What was the cost per install for the first prototype of the hit arcade idle game Burger Please!? How did the D1 retention of Burger Please! improve after the initial changes to the prototype? What does the current monetization in the game look like? Which metrics determine whether Supercent abandons further work on a prototype? All of this is covered in the article below.

Introduction to the Game Burger Please!

Burger Please! is an arcade idle (hybrid casual) game developed by Supercent (publisher) and Molip (a two-person team consisting of a developer and a Product Manager). The game takes players into the world of delicious burgers and the hectic restaurant business.

Supercent is a mobile game publisher from South Korea, specializing in the creation and publication of hyper-casual games. The company was founded in March 2021 and quickly gained popularity, reaching 55 million global downloads in its first year. Supercent’s publishing portfolio includes many popular games such as “Burger Please!”, “Pizza Ready”, and “Outlets Rush.”

In Burger Please!, players take on the role of a restaurant owner, facing the challenge of building and managing their own burger empire.

Burger Please!, which combines idle gameplay with arcade elements, was downloaded 5 million times within two weeks of its release.

In this post, we will take a closer look at Burger Please! We’ll explore its mechanics, features, and what makes it so engaging.

The Android version was released on February 7, 2023, and the iOS version on February 9, 2023. As of May 11, 2024, Burger Please! has been downloaded globally 84 million times (71.5 million downloads on Android and 12.8 million downloads on iOS (iPad + iPhone)).

The first CPI (cost per install) test for the game’s prototype showed:

• Cost per install: $0.41
• Day 1 retention (D1): 44%
• Day 0 (installation day) playtime: 1700 seconds

As seen, the cost per install for the game was relatively high. The creative team at Supercent focused on improving Burger Please!’s metrics, reducing CPI through A/B testing and optimizing various aspects of the game, such as colors, characters, animations, user interface, and camera angles. New levels related to the burger franchise and a merchandising system with non-burger-related products were added. Advertisement space was introduced to increase playtime and offline rewards to encourage users to return to the game.

The UX/UI optimization included adding progress bars to help users feel they are making progress. Thanks to these improvements, Burger Please! achieved:

• CPI of $0.29
• Day 1 retention (D1) of 50%
• Day 0 playtime (D0) of 2014 seconds
• 22% increase in ad views on Day 0
• 50% increase in ad LTV on Day 0

The above data comes from the Supercent blog, which I recommend visiting to learn interesting things about this publisher and their methods of working with developers. According to AppMagic, Burger Please! on iOS and Android earned over $880,000 from IAP alone by May 2024 (I believe this amount from IAP is much higher). The game likely generates several million dollars in monthly revenue from ads.

User Acquisition

In the past 12 months, according to AppMagic, Supercent has utilized and continues to utilize user acquisition networks such as Applovin, Google UAC, IronSource, Unity, Mintegral, Vungle, Pangle, Appier, Facebook, Chartboost, and Taurusx.

The publisher uses various lengths of video ads to promote the game (28, 30, 29, 23, 25, 51, and 14 seconds).

Game Concept Testing and CPI at Supercent

As seen in the image above, Supercent seeks prototypes that achieve key performance indicators such as Day 1 Retention (D1) and Cost Per Install (CPI). If a game passes the CPI test with an installation cost of $0.4 or less and a Day 1 Retention of at least 35%, it moves into the LTV testing phase.

Games that successfully pass the initial CPI assessment undergo intensive optimization efforts. Supercent focuses on fine-tuning parameters to not only reduce CPI but also increase user retention rates. For games with established CPI and high retention, Supercent takes steps to develop additional content and meta systems that enhance playtime and player engagement.

Games with a CPI above $0.8 and retention at 35% or lower are abandoned.

Core mechanic in Burger Please!

Player

In the mobile game Burger Please! by publisher Supercent, the player takes on the role of a burger joint manager. Their main task is to manage the restaurant, which includes serving customers—bringing burgers to the counter, cleaning tables and restrooms after customers—and growing the business by opening new tables, workstations, and continuously upgrading them.

Chains in the Game (Timers)

In Burger Please!, there are action chains that require completing one task to start another. For example, you need to clean a table before a new customer can sit down.

• Burger Machine > Bringing burgers to the counter > Cleaning the table after the guest > Collecting money
• Burger Machine > Bringing burgers to the table and packaging them > Bringing burgers to the drive-thru > Collecting money
• Burger Machine > Bringing burgers to the pick-up area

Progress / Level-up

Your main task is to expand the restaurant by adding new workstations, tables, burger machines, and equipment such as food pickup terminals. You will also open new areas in the restaurant, such as the drive-thru and restrooms for customers.

In the game, you will be responsible for upgrading various elements of the restaurant, such as cash registers, tables, the drive-thru, and burger machines.

In Burger Please!, by performing actions such as creating new tables and upgrading them, creating new workstations and upgrading them, you earn XP points (stars), which advance you to higher levels.

As you can see in the above screenshots, leveling up a particular area in the chain means collecting stars, which is associated with upgrading your establishment. By watching an ad, you gain +4 stars, increase the speed at which customers consume food, and receive more cash from customers.

In My Perfect Hotel, you earned stars (XP) by decorating rooms and upgrading them. In Burger Please! it works similarly, but here you are responsible for upgrading workstations.

With cash or by watching ads, you can increase your revenue for 10 seconds and enhance the cash capacity in the establishment (known as Max Storage). Revenue level-ups are done on the map.

In My Perfect Hotel, each hotel has its own currency. In Burger Please!, there are several currencies that change every few establishments.

Employee and Player Upgrades

At the start of Burger Please!, two rooms are unlocked: HR Staff and Upgrade Player.

In HR Staff, with cash, gems, or rewarded video ads, you can speed up your employees’ work, increase their capacity (the number of items they can carry), and hire new employees for your business. In Upgrade Player, similar to HR Staff, with collected cash, gems, or rewarded ads, you can speed up the player’s movement, increase their capacity, and boost revenues in the burger joint.

In My Perfect Hotel, hiring staff and their upgrades are tied to the game’s economy, and they cannot be hired directly by watching rewarded ads. In Burger Please!, you can hire staff by watching a single video ad. For me, the solution implemented in Burger Please! is better because it allows for faster staff hiring in the establishment.

Skins

After opening the café, a room with skins appears, which you can choose according to your preference. For example, there is a VIP skin. Some skins can be obtained by watching ads. Each skin has its own properties—speeding up the player, increasing their capacity (number of items they can carry), or speeding up the gameplay. To change skins, you need to go to the Skins room in the café. You can also quickly access skins through the icon on the left side of the screen.

Events (Live Ops)

The game also features special events that change the location. The first event that appears in the game is the Hawaii Stage. It lasts for 6 days and involves developing a bar where you sell hot dogs, serve drinks, create tables for guests, and clean up after them. By completing tasks in events, you earn gems that you can later use in the game.

Burger Funds (Battle Pass)

A battle pass is a type of reward system used in many mobile games that allows players to unlock rewards by playing and achieving certain goals. Most battle passes in mobile games offer two reward paths: free and premium. The free path allows players to earn a limited number of rewards at no cost, while the premium path, which requires payment, offers more and better rewards.

In Burger Please!, for each level-up in your establishment, you receive rewards such as cash or gems. Burger Funds is equivalent to “hotel passes” in My Perfect Hotel. You can collect free rewards like cash or a small number of gems at each level. By purchasing Manager or CEO packages, you will receive gems instead of cash, larger amounts of cash, or a premium skin, which will impact your progress in the game.

Special Missions

During the game, missions appear that reward you with cash. Examples of such missions are: serving a VIP guest three times or removing sleeping guests from the establishment twice.

Currencies in the Game

Cash (Soft Currency)

The main soft currency in the game is cash, which you collect throughout the gameplay and receive for selling burgers or, for example, coffee.

Gems (Hard Currency)

Gems are essential for making upgrades in the game, claiming rewards without having to watch ads, obtaining boosters, increasing the maximum cash storage when increasing the establishment’s revenue, and increasing revenues fivefold for completing tasks (e.g., delivering 30 burgers to the courier).

Gems can be collected in special events, such as the Hawaii Stage, where you earn gems for completing quests (e.g., selling hot dogs to 100 customers, selling 100 packed hot dog packages through the drive-thru, creating 6 tables, creating 10 tables).

Monetization (Ads + IAP)

Interstitial Ads

The biggest drawback in the game is interstitial ads, which can take away all the enjoyment of the gameplay. These automatic ads appear less than every minute. The only way to get rid of them is by purchasing an IAP pack that disables them. During the first session, I counted 30 interstitial ads, after which it no longer made sense to keep counting.

Rewarded Video Ads

You watch rewarded ads almost all the time to speed up progress and expand the establishment. The most popular rewarded ads are:

Money Pocket, Capacity Up, and Speed Up: These are ads you watch to get temporary boosters for increasing the player’s “capacity” and speed or to get extra cash if you lack funds to open a new table, for instance.

Double Rewards

For leveling up the restaurant, you receive cash rewards. You can double the rewards by watching an ad. You can see exactly how this works in the Upgrade Employee and Player section.

HR Staff and Upgrade Player

If you want to hire staff (a maximum of 10 in the HR department), increase their or the player’s work speed, increase the establishment’s revenue, or increase the player’s or employees’ capacity, you can do so through rewarded ads.

Skins

After opening the café, you can choose a skin for the main character. Skins can be unlocked using Burger Funds or by watching rewarded ads.

Clean Bot

You don’t have to do manual cleaning yourself. You can use cleaning robots for this task. The cleaning robot is unlocked for 3 minutes by watching a rewarded ad.

Level-up

On the map, if you lack cash, you can increase the establishment’s revenue and the maximum amount of cash it can store by watching rewarded ads. Even if you have the cash to level up, you will still need to watch a rewarded ad.

Level-Up Workstations

The level of a workstation (e.g., timer speed, revenue, number of seats at a table) and additional XP can be increased through rewarded video ads.

Time Free (Shop)

In the shop, you can get cash for free and shorten the time to receive the next “free” cash by watching rewarded ads.

In-Game Purchase Packs (IAPs)

The game is monetized through interstitial ads, static ads, in-game advertising (brand ads placed on posters in the game), rewarded ads, and in-app purchase packs. Burger Please! offers several IAP packs to choose from. I purchased the cheapest No Ads Pack in the game.

Hot VIP Subscription (Weekly or Monthly Subscription)

Premium Pro

Ads-Free Pack / Growth Offer

Gem

Push Notifications

The game sends push notifications from day zero after installation, encouraging players to return to the game. What do the push notifications look like?

Day 0

Day 1

Day 2 (2 push notifications)

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6 (21.04)

Day 7 (22.04)

Day 8 (23.04)

Day 9 (24.04)

Day 10 (25.04)

Day 11 (26.04)

Session 1

I start outside the burger joint, where I collect $180 in cash. For $25, I open the entrance to the burger joint, but soon after, the first video ads appear.

I create the first table for $5, then a burger machine for $50, and a cash register for $100. After this, I run out of cash, and in the meantime, more short video ads appear.

I serve the first guest by bringing hamburgers from the burger machine (I can take two at the beginning). For two hamburgers, I get $10, and for cleaning the table, I get $6. At level 1 (12/15), I can open a new table for $50. After unlocking the second table, I reach level 2 and can get double cash by watching a rewarded ad.

At level 2, Burger Funds (Battle Pass like in My Perfect Hotel) appears. I get three options: free rewards, the IAP Manager pack, and the IAP CEO pack, where I get gems instead of cash. From Burger Funds, I collect a free $70 and serve more guests to gather $100 for a new area in the burger joint.

The new area includes the HR department and upgrade options. I unlock the HR department, which allows hiring employees, increasing their speed, or product capacity. Despite the invasive ads, I hire the first employee for free (Free button) and the second for a rewarded ad. I have two employees: one at the cash register and the other bringing hamburgers.

I open the Upgrade Player department to increase the burger joint’s revenue, the player’s movement speed, or the product capacity. I hire more employees with gems and watching rewarded ads.

The first booster ads (extra cash, higher capacity, speed up) appear after unlocking additional levels. I spend $100 on upgrading the cash register and watch an ad to collect double rewards. I unlock a new area, a table, a Drive Thru, and a storage area for burger boxes. After reaching level 4, the game map appears.

The frequency of invasive ads is annoying, so I consider purchasing the No Ads Pack. Earning money becomes increasingly difficult, and the costs in the burger joint rise. I continue the game, expanding the number of tables and upgrading the burger machine and tables.

I end the session at level 6. The frequency of ads was overwhelming, but buying the No Ads Pack might improve the gaming experience.

• Number of rewarded ads watched: 24
• Number of forced ads watched: I stopped counting after 30 ads

Session 2

I return to the game Burger Please! the next day. I received the first push notification from the game a few hours after ending the previous session. At the start, I am greeted by several pop-up windows: Offline Reward with a reward that I can double by watching an ad, VIP Subscription, and a window offering Gems for $2.99.

I expand the establishment by adding more tables and collecting stars. At level 6, I unlock the ability to use self-cleaning vacuums for 3 minutes after watching an ad. I complete more tasks, such as serving the courier, and further develop the establishment by adding a café.

I open the Skins room, where I can choose additional skins for the player that offer greater benefits, such as increased movement speed and the number of burgers carried. There is an option to get a combined booster (Move Speed x2 and Capacity x2) for 3 minutes for free. I collect funds to unlock the third table in the café for $760.

I am continuously bombarded by interstitial ads, which is annoying. I upgrade the tables, unlock new tables in the café, and open restrooms for guests.

During this session, I have almost no opportunity to earn gems, so I decide to purchase the No Ads pack, which removes interstitial and banner ads, for $3.99. I end the game at level 8 (164/165).

• Number of rewarded ads watched: 28 (after purchasing the IAP, I removed banner ads and interstitial ads).

Session 3

I return to the game the next day, and the Offline Reward window appears again. I create new tables and level up the existing ones. On the map, I level up the establishment, which increases the revenue every 10 seconds and the maximum cash capacity (Max Storage).

During the third session, the Hawaii Stage event appears, available at level 10 of the first establishment. I start from scratch but notice a bug in the game—I try to speed up employees using gems (I have 3 gems, it costs 3 gems), but it doesn’t work. Instead, a window pops up offering to buy gems for $2.99.

The event lasts for 6 days, providing the opportunity to develop a beach bar. By completing special tasks in the event, I earn gems—after creating 6 tables, I receive 2 gems.

I return to the main establishment and increase the revenue level to 18. I end the third session at level 10 in the first establishment (197/237).

• Number of ads watched in the session: 25

Session 4

I return to the game the next day and see the Offline Reward window with an amount of $15.24k, which I can double by watching an ad. With cash, I increase the establishment’s revenue (every 10 seconds) and watch one rewarded ad. I level up the Drive Thru, coffee machines, and build more tables in the café. I watch several video ads to quickly advance to level 11 in the first establishment.

After unlocking level 11, a new establishment—Shake Burger—appears on the map, which I move to and start developing. I collect the cash earned in the first establishment and use it in Shake Burger, increasing the revenue level. I expand Shake Burger with new areas, tables, and hire staff, continuously using cash from the first establishment.

• Number of ads watched: 23

Session 5

I return to the game the next day, collect the revenue from the first establishment, and level up the revenue by using cash and watching rewarded ads to generate more income. I also level up the revenue and increase the maximum cash capacity (max storage) in Shake Burger.

To level up in both establishments, I watch a total of five rewarded ads. Upon entering Shake Burger again, the Offline Rewarded window appears.

I watch rewarded ads, hire employees in the HR department, and increase their speed. I open another area for preparing shakes for guests. I find that watching Money Pocket rewarded ads is not worth it as the revenue is too low ($740).

I hire the maximum number of employees in Shake Burger, upgrade the tables, and reach level 5 in Shake Burger. The next establishment, Burger Queen, can only be opened after reaching level 11 in Shake Burger.

Upon reaching level 6, I open another area in the shake café. I continue upgrading workstations in Shake Burger, reaching level 10—one level away from unlocking the next establishment.

I don’t watch rewarded ads for speeding up the player or for extra cash because it’s not profitable. I focus on ads that increase table levels or employee speed.

At level 10, I continue upgrading tables and devices in Shake Burger and the shake area. I reach the maximum level 11 in Shake Burger, which opens the opportunity to expand the new establishment, Burger Queen.

In this session, I did not return to the Hawaii Stage event because I don’t need gems and probably won’t return to it in future sessions.

• Number of ads watched: 54

Session 6

I return to the game the next day and level up in the newest establishment, Burger Queen. I expand the establishment and hire employees. After half an hour, I reach level 6 and end the session.

I feel that the game is becoming less enjoyable. Each establishment is the same in terms of resources and unlocking order. I only watch rewarded ads in the HR department and for upgrading workstations. I do not watch ads that speed up the player, increase their capacity, or give extra cash because the cash amount from these ads is disproportionate to the money collected in the game. I also avoid ads when leveling up the establishment.

• Number of ads watched: 17

Session 7

I upgrade additional tables and create new ones, reaching a total of 19 tables in the establishment. Then I level up the tables to level 3. After reaching level 10 in the Burger Queen establishment, I end the session.

• Number of ads watched: 21

Session 8

I return to the game the next day and open the fourth establishment, this time in France, called Sandy’s. New establishments unlock after reaching level 10 in the previous one. Sandy’s uses a new currency (blue cash), and I can’t use cash from the previous three establishments. To progress faster, I need to watch rewarded ads.

In this establishment, I can unlock five employees using gems and rewarded ads. There is no longer an option to upgrade the Burger Machine with an additional star by watching an ad.

In Sandy’s, Burger Funds does not work—I receive a “coming soon” message.

• Number of ads watched: 9

Session 9

At the beginning of the session, I watch rewarded ads to level up at the Drive Thru table and unlock a new table. In the fourth establishment, Sandy’s, I cannot use the cash earned in the previous three establishments, so I watch rewarded ads again to get extra cash and speed up the player’s movement. In Sandy’s, there are no rewarded ads for leveling up a workstation. Rewarded ads are displayed to receive exactly the amount needed to create a new table. During the session, an Orbit gum ad in Polish appears on the game’s billboard.

The game’s economy is designed so that to make progress without lengthy moving between workstations, I need to watch ads. I end the session at level 5, and the Battle Pass (Hotel Funds) feature is not available.

• Number of ads watched: 7

Session 10, 11

I log into the game the next day (Session 10 and 11). During the session, I watch rewarded ads (extra cash and speed up) and upgrade the tables created in subsequent sessions. I end the session at level 8.

• Number of ads watched: 12

Session 12

I return to the game the next day and continue playing at level 8. I upgrade various workstations in the establishment, reaching the maximum level 11 (10 max). This unlocks the next establishment in France, On n On Burger, which uses blue cash.

I expand the new establishment to level 3 and end the session. This is also my last session in Burger Please!

• Number of ads watched: 18

Number of rewarded video ads watched

The highest number of ads were watched during the initial sessions in Burger Please!, which shows the heavy emphasis on monetization in the first few days of the game.

Comparing Burger Please! to My Perfect Hotel, I find that Burger Please! offers more dynamism, but unfortunately, it becomes monotonous more quickly. It is easier to make progress in Burger Please! since, right from the start, you can speed up the staff’s work or increase the number of employees. Without purchasing the ad removal pack, I wouldn’t have stayed in the game for more than three sessions.

Supercent and Molip deserve big applause for this game. I am curious about their upcoming productions.