Jason Wang, VP of Brand Marketing at Hungry Studio, isn’t interested in flashy gimmicks or viral one-offs. Under his leadership, Block Blast! has quietly become one of the most downloaded mobile games of 2024, racking up over 216 million installs. But according to Wang, this wasn’t just the result of clever user acquisition - it was a deliberate, long-term strategy rooted in inclusivity, innovation, and a belief that great gameplay still wins.

In this in-depth interview, Wang pulls back the curtain on the studio’s relentless A/B testing culture, their willingness to sacrifice short-term ROI for lasting engagement, and how proprietary AI is transforming the way they design for a truly global audience.

 

Block Blast! has achieved remarkable success, with over 216 million installs in 2024. Could you elaborate on the specific user acquisition strategies that propelled this growth, and how they were tailored to reach such a diverse audience?

Honestly, I have no problem admitting that Block Blast!'s growth has been heavily driven by user acquisition (UA) campaigns. It’s no secret that the UA landscape is more competitive than ever. But let’s be real—in today’s world, developers can’t expect to succeed by relying solely on UA anymore. 

What truly brought Block Blast! to where it is today goes beyond just UA—it all comes back to how our company’s vision guides us: "Bringing exceptional gaming experiences to a broader and more diverse audience." 

From the very beginning, this vision shaped how we designed our game. We wanted to return to the most classic and universally loved puzzle themes while making the experience as accessible as possible. At its core, inclusivity is the foundation for reaching a diverse player base. 

You might be surprised to hear this, but our UA strategy isn’t just about maximizing ROI. In fact, we’re willing to take on short-term negative ROI for long-term user growth. Why? Because we genuinely believe in our game experience—we know that the lifetime value of our players will pay off over time. More importantly, this approach aligns with our company vision. 

When it comes to UA channels, we take a dual approach: we had Core Performance Channels and Innovative & Experimental Channels such as CTV ads and Smartphone OEM partnerships. Those innovative channels might not always be the highest ROAS channels, but they provide invaluable insights. We’re constantly learning, adapting, and innovating—and that’s what keeps us ahead.

You’ve mentioned that Hungry Studio runs more than 50 A/B tests weekly, with a 97% failure rate. How do you prioritise which features or mechanics to test, and what have been some surprising learnings from these experiments?  

A/B testing is deeply embedded in our company’s DNA. And you’re absolutely right—while the success rate may seem low, it actually speaks to the depth and courage of our product team in their relentless pursuit of meaningful improvements. At Block Blast!, we don’t impose limits on creativity—any promising idea can go through A/B testing to quantify its impact on user experience.

A significant portion of our A/B testing is centered on algorithmic innovation, which is to refine key core gameplay experience in Block Blast!—one of the most complex being our Block Algorithm, which incorporates nearly 100 nested sub-rules working simultaneously to create dynamic and personalized gameplay experiences.

However, we’ve also been reflecting on whether we’re too focused on the sheer volume of A/B tests, and whether we may sometimes overlook deeper analytical dimensions: Beyond DAU, retention, and playtime, are we capturing a broad enough range of user behaviors?

Truthfully, we recognize that we still have gaps in our observational framework—there’s much more we could be tracking to gain richer insights. Additionally, there are some cautionary cases e.g. Some features receive positive initial feedback due to the novelty effect, but their impact fades over time. How long should our observation period be? What defines "long-term success" vs. "short-term excitement"? Answering this requires a deep understanding of both player psychology and game mechanics—which is why we actively seek to learn from other top game developers and product teams.

In a saturated market of casual puzzlers, what unique elements or design philosophies do you believe set Block Blast! apart from its competitors? 

Our unique approach centers around developing and designing gameplay that is always rooted in user experience. Our product development philosophy has always been "less is more"—we prioritize crafting high-quality core gameplay over adding an excessive number of secondary mechanics, which could dilute our focus and impact the core user experience. 

One of the most exciting aspects of Hungry Studio is our "Leaderless Ideation" approach. Everyone on the team is empowered to contribute ideas as if they were the product manager—no idea is too small or too ambitious. We test everything through A/B testing, as mentioned earlier. Our North Star metrics are user retention and playtime, and we embrace any innovation that enhances these key aspects. This is why we are constantly reinforcing our A/B testing infrastructure, ensuring that it remains scalable, cost-efficient, and capable of running experiments seamlessly. 

When it comes to game mechanics design, Block Blast! may seem simple and approachable at first glance, but it offers a challenging and highly engaging experience for players. It takes the classic elimination puzzle concept and transforms chaos into order, offering a balance of control and challenge that encourages skill development. 

Building upon the classic "falling block" mechanics, the game introduced a groundbreaking "drag-match-disappear" playstyle, which later evolved into "Block Adventure Mode" and "Classic Block Puzzle Mode". These variations bring both fun and challenge, catering to a diverse range of players within the classic puzzle genre. 

Hungry Studio emphasizes 'experience equality' in gaming. How is this principle integrated into Block Blast!'s design and community engagement to ensure inclusivity across various demographics?  

We take great pride in our commitment to experience equality. At Hungry Studio, this is more than just a core value—it’s an integral part of our vision. We believe that everyone, regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, nationality, or even the devices they use, should have an equal and fulfilling gaming experience. 

A great example of this is when we developed a minimalist version of Block Blast! for players in regions with limited network access or lower-performance devices. We stripped the game down to its essentials—just the core gameplay and block algorithms—removing heavy visual effects or anything that could hinder accessibility. For us, it wasn’t about cutting features; it was about ensuring that every player could enjoy the game on their own terms. 

Beyond accessibility, we also use algorithmic adjustments to enhance personalized gameplay experiences for every player. Some players are casual gamers, while others are high-score challengers—their expectations of Block Blast! can be vastly different. Our goal is to make sure they all have the best possible gaming experience. 

Even though as of November 2024, Block Blast! has surpassed 40 million DAU and 150 million MAU worldwide, when compared to the total number of gamers around the world, we still have a long way to go. Our core markets are still primarily English-speaking regions, which is far from our ultimate vision of reaching a truly global and diverse player base. Expanding further into new regions remains one of our biggest challenges and top priorities.

The mobile gaming landscape is highly competitive. What challenges has Hungry Studio faced in maintaining player retention and engagement, and what strategies have proven most effective? 

True, the mobile gaming and entertainment industries are incredibly competitive. 

First and foremost, we don’t see ourselves as just another "typical" casual game. Instead, we aspire to be a "classic" companion—a familiar presence that offers both entertainment and a social touchstone, seamlessly integrating into players' daily relaxation and staying with them for the long run. That’s why we intentionally avoid designing mechanics that create excessive urgency or high-pressure time constraints. 

 Admittedly, this approach makes us an outlier in the gaming industry. In the short term, players may be drawn to fresher, more intense, and more thrilling games. However, over time, we’ve noticed an interesting trend—many players eventually return to our game, often in seasonal cycles. This organic pattern of player behavior wasn’t something we anticipated, but it has been a wonderful gift and a sign of trust from our players. 

To honor that trust, we maintain a conservative and player-first approach to monetization. Even though our revenue model is heavily on in-app advertising, we remain deliberate and restrained in our monetization strategies. Rooted in our company vision and commitment to experience equality, this a key aspect that differentiates us from many other developers in the casual gaming space.

With the integration of AI robotics in your development process, how has this technology influenced game design and player experience in Block Blast!? 

When it comes to AI tools, there are plenty of third-party software options available for A/B testing. However, at Hungry Studio, we've taken it a step further by developing our own proprietary AI-powered tool. 

One such innovation is the "Block AI Robot", an AI-driven system that leverages deep network modeling technology to accelerate iteration and evaluation, ultimately expanding and enriching the gaming experience. 

By analyzing countless game states and player actions, our AI learns behavioral patterns and predicts the most likely player responses in new situations. While AI's choices may not always be "perfect," our Block AI Robot achieves an 80% alignment with real player behaviors, ensuring that its decisions closely reflect actual user habits. 

With the help of such tools, our game designers and product teams can fully unleash their creativity (a uniquely human talent), while leaving repetitive validation and optimization to AI (which excels at such tasks). Isn’t that exactly what modern game development should look like? 

This innovative AI tool allows Hungry Studio to iterate faster, test more efficiently, and deliver highly engaging experiences tailored to player preferences—pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming. 

What advice would you give to aspiring game developers or product managers looking to break into mobile gaming and achieve large-scale success?

To be completely honest, we are far from qualified to give advice to other developers. This isn’t false modesty—it’s simply because we ourselves haven’t been able to replicate Block Blast’s success in any of our internal test projects. That alone proves that much of our current achievement comes down to luck and timing. This isn’t just my personal opinion—it’s a sentiment shared across our entire company, including our leadership team. 

If we were to go back to 2021 and start all over again, even with all the experience we have now, we likely wouldn’t be able to replicate our own success. So, what does that leave us with? The only answer is to stay true to our core philosophy and continuously refine a new game from the ground up through scientific experimentation and A/B testing. Maybe the truth is really that simple. 

If I were to dare give one piece of advice to other developers, it would be this: think differently—carve your own path.