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Case study Tycoon 2024

Cascade Tycoon

Mobile-first tycoon · 4M plays

Scripting UI Animation
Client
Independent creator
Role
Full game build
Duration
4 months
Team
3 devs
4M+
plays
4 mo
build time
4.81★
rating
Top 50
mobile
01 · Challenge

A solo creator with a sketch on the back of a napkin and a $12k budget. The pitch: a vertically-stacked tycoon that plays as well on mobile as on desktop.

02 · Process

We led with the mobile layout. Every UI was designed thumbs-first, then scaled up for desktop. Tycoon progression curves were tuned with playtest data from a soft launch.

03 · Outcome

Hit 1M plays in 11 days. Featured by Roblox in the "Mobile Picks" carousel. Currently averages 8 minutes session length, ~30% higher than the genre baseline.

In-game

What it looks like.

Screenshots are placeholders — drop in real captures once available.

Systems we built

Inside the build.

01

Mobile-first UI

All buttons sized for thumb reach. Bottom-anchored HUD so notifications never collide with the iOS home indicator. Dynamic font sizing for low-DPI Android devices.

02

Tycoon engine

Modular building system — drop new tiers in via JSON. Income calculation runs at 1Hz, persists every 30s. Offline earnings capped at 4 hours to keep retention sharp.

"They turned a sketch into a top-50 mobile game. Worth every dollar."
— Reed · Cascade dev
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