How Metacore Scaled Merge Mansion With a Stellar Live Event Strategy

Live events are becoming an essential part of the growth strategy for mobile games. However, it can be difficult to determine the best approach to LiveOps in order to maximize revenue. While driving engagement is key, the ultimate goal is to translate engagement into tangible return on investment (ROI). Recently, we’ve seen an exemplary success case for doing just that in Metacore’s Merge Mansion.
Merge Mansion is an incredibly popular merge-2 game where players combine items on a merge grid to complete tasks and restore an old family mansion. Since July 2024, Metacore has steadily increased Merge Mansion‘s ROI. Looking at the data on iOS for the US market, it’s clear that Metacore is doing something right. In 2024, the game experienced steady growth. So, how did Metacore do it? The short answer is that they experimented with more events and innovative event types. They also took advantage of spikes in engagement with smart monetization strategies.

Increasing Engagement Through More Events and New Types of Events One of the biggest factors underpinning Merge Mansion’s success has been the increase in the average number of Live Events for the game. If you look at the number of live events on their calendar between March 2025 and April 2024, you can see that it has nearly doubled. Not only has the number of events increased, but the number of new events has also increased, according to GameRefinery’s Live Events Tracker. We observe a clear increase in the number of new live event types introduced during the six months prior to and after the end of July 2024. We also observe a variety of event types when taking a granular look at the new events that were introduced. To offer a clearer picture of their event strategy, we’ll break down some of the striking additions and what makes them successful.

Adding new features to the Battle Pass strategy as it evolves Examining Merge Mansion’s battle pass strategy and one of the brand-new additions to its event strategy is the first step. Merge It Up!, a brand-new mini-battle pass that was added to the main Battle Pass for the game, was released in February by Merge Mansion. It comprises a simplified version of a battle pass of shorter duration that still includes both Free and Paid lanes.

The gist of the event is that players can accumulate additional rewards through their gameplay by simply merging items. As an added attraction, merging items in separate event boards counts toward the progression of this Battle Pass.

Merge Mansion saw a revenue spike (of +138% their typical daily revenue) on the last active day of the first instance of the brand-new “Merge it Up!” Mini Battle Pass. The temporary increase is likely attributable to the model for the event. Players can progress to the pass by merging throughout the event. They can also purchase the premium track to collect all the rewards they have accumulated thus far, even on the last day.

“Merge It Up!” is not the only battle pass event to impact returns. In fact, battle pass is one of the most important drivers behind Merge Mansion’s revenue increases.

Looking at revenue growth from November 2024 to March 2025, the impact of battle pass events is easy to see. These crests can be found either at the end of the current Battle Pass run or at the start of the next one. It’s also worth noting that during these spikes, there are usually a few different IAPs available to purchase.

Successful New Event Types in Merge Mansion: A Deep Dive

Secret Supply

Minigames are a staple for casual games, but it’s worth looking at one in particular, Secret Supply. It was introduced to the game in May 2024. Metacore also reworked the event in November by adding various cosmetic changes to the UI and more substantive changes to the event tasks.

Secret Supply is Merge Mansion‘s first-ever minigame event instance that combines casino and merge elements. In the minigame, players use an old arcade machine to play and collect as many event points as possible to earn rewards.

When players press the arcade machine button, several items drop. When two or more matching items align, they merge and reward the player with points. Some items are worth more than others, and players hope for valuable matches.

Everyone is limited as to how much they can use the arcade machine. After so much use, the machine “overheats” and requires a Mystery Token to be reactivated. These tokens regenerate automatically after a certain period, although players can speed up the process through in-app purchases (IAP). This event was the first of its kind in the Merge genre, and similar events have since been seen in Seaside Escape and Gossip Harbor.

Secret Supply events encourage players to drain premium currency. They usually appear a little before big revenue spikes, potentially because they encourage players to purchase the premium Battle Pass plan after spending their previous reserves.

Circus Caper Decoration Event

The decoration event Circus Caper is only available for a limited time. It features a separate, exclusive merge area, narrative scenes, and cosmetic rewards related to the traveling circus theme of the game. Players can access a special circus-themed merge grid in the Circus Caper decoration event. To open the grid, players need to set up a portal (an item granted to the player upon the beginning of the event) on their main progress merge grid.

In the event area, players can work on various merge chains originating from different item generators. As they progress, they eventually generate pieces of the main point chains, the chain of mergeable items that can be either collected for points by double tapping or further merged to get even more points from these items.

The points collected from collected items help progress the event’s main reward threshold. At the end of each decoration event instance, players are offered a chance to extend the duration of the event by +2 days. They can do so by paying a set, real money price. When they extend, the players will also receive bonus rewards as a further incentive.

Unlike in other decoration events, this reward track doesn’t feature multiple separate decoration items, but just one that you upgrade through progression. Players don’t own the item before they hit level 30 of the progression path, giving them an incentive to keep playing until (and beyond) level 30. Without the item, their upgrade progression doesn’t count.

Circus Caper is an example of an event with unique mechanics that make the gameplay experience deeper and more integrated.

PvE Limited-Time Modes

Metacore added some new limited-time PvE Modes to the game. Previously, Merge Mansion had different instances of these modes active, maybe two to four times a month, and they never overlapped. That said, if you look at the calendars for December and January, there are noticeably more rotations, overlapping events, and higher overall volumes.

Compared to other merge games, Merge Mansion’s Limited-Time PvE Modes are also richer in content and armed with unique mechanics. Other merge games have tended to focus more on linear progression where you need to find new merge item levels. Essentially, you merge until you reach the top level and get rewards through that progression (see Travel Town or Gossip Harbor).

However, Merge Mansion has several overlapping goals, including filling progression bars, side quests, and narration sequences, and collecting special items for separate collections (e.g., rare gems, fish, artifacts, etc.—each filling the separate collection albums).

Supercharge

Another successful event, first appearing in August 2024, is Supercharge, a boost event where players can supercharge their producers to create items faster and with higher levels. The event is designed to help players progress more quickly through the game by boosting the output of their regular item-producing mechanisms.

Players can turn the supercharge feature on or off at any time, but when enabled, it doubles the production speed and allows producers to create higher-level items. The supercharge status is indicated with a distinctive lightning bolt icon on supercharged items.