internal testing was crucial for identifying and fixing early issues,” says Ropotovs. “From there, we expanded to a small subset of our loyal Discord community. These dedicated players were invaluable in helping us catch bugs and provide feedback on the core gameplay experience.”
Once they had a stable build, they began a slow rollout across different web platforms. This gradual approach was key and helped them improve the game with performance optimizations, UI improvements, gameplay tweaks, or catching and correcting bugs.
“We explored a wide range of web gaming portals, each with its own audience and requirements. It’s worth noting that not every platform was a perfect fit,” says Ropotovs. “For instance, we found that kids-centric portals like Poki, with their specific business models and content requirements, weren’t a fit for hardcore gun mayhem of SquadBlast. But that's okay – it’s all part of the process of finding your audience.”
The team learned that exploration and perseverance are key: “Don’t give up and don’t limit yourself. Explore all the platforms out there, be open to feedback, and be ready to adapt. Your game will find its audience if you’re persistent and flexible in your approach."
Helping devs acquire users
According to the CrazyGames team, a user acquisition strategy should primarily leverage organic and viral growth since this aligns well with the web gaming ecosystem.
“Web users have a low barrier to entry, meaning they’re generally more open to trying out new games compared to mobile,” says Morgan. “This openness allows games to achieve substantial reach without relying heavily on paid user acquisition (UA).”
Recently, the team supplemented their approach with targeted UA campaigns across search, display, and video platforms to further enhance visibility for select titles. However, unlike the mobile ecosystem, their web games don’t require extensive UA efforts to reach large audiences. The ease of access the web offers lowers the barrier for users to try new games, fostering organic discovery and engagement.
“For developers, we often recommend focusing on creating compelling, engaging gameplay that encourages sharing and word-of-mouth growth,” Morgan explains. “By focusing on these core aspects, developers can tap into the natural reach of the web and benefit from CrazyGames’ organic traffic, which drives discovery without the heavy need for UA investment.”
Matching the right monetization strategy to your game can be just as difficult as finding the right audience. That challenge can become even more complex when considering in-app purchases (IAP), in-app advertising (IAA), or other monetization strategies for web games.
Building a platform-specific monetization strategy
You need different approaches to monetize games on different platforms. Device type, user behavior, and a platform’s characteristics are the main factors that should influence a successful monetization strategy.
“Microtransactions and IAPs are more common on mobile devices because users are accustomed to this format. Web platforms provide more opportunities for advertising monetization, but it is important to consider the balance between displaying ads and retaining users,” says Chris Hewish, president, communication & strategy at Xsolla. “Also, console and PC games often use more traditional approaches, such as selling premium content, DLC, or subscriptions, because users of these platforms expect more value for money.”
ULTRAHORSE echoes the need for platform-specific monetization strategies. SquadBlast was initially released on PC and Console with IAP and on Google Play and the App Store with both IAP and IAA.
“When we came to the web, we faced new technical challenges. We had to find new service providers; We use Xsolla for payments, which works well across different web platforms,” says Ropotovs. “For ads, it’s more complex. Each portal often has its own ad network.”
When it comes to building a monetization strategy, the team first focuses on understanding the audience of each platform or portal and adapting to its technical capabilities and limitations. From there, they balance between IAP and IAA based on behaviors and consider players’ long-term value, even if they don’t monetize immediately.
Collaborating on monetization
CrazyGames plays an active, collaborative role in helping developers identify the most effective in-app purchase and in-app advertising models for their games. Drawing on their experience with a diverse catalog of successful games, they offer recommendations and data-backed examples tailored to each game’s unique gameplay and audience.
“We assess player engagement patterns, session lengths, and retention rates to recommend monetization methods that enhance, rather than disrupt, the user experience," says Morgan. “For example, games with long sessions often benefit from non-intrusive interstitial ads, while games with frequent, short sessions might perform better with rewarded ads.”
They share successful IAP and IAA strategies from similar games. For example, how rewarded ads can boost retention by offering in-game bonuses or how in-app purchases can support progression in games with robust leveling systems.
The team also customizes recommendations by game type. “Casual games might thrive with ad-heavy models, while progression-based games benefit from IAPs that offer customization, boosts, or premium content," explains Morgan. “Our goal is to help developers implement user-friendly, effective monetization that aligns with both gameplay and audience preferences."
Creating a balanced monetization strategy
According to the Xsolla team, one of the most common pitfalls when implementing a monetization strategy in web games is an overreliance on advertising, which can irritate users and reduce retention. Another problem can be insufficient personalization of offers – if monetization is not adapted to different user groups, this reduces the effectiveness of sales.
“To avoid these mistakes, it is important to carefully balance advertising and gameplay, test different monetization methods (such as A/B testing), and ensure that the content offered for money is relevant and appeals to different types of players,” says Hewish. “Excessive use of advertising can discourage users, while a lack of in-app purchases can limit the opportunity to monetize active players.”
While finding the right balance can be tricky and time consuming, it opens the game up to different users who prefer different payment methods to reach a wider audience and increase revenue.
Diversifying your monetization strategy
The CrazyGames team believes that including both IAA and IAP in your monetization strategy can bring significant advantages and certain challenges.
“On the positive side, multiple revenue streams allow developers to reach different types of players,” says Morgan. “For instance, casual players may interact more with ads, while dedicated players often prefer IAPs leading to increased revenue overall.”
According to the team, this diversification can mitigate revenue risks since it balances income sources and reduces the dependency on any single model. Additionally, offering various monetization options can enhance the user experience by providing choices that align with player preferences, boosting satisfaction and retention without interrupting gameplay.
“However, balancing multiple monetization methods requires careful implementation, as a potential downside could be disrupted gameplay,” Morgan explains. “This approach also increases design and testing complexity, as each model demands specific tuning to ensure it performs effectively without overwhelming or frustrating players.”
Fostering player experiences with IAA/IAP
To balance player experience with monetization, the ULTRAHORSE team focuses on ensuring IAP offerings provide genuine value to players without breaking the game balance. They also use IAA in a way that doesn’t disrupt gameplay flow by offering rewarded ads as a choice. From there, they adjust the balance based on data from different platforms.
“We’ve found that following the guidance of web portals on ad implementation often leads to improvements across all platforms,” says Ropotovs. “It’s about finding that sweet spot where monetization enhances rather than detracts from the game experience.”
According to the Xsolla team, it’s important to minimize ads’ intrusion into the gameplay by offering them at moments that do not break the player’s immersion, such as between levels. At the same time, in-game purchases should be useful but not necessary for progression, so as not to create a “pay to win” feeling.
Tracking IAA/IAP metrics
The ULTRAHORSE team tracks Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU), conversion rates for both IAP and IAA, as well as retention rates and how these correlate with monetization, which is hard on the web. They also analyze players’ Lifetime Value (LTV), taking into account cross-platform purchases, ad view rates, and completion rates.
“We also look at platform-specific metrics. For instance, on web portals, we might track how many players move from the web version to downloadable versions on other platforms,” says Ropotovs. “The key is to remain flexible and data-driven, and be ready to adapt your approach based on what the metrics tell you about player behavior and preferences on each portal and platform.”
To assess the success of IAP/IAA systems, the Xsolla team tracks Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), LTV, player retention, and engagement. “We analyze how often players make purchases, the average amount spent, and how effective advertising is at keeping players in the game,” says Hewish. “Based on this data, we adjust the frequency of ad impressions and prices for in-game purchases and personalize offers for different categories of users.”
Choosing F2P vs premium monetization models
Choosing the right monetization model for a web game (free-to-play, subscription, or premium) depends on the target audience, type of game, and expected user behavior. According to Xsolla, free-to-play is often suitable for mass-market games with a large amount of content and the ability to attract users with microtransactions or advertising.
“A subscription model may better suit games with constant content updates and a loyal audience willing to pay regularly,” says Hewish. “A premium model, where the game is sold for a fixed amount, is more suitable for niche projects with high perceived value that offer a complete experience without further spending.”
The CrazyGames team’s focus is providing free-to-play gaming experiences to the world. All games on their platform are available without any upfront cost, ensuring that players can enjoy a wide variety of games without subscription fees or premium barriers.
“Our goal is to make high-quality games widely accessible, with monetization methods such as ads and optional in-app purchases, ensuring that any user can enjoy our games without limitations or financial commitment,” says Morgan.
One of the biggest benefits of building games for the web is how quickly you can upload new builds and have the latest version of your game available. However, this may add pressure for developers to release a constant stream of new content to keep players engaged. When it comes to balancing a content pipeline with the demands of your players, consistency and timing are the keys to success.
Managing new content
The ULTRAHORSE team believes that regular content updates are crucial for player engagement. They regularly introduce new items such as seasonal challenges, new map locations, and weapons with new gameplay styles to keep the gameplay fresh and give players new goals. Two of the most requested features from their player base are new maps and game modes. Players are always eager for fresh environments to explore and novel ways to play the game.
“We also focus heavily on leaderboard seasons, which are particularly engaging for our hardcore players,” says Ropotovs. “These competitive seasons drive long-term engagement and give our most dedicated players something to strive for.”
However, producing content at this scale is resource intensive for a smaller studio. To address this, they’re slowly working on a User-Generated Content (UGC) platform. This will allow players to build their own levels and items, which the team believes will significantly increase the variety of content available and keep players engaged for longer periods.
“While maximizing content output can be challenging, the web version of SquadBlast offers some unique advantages,” says Ropotovs. “We can push updates more frequently and easily compared to other platforms, allowing us to be more responsive to player feedback and requests. This agility is a big part of our strategy to keep the web version fresh and exciting.”
Keeping content consistent
Delivering updates across different platforms, including web, can present developers with challenges. Maintaining consistency across all versions of the game while dealing with the unique requirements of each platform can be a struggle.
To address this, the ULTRAHORSE team invested heavily in building a powerful Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) system. This allows them to build SquadBlast from the same repository for each platform and takes into account the quirks and requirements for each. It’s a complex setup, but it’s crucial to ensure that the game stays in sync across versions.
Account management is another major challenge. The team needs to upload every single game build across each platform in the right order. “This process can be nerve-wracking, especially when platforms introduce new requirements or require updates to certain SDKs,” says Ropotovs. “We often find ourselves hoping that platforms will approve new builds in a timely manner.”
Synchronizing your release
Timing is also critical for the team. They put in the effort and focus to coordinate a release day and ensure the game goes live at the same time across all platforms. This requires careful planning and execution, especially for major updates that introduce breaking changes.
The web version provides the team with some relief in this area. “We have more control over the update process for the web version, which allows us to be more agile,” says Ropotovs. “We can use the web version to test updates before rolling them out to other platforms, helping us identify and fix issues early, collecting the crashes in real-time via tools such as Sentry.”
To manage these challenges, the team maintains a rigorous testing process across all platforms and makes sure to keep open lines of communication with their platform partners. They also build flexibility into their update schedules to account for unexpected rollout delays. To gain time while patching, they also use feature flags to enable or disable features on platforms as needed.
While these processes take time, the team believes that maintaining SquadBlast across multiple platforms, including web, is critical to reaching and retaining the widest possible audience.
“The web version plays a key role in our cross-platform strategy, leading to the biggest source of players for our game, and at the same time, allowing loyal players to engage with the game even when they don't have access to their primary gaming device,” says Ropotovs.
Gamers are spending more time online than ever, sharing their experiences and connecting with friends. Don’t overlook the power of cultivating a healthy, enthusiastic community, then leveraging it to help improve your game.
Fostering a positive and engaged community
Community is at the heart of everything the ULTRAHORSE team does with SquadBlast. Constant communication is key for the team, and they take great efforts to meet players where they are, whether it’s at game events, through in-game chat, or on Discord. Hosting frequent events such as playtesting sessions and update launches while maintaining active public test servers keeps their community excited and involved in the game’s development process.
Showing appreciation to their community by sharing in-game gifts and items is crucial for the team. “It’s our way of thanking players for their support and engagement. It’s a small gesture, but it goes a long way in building goodwill,” Ropotovs explains.
The team’s cross-platform approach to community building is a vital part of their strategy. While they focus a lot on the web, they ensure their community efforts span across all platforms. This inclusivity helps create a unified SquadBlast community, regardless of how players choose to access the game.
“It’s tricky, but it’s also incredibly valuable. We start by actively listening across all channels – in-game chat, Discord, social media, and comments on web portals. This gives us a comprehensive view of what our community is saying,” says Ropotovs.
Understanding engagement
The CrazyGames team offers developers access to analytics that track key engagement metrics such as session length, frequency, and retention rates. Additionally, revenue from in-game ads and in-app purchases is monitored, allowing developers to assess the impact of their monetization strategies and adjust the balance between engagement and revenue generation accordingly.
“To boost engagement, we recommend that developers focus on creating replayable content and providing rewards that encourage return visits,” says Morgan.
Optimizing your feedback loop
One of ULTRAHORSE’s biggest challenges is balancing feedback from their vocal hardcore players with the needs of newer or more casual players. “We’re constantly striving to keep the game accessible and enjoyable for all players while still providing depth for our dedicated community,”states Ropotovs. “It’s a tough skill to crack, but it’s essential for the long-term health of the game.”
They’ve found that their public test servers are useful for gathering feedback on major changes. They have been instrumental for the web version of SquadBlast since players can easily access them and provide immediate feedback.
“Data plays a big role too. While we value all feedback, we also analyze player behavior data, especially from our web version where we can gather data more easily. This helps us validate feedback against actual player behavior,” says Ropotovs.
While it’s challenging to balance all perspectives, the team finds that this approach leads to a better game and a more engaged community. “The key is to always keep the lines of communication open and to show to the community that their voice matters in the game’s evolution,” Ropotovs explains.
In this e-book, we covered five fundamentals for launching and operating successful web games. We asked our experts for their top tip for achieving longevity on the web.
If you’re in the midst of development, have already launched a web game, or are just looking for new information, we hope that our experts’ insights have resonated with you and equipped you with valuable information to address potential hurdles.
Start creating games that compete with, and surpass the quality and success of big studio releases with help from powerful tools, support, verified partners, and a vibrant community.
