While working at the gaming studio, I was tasked with researching the Merge Genre to evaluate whether we should invest in developing an engine that would allow us to produce multiple similar games.
🔍 Why deconstruction?
Before building something new, I needed to understand what already worked. Deconstructing successful games allowed me to peel back the layers—what worked well for them, where they delighted users, and where they fell short. It was the best way to:
- Analyze the core gameplay and surrounding meta systems.
- Identify what competitors were doing—and what gaps we could potentially fill.
🎮 Getting to know the Genre
The Merge genre is a simple and satisfying loop: combine similar items to unlock new ones. The magic is in the simplicity and the variable rewards—coins, gems, new characters, even buildings. But what really makes these games sticky is the meta layer: farming, mining, building, and resource management add progression and purpose.
The key to success in puzzle titles lies in combining a strong core puzzle mechanic with a compelling meta layer together: Core Puzzle + Meta Layer = Player Retention
📈 Trends & Insights
The merge sub-genre has been massive growth driven initially by Zynga’s (Gram’s) Merge Dragons and Merge Magic and now fast-followed by numerous competitors like Mergical from Betta GamesCasual and Evermerge from Big Fish/Neskin Games, each trying to tweak the formula but most stuck close to the core mechanics that had proven successful.
🔁 The Core Loop
🧘♀️ Players goals & aspiration
| Proven | Better | New |
|---|---|---|
| Merge 3 mechanic | Multiple progression rewards* | Story Progression |
| Fairy tale theme | Rewarded videos | Merge mastery(Secret levels) |
| Character collection | Diverse weekly events | |
| Cartoon aesthetics |
*(Character, buildings and expansions)
🕹️ Game Experience
| Solo or Multiplayer? | Streesfull or Relaxing | Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | Relaxing | Touch, hold and drag on other object/tile |
| Tap to mine | ||
| Tap to harvest |
💰 Monetisation Model
- Combination of revenue streams: in-app purchase + in-app ads + subscription plan
- Offering time-limited special deals
- Placing rewarded video ads exactly when players need them
- Offering additional content to purchase
- Occasionally using pop-ups to promote IAP offers
- Additional monetisation via the meta layers
Top Competitors in this space
- Merge Dragons by Grams Games Limited
- EverMerge by Big Fish Game
- Mergical by Betta GamesCasual
- Merge Magic by Gram Games
🥇Top Competitors
Merge Dragons Performance
- Company- Gram Games Limited
- Publisher country- Great Britain
- Most popular country- US
- Revenue-
- Android: $6 M
- iOS: $5 M
- Downloads-
- Android: 400k
- iOS: 300k
- Ratings(review count)-
- Android: 1,17,809
- iOS: 297,945
- Latest releasing date- 06/30/2021
Evremerge Performance
- Company- Big Fish Games
- Publisher country- US
- Most popular country- US
- Revenue-
- Android: $4 M
- iOS: $3 M
- Downloads-
- Android: 400k
- iOS: 100k
- Ratings(review count)-
- Android: 231,243
- iOS: 73,312
- Latest releasing date- 07/07/2021
✅ Strengths
- Simple and Accessible Gameplay – The core merge mechanic is intuitive, making it easy for casual players to pick up and play.
- Relaxing and Engaging Experience – The genre offers a stress-free, visually appealing gameplay loop that encourages long-term engagement.
- Strong Monetization Potential – Multiple revenue streams, including in-app purchases, rewarded ads, and subscriptions, provide consistent income.
⚠️ Weakness
- Slow Progression and Paywalls – Many merge games rely on long wait times and aggressive monetization, frustrating players and limiting organic retention.
- Limited Gameplay Depth – Without strong meta layers, merge games can become repetitive, leading to lower long-term engagement.
- Resource Management Issues – Poor balancing of in-game economy (e.g., overpriced premium currency, locked chests) can result in negative player experiences.
🔍 RICE Analysis for the Merge Genre
Reach – Low to Moderate
- The market is already saturated, with only a few top-performing games (Merge Dragons, EverMerge).
- New entries struggle to gain traction unless they introduce highly differentiated mechanics (e.g., social features, unique narrative elements).
Impact – Moderate
- While merge games can engage casual players, heavy reliance on microtransactions and slow progression mechanics often lead to frustration.
- The genre appeals to a specific player base, limiting its broader market impact.
Confidence – Low
- Existing market leaders have strong brand recognition, large user bases, and established monetization strategies.
- Most new merge games face difficulties in sustaining long-term retention and revenue.
- Monetization issues (high paywalls, expensive premium currency) have negatively impacted player sentiment in current top games.
Effort – High
- Developing a merge game requires significant effort to stand out, particularly in terms of narrative, metagame, and innovative social systems.
- Without substantial differentiation, competing with established titles would demand extensive marketing, user acquisition, and long-term support.
Although there are opportunities for differentiation (e.g., social systems, new narratives, short-session gameplay), the trade-offs (monetization issues, slow progression, limited top-performing titles) outweigh the benefits.
Based on the RICE framework, to succeed in this space, a game would need:
- A unique gameplay innovation beyond existing merge mechanics.
- A strong user acquisition strategy to compete with established titles.
- A balanced monetization approach to avoid frustrating players.
Without these factors, investing in a merge game carries high risk with uncertain returns compared to exploring other emerging or underserved genres.