Tricky Story: 52% Higher D0 ROAS with Creator+
XGame Studio’s iOS puzzle game Tricky Story achieved 52% higher Day 0 ROAS, 365% higher budget utilization and 4x more creatives in the EU by using TikTok Creator+ Autoselect instead of manual creative selection, with campaigns run by Ecomdy Global Gaming, the gaming and app division of Ecomdy Media.
52%
higher D0 ROAS
4x
more creative
365%
higher spending
What is Tricky Story and who is XGame Studio?
Tricky Story is an iOS story-driven puzzle game developed by XGame Studio. Tricky Story combines brain-teasing puzzles with dramatic, humorous storylines full of unexpected twists.
Game detail | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | XGame Studio |
Game | Tricky Story |
Genre | Puzzle |
Platform | iOS |
Market | EU |
Monetization model | In-app ads (IAA) |
Data period | May 2025 |
Why was creative so important for Tricky Story?
Tricky Story’s appeal comes from surprising, funny moments, so its ads must hook viewers in the first few seconds. Tricky Story’s campaigns needed a constant flow of impressive gameplay clips, curiosity-driven “twist” moments, and natural creator reactions to make viewers want to download the game.
This created a challenge for XGame Studio: creative fatigue set in quickly, and as the campaign scaled, Tricky Story needed a way to produce more creatives and optimize their performance in real time.
How did Ecomdy Global Gaming scale Tricky Story’s creatives?
With strategic support from the TikTok Gaming & Apps team, Ecomdy Global Gaming ran Tricky Story’s campaigns using TikTok’s creative automation and performance optimization solutions.
Creator+ Autoselect for automated creative selection
Ecomdy Global Gaming used TikTok Creator+ Autoselect to automatically identify, select and deliver the creator content most likely to attract new players. Creator+ Autoselect can also use AI to generate new video variations from top-performing creatives, keeping Tricky Story’s ads fresh, reducing creative fatigue and maintaining performance while scaling.
Revenue-focused bidding and campaign setup
Ecomdy Global Gaming ran Tricky Story on a Smart+ iOS App Campaign with Value-Based Optimization for ad revenue and Day 0 Target ROAS Bidding, so the campaign focused on players who generate ad revenue from their first day.
Flexible budget scaling
Ecomdy Global Gaming combined Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) with TikTok’s Goal-Based Budget Increase Tool. Budget moved automatically toward the best-performing ad groups, letting Tricky Story scale quickly while keeping Day 0 ROAS under control and reaching 100% budget utilization.
TikTok solution | Role in the Tricky Story campaign |
|---|---|
Smart+ iOS App Campaign | Automated campaign setup for iOS app growth |
Creator+ Autoselect | Automatically selects top creator content and generates AI video variations |
Value-Based Optimization – Ad Revenue | Prioritizes players likely to generate higher ad revenue |
Day 0 Target ROAS Bidding | Keeps first-day return on ad spend on target |
Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) | Shifts budget to the best-performing ad groups |
Goal-Based Budget Increase Tool | Increases budget automatically when performance goals are met |
4. What results did Tricky Story achieve with Creator+ Autoselect?
Compared with manual creative selection, Tricky Story’s campaign with Creator+ Autoselect delivered:
Metric | Result vs manual select |
|---|---|
Day 0 ROAS | 52% higher |
Spending (budget utilization) | 365% higher |
Creative volume | 4x higher |
Budget utilization | 100% |
Tricky Story scaled spend by 365% while improving Day 0 ROAS by 52%, showing that creative automation helps game studios grow faster without losing profitability.
Data period: May 2025. App monetization type: in-app ads.
What can game studios learn from Tricky Story?
Creative volume drives scale. Tricky Story’s fast creative fatigue made a steady supply of new creatives essential, and Creator+ Autoselect delivered 4x more creatives than manual selection.
Automation can improve ROAS, not just volume. Creator+ Autoselect raised Tricky Story’s Day 0 ROAS by 52% compared with manual creative selection.
Pair creative automation with smart budget tools. CBO and Goal-Based Budget Increase helped Tricky Story spend 365% more while keeping Day 0 ROAS in check.
Want to scale your game with creative automation?
Ecomdy Global Gaming would like to thank XGame Studio and the TikTok team for their trust and partnership. Ecomdy Global Gaming helps game and app studios use TikTok’s creative automation and bidding solutions to scale campaigns profitably. Explore our game and app services.
