Summary

This three-phase roadmap outlines a structured approach to scaling paid user acquisition for mobile games, from establishing foundations to achieving large-scale, profitable growth. Phase 1 (Foundation & Launch) focuses on building the core infrastructure: assembling a lean creative team, selecting games with proven organic traction, setting up attribution and tracking via MMPs, and running initial campaigns on Google Ads, Mintegral, and Facebook. The goal is to validate unit economics through disciplined testing, strong creative iteration, and accurate revenue attribution, aiming for break-even ROAS and $200–400 daily profitable spend per game within the first few months.

Phase 2 (Diversify) expands creative output and network coverage, introducing Unity Ads and scaling spend to $25–50K monthly while maintaining profitability. It emphasizes faster creative testing, better attribution systems, and onboarding additional high-performing games. Finally, Phase 3 (Scale) moves into full-scale growth, integrating TikTok and Facebook, hiring a larger creative and UA team, and leveraging advanced analytics and predictive LTV modeling. The objective is to reach $200K+ monthly spend with 20%+ margins, supported by 12–15 games, 180–300 monthly creatives, and multi-network diversification — creating a sustainable, data-driven growth engine for the studio’s portfolio.

Phase 1: Foundation & Launch

This phase establishes the infrastructure and processes necessary for sustainable paid user acquisition. The focus is on building a lean creative production capability, selecting games with proven organic performance, implementing robust attribution tracking, and launching initial test campaigns to validate profitability at small scale.

Step 1: Establish Creative Production Capability

Build a minimal viable creative team to support initial UA efforts:

• 1x Video Creative Artist: Responsible for producing video ads and video-based playables using Unity and Playable Maker. Target output: 4-6 video creatives per game.
• 1x Playable Developer: Dedicated to creating interactive playable ads on Luna platform. Production cycle: 2 weeks per playable. Target output: 2-3 playables per game.

Establish creative brief templates and feedback loops to ensure quality and iteration speed.

Step 2: Product Selection & Qualification

Apply strict criteria to identify games ready for paid acquisition:

• Retention Threshold: Minimum 18% Day 1 retention
• Engagement Threshold: Average session time of 20+ minutes
• Monetization Readiness: Properly implemented ad inventory including App Open ads, 3+ Interstitial placements, and 2+ Rewarded video placements, with 8 partner ad networks in mediation.
• Technical Stability: Crash-free rate above 99.5%

Document each game’s baseline metrics and monetization performance before launching paid campaigns.

Step 3: Attribution & Tracking Infrastructure

Implement Solar Engine MMP (Mobile Measurement Partner) for campaign attribution:

• Revenue Attribution: Pass mediation SDK data to MMP to accurately attribute ad revenue to acquisition sources (see MMP documentation)
• Conversion Events: IAP events, level completes, player level ups etc

Note: Mintegral requires MMP integration as a prerequisite for running campaigns.

Step 4: Creative Development & Testing

Produce initial creative assets for each game entering the UA pipeline:

• Creative Research: Analyze top-performing creatives in the genre using competitive intelligence tools
• Asset Production: Create 4 video variations and 2 playable ads per game, testing different hooks, gameplay moments, and value propositions
• Asset Specifications: Ensure creatives meet technical requirements for each ad network (aspect ratios, file sizes, duration)

Step 5: Campaign Launch & Initial Testing

Deploy campaigns on two proven ad networks with conservative budgets:

• Google Ads (UAC): Launch Universal App Campaigns with automatic creative optimization. Start with $100-200 daily budget per game.
• Mintegral: Set up programmatic campaigns leveraging Solar Engine integration. Match Google’s budget at $100-200 daily per game.
• Facebook: Setup up campaigns with modest 50-100 USD campaigns.
• Bid Strategy: Start directly with ROAS campaigns with a 100 USD budget (minimum)
• Learning Period: Allow 7-14 days for algorithm learning before making major optimizations

Success Metrics & Outcomes:

• Primary Goal: Achieve $100-200 profitable daily spend per game on each network (total $200-400/day per game)
• Target ROAS: Minimum 100% D7 ROAS (break-even), with goal of 120%+ for sustainable scaling
• Creative Performance: Identify at least 2 winning creatives per game with CTR above network benchmarks
• Attribution Accuracy: Achieve 95%+ attribution match rate between MMP and ad network reporting
• Portfolio Size: Successfully launch 2-3 games on paid UA by end of Phase 1

This foundation positions the team to scale intelligently into Phase 2, with proven unit economics and operational processes.

Duration:

This phase should take at least 3 months minimum, reaching target spends by at least month 5.

Phase 2: Diversify

This phase focuses on scaling operations by expanding creative production capacity, diversifying ad networks, and improving attribution infrastructure. The goal is to increase monthly spend to $25-50K while maintaining profitability through better tracking and optimization.

Step 1: Expand Creative Production Capacity

Scale the creative team to support multiple games simultaneously:

• Hire 1 additional artist for video and playable creation
• Hire 1 additional developer for Luna playables
• Establish a production pipeline targeting 8-10 new creatives per game per month
• Implement creative testing framework to identify winners faster

Step 2: Add New Games to UA Pipeline

Identify and onboard 2-3 additional games meeting the retention criteria (18% D1, 20 min playtime). Ensure all games have optimized ad placements and are technically ready for scaled campaigns.

Step 3: MMP Infrastructure Upgrade

Negotiate expanded contract with Solar Engine or evaluate alternative MMPs (Adjust, AppsFlyer) to support multi-network attribution including Unity, TikTok, and Facebook. Key requirements:

• Multi-network attribution support
• Cost aggregation and LTV tracking
• Fraud prevention capabilities
• API integration with ad networks

Step 4: Unity Ads Integration

Set up Unity Ads campaigns:

• Complete Unity Ads account setup and SDK integration
• Configure MMP attribution for Unity traffic
• Create Unity-specific creative assets optimized for their formats
• Launch test campaigns with $50-100 daily budget per game

Step 5: Scale Existing Networks

Increase budgets on Google Ads and Mintegral for proven winners. Scale daily spend from $100-200 to $300-500 per game per network based on performance data and creative testing results.

Step 6: Performance Monitoring & Optimization

Implement daily performance review process:

• Monitor ROAS, LTV, and retention metrics across all networks
• Pause underperforming creatives and campaigns
• Reallocate budget to highest performing game/network/creative combinations
• Maintain target gross margin of 20%+

Outcomes:

Monthly spend of $25-50K across Google Ads, Mintegral, and Unity Ads with an average gross margin of 20%. Portfolio of 5-7 games running profitably on paid UA with streamlined creative production pipeline.

Duration:

This phase will take at least 3 quarters minimum, reaching target spends by at end of FY.

Phase 3: Scale

This phase represents a major scaling effort focused on expanding to premium ad networks, significantly increasing creative output, and growing the game portfolio. The objective is to achieve $200K+ monthly spend while maintaining profitability through diversified traffic sources and enhanced production capabilities.

Step 1: Expand to Premium Ad Networks

Integrate TikTok for Business and Facebook Ads to access high-quality traffic sources:

• TikTok for Business: Complete account setup, creative studio onboarding, and MMP integration. Launch App Campaign Optimization (ACO) campaigns with $200-300 daily budget per game.
• Facebook Ads: Set up App Install campaigns using Advantage+ catalog. Start with $200-300 daily budget per game, leveraging Facebook’s machine learning for audience optimization.
• Creative Adaptation: Develop platform-specific creative assets optimized for TikTok’s vertical video format and Facebook’s diverse placements (Feed, Stories, Reels).

Step 2: Scale Creative Production Team

Build a full-scale creative production capability to support multiple high-spend campaigns:

• Hire 2 additional video creative artists (total team of 3)
• Hire 2 additional playable developers (total team of 3)
• Bring on 1 Creative Director to manage production workflow, quality standards, and performance analysis
• Target output: 15-20 new creatives per game per month across video and playable formats
• Implement A/B testing frameworks and creative iteration cycles based on performance data

Step 3: Expand Game Portfolio

Aggressively grow the number of games in the UA pipeline:

• Onboard 5-8 additional games meeting qualification criteria (18% D1 retention, 20+ min sessions)
• Prioritize games with strong organic metrics and high monetization potential
• Ensure each new game has complete ad inventory setup and MMP integration before launch
• Target portfolio size: 12-15 games running profitably on paid UA

Step 4: Advanced Attribution & Analytics

Implement sophisticated tracking and analytics infrastructure:

• Upgrade to enterprise-tier MMP solution with full cross-network attribution
• Deploy cohort analysis tools to track D1, D7, D30, and D90 LTV by source
• Implement predictive LTV modeling to optimize bid strategies
• Set up automated alerts for performance anomalies and fraud detection
• Create executive dashboards for real-time spend, ROAS, and margin tracking

Step 5: Budget Scaling & Optimization

Scale spending across all networks while maintaining profitability targets:

• Google Ads & Mintegral: Increase to $500-1000 daily per game for top performers
• Unity Ads: Scale to $300-500 daily per game
• TikTok & Facebook: Scale from initial $200-300 to $500-800 daily per game based on performance
• Budget Allocation: Implement dynamic budget allocation based on 7-day ROAS performance
• Testing Budget: Reserve 10-15% of total spend for testing new creatives, audiences, and bid strategies

Step 6: Hire UA Manager

Bring on dedicated user acquisition expertise to manage scaled operations:

• Hire experienced UA Manager to oversee day-to-day campaign management across all networks
• Responsibilities: Budget allocation, bid optimization, creative performance analysis, network relationship management
• Enable team to scale beyond founder’s direct involvement in daily operations

Step 7: Explore Additional Networks

Test secondary ad networks to further diversify traffic sources:

• Evaluate and launch test campaigns on IronSource, AppLovin, Vungle, or other relevant networks
• Start with $50-100 daily test budgets per network
• Scale networks that achieve target ROAS thresholds

Success Metrics & Outcomes:

• Primary Goal: Achieve $200K+ monthly spend ($6-7K+ daily) with 20%+ gross margin
• Portfolio Scale: 12-15 games running profitably across 5-6 ad networks
• Creative Pipeline: Producing 180-300 new creatives monthly across entire portfolio
• Target ROAS: Maintain 120%+ D7 ROAS across all networks
• Team Capacity: Full creative and UA team operational with established processes and workflows
• Attribution Accuracy: 98%+ attribution match rate with comprehensive LTV tracking

This phase establishes the infrastructure and scale necessary for sustainable, profitable growth in the competitive mobile gaming market.

Duration:

This phase will take 6-9 months to fully implement, with target spend levels achieved by month 8-9.