Astronaut in India and Argentina: a new bundle in overheated markets

It seemed that there was nothing to catch in these geos: FTD is steadily becoming more expensive, slots are losing retention, and margins are falling. But Astronaut from 100HP Gaming managed to prove the opposite - crash-segment is still alive and can give stable margins even where the classics no longer work. The text is based on two cases from Private Inc.

What is Astronaut

Astronaut is a crash game conceptually similar to Aviator (it's called «Aviator 2.0»)
Versatility: simple mechanics, instant start, and visuals familiar to the mass player
Competitive advantage: it is lightweight and optimized for weak devices and slow internet, which is especially important for Latin America and India
The game weighs only 1.6 MiB and takes less than 2 seconds to load, even on 2G
The visuals are customized to suit the needs of the Latam audience

Argentina

Private Inc. tested Astronaut on the new TopX platform and got a result that flipped the perception of a «dead» market:

25,863 FTD in two months
ROI 67%
Payout $465 534.

The key is simplicity and speed. The game weighs only 1.6 MiB and loads in less than 2 seconds even in 2G. Minimal requirements, localized visuals and clear mechanics = high RD from the first session.

India

This is where the Astronaut became a cheap and fresh alternative to the Aviator. With the same mechanics and visuals, the FTD price dropped 25-35% and the average check for the month rose to $20-22.

The team was able to get $365,802 profit for the month and $44K bonus from developers for volumes.

Why it works

Players are tired of monotony - they want easy entry, dynamics and emotion. Astronaut doesn't try to «invent new», it makes the old easier, faster and cheaper
For barers, it's a fresh pool of creatives, low CPI and high margins
For operators - stable retention and quick return on investment

Conclusion

Astronaut and Private Inc. have proven that overheated markets are not a judgment call. Sometimes all it takes to revitalize geo is not new mechanics, but a new speed and approach to the player.