Soft Launch

Soft launch is the practice of releasing a mobile game in a small subset of markets before global launch. The publisher uses the soft-launch window to gather real-user retentionGlossaryRetention (D1 / D7 / D30)The percentage of users from a cohort who return to the app N days after install. D1 = day-1 retention, D7 = 7-day, D30 = 30-day. The single most important non-reven..., monetization, and balance data — at much lower marketing cost than a global launch — and iterates the game until metrics clear pre-set thresholds. Only then does it commit to a global launch with full marketing spendGlossaryAd SpendThe total dollar amount deployed into paid user acquisition over a defined period — the input variable that drives all UA volume..

Typical soft-launch markets

• Canada: English-speaking, culturally close to US, small enough to not burn US audience attention.
• Philippines: large mobile-first audience, English-speaking, low CPIGlossaryCost Per Install (CPI)The average amount an advertiser pays for a single install attributed to a campaign — total spend divided by attributed installs. for testing volume.
• Australia / New Zealand: English-speaking, similar consumer behavior to US / UK.
• Nordics (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland): high ARPUGlossaryARPU (Average Revenue Per User)Total revenue in a period divided by the user base for that period — the blended revenue-per-user metric, including non-paying users. testing market with English fluency.
• Sometimes Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam: for testing in non-English markets specifically.

Soft-launch decision criteria (typical for F2PGlossaryF2P (Free-to-Play)A mobile-game business model where the game is free to download and play, with revenue generated through in-app purchases, advertising, and battle passes. games): - D1 retention: target 35-50%+ - D7 retention: target 15-25%+ - D30 retention: target 5-15%+ - ARPDAUGlossaryARPDAU (Average Revenue Per Daily Active User)Total revenue in a period divided by the average daily active users in that period — the per-day-per-active-user revenue rate.: target genre-specific benchmark (varies enormously) - Crash-free rateGlossaryCrash-Free RateThe percentage of sessions (or users) that did NOT experience an app crash. The headline stability metric for mobile apps — most operators target 99.5%+.: 99%+ - Day-1-to-paywallGlossaryPaywallThe in-app screen that asks the user to subscribe or buy — the single most revenue-sensitive surface in a subscription app. conversion: clear funnel that scales Games that don't hit these in soft launch typically iterate (rebalance economy, redesign onboardingGlossaryOnboardingThe first-time user experience that guides new installs from app launch to the "aha moment" — where they understand the product's value and become more likely to ret..., swap monetization mechanics) or get cancelled before global launch — which is the entire point of the soft launch.

Why not just go global immediately: global launch typically requires $5-50M+ in marketing spend over 6 months. If the game has fundamental retention or monetization problems, that spend is wasted — and recovering from a failed global launch is much harder than iterating quietly during soft launch.