Homa to form strategic partnership with mobile studio 8sec
Mobile game publisher Homa is embarking on a strategic partnership with hybridcasual mobile gaming studio 8sec. The collaboration aims to publish 8sec's upcoming hybridcasual title, Merge Army, in September 2023. This move also reflects Homa's increased investment and focus on the hybridcasual genre. In 2022, they collaborated with analytics firm SensorTower for The Hybridcasual Games Playbook, revealing that hybridcasual games had amassed over five billion downloads, with revenue nearly doubling.
Olivier Le Bas, Co-founder, and CRO of Homa expressed excitement about joining forces with the experienced hybridcasual studio 8sec to launch a game with strong potential for success. Homa is actively strengthening its hybridcasual division and intends to provide the best expertise and tools through Homa Lab to assist studios in creating top-notch hybridcasual games.
Louis Giraud, Co-founder, and CEO of 8sec also expressed confidence in the partnership, stating that combining 8sec's game development expertise with Homa's knowledge in hybridcasual and publishing capabilities will yield impressive results.
The rise of hybridcasual gaming has been a subject of ongoing discussion in the mobile games industry throughout the year, as hypercasual KPIs have gradually declined. Hybridcasual games, which combine casual gameplay with retention-focused mechanics, have become increasingly appealing to publishers and developers.
Homa's decision to partner with 8sec demonstrates their willingness to embrace new trends and explore different avenues. Their collaboration is expected to enhance Merge Army by incorporating meta-progression elements and improving the game's core loop to boost player retention, while 8sec takes charge of the core development process.
Source: Iwan Morris, Staff Writer at PocketGamer