TL;DR
- Rapid building, rigorous testing, and data-first decisions drive EOGAMES’ success.
- Prioritizing retention and LTV are what matter in the long-run, not solely chasing low CPI.
- Standardizing workflows helped boost productivity and success rate.
- Leveraging Supersonic’s transparency and agility maximizes UA, monetization, and LiveOps.
Supersonic’s Studio Spotlight series highlights how top teams think, build, and grow - beyond any single game. We're sharing the processes, lessons, and mindsets that help developers succeed, while showcasing the talent and transparency of our partner community.
In this edition, we sat down with EOGAMES Studio, the China-based team behind hits like Screw Guru and Unravel Master: Tangle Puzzle, to explore the strategy, creativity, and the craft driving their success.
1. How did EOGAMES Studio get started?
EOGAMES has been around for almost 3 years, but our core team has worked together for over 5. Each team lead has 10+ years experience in game development and have held key positions at major companies in China. As competition in China’s gaming industry has intensified, we decided to bring our expertise to the overseas casual gaming market. We formed a team with a shared vision, complementary strengths, and a shared goal to make a global impact.
2. What core principles guide your prototypes and iterations?
In the prototyping stage: move fast. Build something testable, validate it, evaluate it, and cut quickly if it doesn’t meet the bar. Once a project moves into iteration, product data guides our development and all decisions.
“Our ‘try boldly and let go quickly’ mindset drives our success.”
-EOGAMES Studio
3. What mindset has been key to your success?
Our “try boldly and let go quickly” mindset drives our success. We build several new prototypes each month. After going through hundreds of them, we’ve developed an efficient workflow. This rhythm helps us stay alert to new opportunities in the market.
4. Where do you find inspiration?
We track rankings and new releases daily across platforms, testing any titles that show potential. We also follow casual gaming channels on YouTube and keep an eye out for the latest creatives on ad platforms to spot emerging trends and fuel ideation.
“Don’t chase low CPI at the expense of everything else. Retention and LTV drive long-term success.”
-EOGAMES Studio
5. What did you wish you’d known sooner?
Early on, we focused too much on keeping CPI low. If a puzzle’s CPI topped $1 USD, we’d drop it immediately instead of refining levels or improving retention. We’ve since learned not to focus solely on CPI, because even if CPI is a bit higher, a game still has the potential to become a hit as long as retention and LTV are solid.
If we had understood the long-term impact of retention and LTV back then, we might have achieved bigger successes much earlier. In short, we've learned to avoid chasing CPI at the expense of everything else. A slightly higher CPI can still lead to a hit if retention and LTV are strong.
6. How do you choose what to pursue and what to cut?
From many ideas, we typically green light 2 or 3 that are genuinely fun and show market potential. After gaining experience from many failed prototypes, we’re now able to make fast calls once CPI and level metrics come in.
7. What recent change to your production process made a difference?
Early on, our biggest challenge was finding a work pace and methodology that suited our small team in overseas markets. A lot of our prototypes failed, but as we standardized our processes, both our productivity and success rate improved significantly.
For example, as the number of iterations increased, we standardized our Git commit format and mapped each commit ID to the design doc. Our in-house tool compares versions during commits, ensuring changes match the doc, and preventing hidden bugs from accidental edits.
“Know your target players, understand their behavioral data, and then build your game for them, rather than relying on personal taste.”
-EOGAMES Studio
8. What’s a common misconception new devs have about hybrid-casual games and player expectations?
It’s easy to confuse personal preference with market demand. Our best piece of advice for new devs is to know your target players and understand their behavior data, rather than relying on your own personal taste.
9. Why partner with Supersonic?
Supersonic impressed us with their transparency, expertise, and experience with successful hybrid-casual and casual games. Their data-driven approach also matches our team’s way of working, so they became our go-to publishing partner. Full access to Supersonic’s data lets us monitor key metrics in real time and make fast decisions. It greatly speeds up iteration and keeps us closely aligned, avoiding "blind guesses" due to missing information.
One thing that’s stood out is how Supersonic respects the original design while driving fast iterations with agile strategies. On top of that, their support with UA, monetization strategies, creative ads, and LiveOps has significantly improved both retention and revenue.
“Stay transparent, agile, and data-driven. To get the most from your publishing partnership, be ready to iterate fast, test boldly, and embrace feedback.”
-EOGAMES Studio
10. Advice for studios preparing to work with a publisher?
Be transparent, flexible, and data-driven. Publishers can add huge value, but your team needs to be ready to iterate quickly, test ideas fearlessly, and take feedback openly. That’s how you unlock the most value from the partnership.
“In 2026, the combination of ‘creativity and rapid iteration’ will be the most crucial competitive advantage for hybrid–casual developers.”
-EOGAMES Studio
11. What should developers watch for in 2026, and what’s one piece of advice for new or growing studios?
In the year ahead, hybrid-casual games will continue to evolve with richer gameplay systems and more player-to-player interactions becoming the key to long-term retention. AI tools will further boost development speed, so the combination of “creativity and rapid iteration” will be the most crucial competitive advantage for teams.
On top of that, the influence of ad creatives on a game’s performance will keep growing, and they may even become an integral part of the game design instead of only being a marketing asset.
12. What’s next for EOGAMES?
We’ll keep expanding our hybrid-casual portfolio, test new player interaction mechanics, and explore new gameplay and genres with strong potential. We’re excited to create more games that are both innovative and profitable, and to keep growing with Supersonic.
Want a deeper dive into EOGAMES Studio’s recent hits? Get the full story here:
EOGAMES Studio and Supersonic turn Unravel Master: Tangle Puzzle into a must-play zen hit
EOGAMES Studio and Supersonic scale Screw Guru with an unconventional approach to game design
How UX design drives player engagement in EOGAMES’ hit hybrid puzzles
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