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Finland-based studio Metacore’s popular mobile game Merge Mansion has kept its position as the genre’s top-grossing title since its release in 2020. However, in reference to AppMagic, where they have done other studies on game revenues, it shows that Merge Mansion’s revenue remained stagnant and made no new changes in 2023 as three reigning competitors in the mobile game scene – Gossip Harbor, Travel Town, and Seaside Escape – made clear signs of change in revenue growth.
These titles challenged Merge Mansion in terms of new ideas and monetization, moving the game down to fourth and remaining there since Q1 2025.
Though the odds may differ greatly, there is more nuance to these charts than the statistics suggest. In December 2023 after Merge Mansion received its highest-ever monthly revenue of $11.4M, the game hit a heavy decline of approximately $9M in February 2024. With such a serious downfall, Metacore took immediate action by intensifying its efforts and strategizing adjustments to the game’s LiveOps and monetization.
Surely enough, these efforts paid off greatly. By December 2024, Merge Mansion recovered immensely and also hit an all-time revenue record, surpassing its previous peak by $600K with a sum of $12M.
With a striking growth in less than a year, the question lies in how it was possible for Metacore to gain a high increse in revenue.
Firstly, the US market drove the revenue for Merge Mansion the most and secondly, there were no significant boosts in downloads. These facts suggest that they maximized their revenues through LiveOps and monetization improvements throughout 2024, targeting their higher paying audience.
With AppMagic’s LiveOps Calendar, it was simpler to analyze event schedules for games and here is what Merge Mansion lacked in terms with its other competitors. Here are the points stated:
- Total number of events: Games like Gossip Harbor and Travel Town implemented 500+ events annually while Merge Mansion only hosted fewer than 200.
- Limited Unique Event Types: Most events were reskinned versions of previous ones, with only a few event types introduced.
- Limited Experimentation: Merge Mansion offered fewer one-time experimental events compared to other games. This restricts opportunities to test new mechanics and monetization strategies that could drive the game forward.
- Gameplay Fatigue: The repetitive gameplay of Merge Mansion’s events and the lack of newer content may play into faster player churn, impacting both retention and monetization.
- Missed Motivations: Merge Mansion overlooks different player motivations like PvP, leaderboards, and collectible album events. This limits the game’s ability to attract diverse audiences and further expand the experience.
LiveOps events in Merge Mansion rose from 8 in January 2024 to over 20 by January 2025, with a February dip possibly linked to fewer events.
Irregular events grew from 6 to 17 monthly, reducing repetition, increasing engagement, and boosting monetization.
Reskinned Lucky Catch events contributed to this growth, optimizing existing mechanics to sustain player interest and spending.
More focus will be on the boosted revenue, covering all four LiveOps types: Core Loop, Meta, Support, and Feature.
1. Teatime Delight | Core Loop Event
Merge Mansion introduced Teatime Delight, a core loop event enhancing engagement.
Players earn points through standard actions like producing items, breaking bubbles, and making purchases, progressing from 0 to 5 to unlock rewards.
The event boosts session length by adding progression incentives and encourages spending to overcome bottlenecks, potentially increasing conversions.
2. Lucky Catch | Meta Event
A meta event with a fishing-themed merge experience on a separate board without affecting main progress.
A unique narrative follows Maddie and Grandma on a fishing trip, with players earning points to unlock rewards. Merging fishing rods fills the Fish Log, awarding hard currency for heavier catches.
The event uses its own energy and currency, earned through core gameplay, creating a strategic link between both. Its success is evident from revenue spikes and multiple reskinned versions like Lucky Snap (birdwatching) and Lost Gemstones (precious stones).
3. Hidden in Plain Sight | Support Album Event
A meta event combining competition with narrative elements to boost engagement through leaderboard mechanics.
A separate board with dedicated generators and limited energy (50) keeps gameplay contained yet connected to the core. Players earn extra energy by merging special items across both boards.
Its monetization thrives on a nested generator system, creating scarcity that drives spending. By blending familiar merging with competition, the event enhances gameplay diversity while reinforcing core engagement.
4. Supercharge | Feature-as-Event
The Supercharge event repurposes a familiar mechanic into a limited-time format, adding urgency and engagement.
Players generate higher-level items using double energy, similar to multiplier mechanics in social casino games. This approach tests player response before potential permanence while accelerating progression and increasing energy depletion for monetization.
By keeping it temporary, Metacore avoids risks like faster content consumption and shorter play sessions, maintaining balance while enriching gameplay variety.
A key takeaway from Merge Mansions success lies in how using LiveOps can redefine its long-term success. It later contributed to the highest ever revenue achieved in the span of a year. Of course, there is still more room for this mobile game to improve even more.
