At AppLifters we believe that the right creative decisions don’t come from gut feelings – they come from smart testing. When we began working on Loot Heroes, we knew we had a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of how much impact small, strategic changes in a playable ad can actually make.
Spoiler: a +57% boost in CTR and a 42% drop in CPI later, we had our answer.
Here’s a look at how we got there.
The First Playable: A Solid Start
The first version of the Loot Heroes playable introduced a simple choice: easy or hard mode, and archer or mage. It worked. But we knew it could work harder.
So we looked deeper.
In one test, we swapped an attacking spell between two characters and saw a surprising +30% increase in CTR. Just that change – a laser beam being fired by a different hero – was enough to drive more attention and interaction.
The takeaway? Small visual cues massively influence behavior.
But there was a catch: the conversion rate and CPI stayed flat. That meant we had successfully drawn more people in, but weren’t yet converting them better or cheaper.
Time to go bigger.
Round Two: New Maps, Better Immersion
The next step was all about environment and immersion. We didn’t just want users to tap. We wanted them to feel like they were in the game.
So we swapped out the map and leaned into storytelling: we built a 1:1 recreation of the actual Loot Heroes gameplay experience and introduced a bold new theme – a Desert Map with a Dark King boss, enemies launching bombs, and varied attack patterns that demanded more from players than just mindless clicking.
These weren’t cosmetic changes. They were behavioral triggers. The changes influenced how users played, how long they engaged, and how likely they were to click through to the store.
Suddenly, CTR jumped again. CPI dropped. We were getting closer.
Final Phase: Iteration, Data, and the Big Picture
We didn’t stop at one version. We tested multiple enemy types, attack styles, and visual qualities. Every variation told us something new.
Here’s the thing we learned over and over: If you want results, you have to test playables against each other.
And it’s not just about UI tweaks or button placements. Enemy design, map styling, even character animations – they all shape how a user feels, behaves, and clicks.
By the end of our full testing cycle, the final iteration of the Loot Heroes playable delivered:
+57% increase in CTR
42% lower CPI
150% higher conversion rate
A more immersive and accurate gameplay preview
Players who stayed longer, played more, and matched the game’s ideal audience
Key Lessons from Loot Heroes
Small Changes, Big Results: Something as simple as who casts the spell can have measurable impact.
Make It Feel Like the Game: Replicating real gameplay 1:1 isn’t overkill – it’s strategy.
Always Be Testing: Don’t assume. Let the audience tell you what works.
Visuals Shape Behavior: Enemies, maps, and animations can change everything from attention span to purchase intent.
Results like this are available to everyone
This isn’t just a case study – it’s a roadmap. Whether your game is already soft launched or still in concept phase, we can help you build high-performing playables that bring your best gameplay moments to life and scale across networks that demand interactivity.
Let’s make your next ad the one that gets played all the way through.
