Case Study · Development / Performance creatives

Playable ad for a casual game: install rate +73%, CPI −38%

Static creatives in TikTok and FB Ads burned out in 3-5 days. Built an interactive playable — an HTML5 mini-level with real 5-10 second gameplay. The player tries the game before installing, conversion to paid user grows.

Industry

Casual mobile game (under NDA)

Stack

HTML5 · Cocos2d-js · Playable SDK

Timeline

~2-3 weeks

Outcome

CPI −38% · install +73%

Pain Point

Static creatives burned out in 3-5 days. Every new campaign was more expensive than the last.

The studio launched a casual game via TikTok Ads / FB Ads / IronSource. The first days the campaign went well — CPI $1.85, install rate 2.1%. But after 3-5 days creatives burned out: CTR dropped 2×, CPI rose to $3+, the campaign had to be paused while new static banners were assembled.

Additional problem: install quality was low. The user saw a static screenshot of the game → installed → played 30 seconds → uninstalled. Install → paid user conversion didn't exceed 0.8%. The performance team wanted to try playable, but the studio had no web developer with HTML5 game-canvas experience.

Solution

Interactive HTML5 mini-level packaged for all 5 ad networks

Cocos2d-js mini-game on HTML5 Canvas — exact replica of the game's first level with 5-10 seconds of gameplay and real mechanics
Adaptation for 5 ad networks — FB Playable SDK, TikTok Ads, IronSource, AppLovin, Unity Ads (each with its own API for the "Install" CTA + tracking)
A/B variations — 3 different hooks in the first second, 3 win-state scenarios, 2 difficulty levels → 18 unique playables from one codebase
Install after the first action — the user plays 3-5 sec, taps "Tap" / "Swipe" → install button appears. Engaged users become paid users at 4× higher rate
Webpack + Terser optimization — final bundle < 5MB (ad platform requirement) with inline assets, no external requests

Stack

What's under the hood

HTML5 Canvas + WebGL

graphics and animations

Cocos2d-js / Phaser 3

game engine

FB Playable SDK

FB / Instagram Playable Ads

TikTok Audience Network SDK

TikTok Playable

IronSource / AppLovin SDK

ad mediation networks

Webpack + Terser

bundling + minification

GSAP / Lottie

complex animations

TypeScript + Vite

modern build pipeline

Results

Numbers vs static creatives

Install rate (CTR ad → install)

2.1% → 3.6%

+73%

CPI (cost per install)

$1.85 → $1.14

−38%

CTR (impression → click)

0.42% → 1.51%

+260%

D1 retention in the game

33% → 45%

+12 pp

Over a month we built 8 unique playable variations for 5 ad networks. Each is a self-contained bundle < 5MB, ready to upload to Ads Manager within 24 hours of brief.

Where it fits

Who else benefits from the same methodology

· Mobile games (iOS / Android) — lower CPI and higher-quality installs in performance campaigns
· EdTech apps — interactive lesson demo instead of video promo: install→completion grows 2-3×
· FinTech / apps with a UX moment — playable shows "how easy it is to transfer money / open a card" instead of screenshots
· E-com — "build your set" playable or quiz before install/purchase
· Landing pages with an interactive block instead of a static hero — higher engagement and conversion

Similar challenge in your project?

From brief to test playable in Ads Manager — 5-7 working days. Pricing from ₽80,000 per variation, from ₽200,000 for a series of 8+ across 5 networks.

Discuss a playable

Готовы начать?

Аудит за 5 000 ₽ — с конкретным отчётом и сметой

Расскажу что внедрить в вашем бизнесе в первую очередь, какая будет окупаемость, и нужен ли вообще AI для вашей задачи (иногда — нет).

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