The four questions we hear most at the greenlight stage: who are Western SLG players, how much do they spend, how fast do they churn, and what does a user cost. This article lays out the framework and reference ranges we use when we evaluate a project, so you can run the numbers before you commit.
Who the players are: age, devices and session length
Core paying SLG players in the West are older than most Chinese teams expect: mostly men between 30 and 50, with a noticeably higher share of women in games with strong alliance play. In the US, iOS and Android are close to even; in most of Europe, Android leads, which shapes both channel mix and build size.
Play patterns are fragmented but long-lived: short sessions, many opens per day to collect resources and handle alliance business, then concentrated activity at weekends. UI readability, notification strategy and event scheduling matter more than in the Chinese version. Players will not stay long, but they come back often.
Spending habits: payer rate, first purchase and whale structure
Payer rates for Western SLGs are usually lower than for comparable Chinese titles, but ARPPU is higher, and revenue depends on the long-term retention of mid and high spenders rather than a first-week surge. The first purchase mostly happens in the first seven days, triggered by speed-ups and alliance events, not by gacha.
Three practical consequences: bundle pricing has to be redesigned for local spending habits; monthly cards and growth funds, with their predictable return, are well accepted in the West; and aggressive paywalls visibly drag down store ratings, which in turn raise acquisition costs.
Retention benchmarks: D1 / D7 / D30 reference ranges
| Metric | What it measures | Reference range |
|---|---|---|
| D1 retention | Return on day 1 | 35% to 45% |
| D7 retention | Return on day 7 | 12% to 18% |
| D30 retention | Return on day 30 | 5% to 8% |
| Payer conversion | Install to first purchase | 2% to 4% |
Retention below the range does not mean the game has failed, but it does mean onboarding, the sense of purpose in the first three days and alliance guidance need work before spend is scaled. We have seen titles lift D7 a full step by reworking only the first 30 minutes.
Acquisition cost: CPI by market and seasonality
The US has the highest CPI, followed by the UK, Germany, Canada and the Nordics. Canada is a common soft-launch market because player behaviour is close to the US at a lower cost. From Black Friday to Christmas, acquisition costs rise sharply, then fall in January, which is a common launch window.
We usually treat the US as the scaling target, test in Canada and the Nordics, and use MENA as a high-spend complementary market. Each runs on its own rhythm and needs its own budget line.
Using this data at the greenlight stage
- Use the retention ranges to decide whether a build is ready for soft launch, not whether the game is good.
- Use the spending structure to decide whether bundles and events need to be rebuilt for the West.
- Use CPI and ARPPU to estimate payback and set the pace and ceiling of the budget.
- Factor seasonality into the launch date.
Key takeaways
- Western SLG players are older and more fragmented; payer rates are lower but ARPPU is higher.
- First purchases happen in the first week, triggered by speed-ups and alliance events.
- Retention ranges tell you whether to scale, not whether the game is good.
- Canada and the Nordics are low-cost test markets; the US is the scaling target.
- Q4 UA is expensive; January is a common launch window.
If you are evaluating whether an SLG fits the West, put these metrics next to your own data and you will usually have an answer within two weeks. You are also welcome to send us the game; we evaluate it against the same standard.
Have a game you want to take to the West?
Send us a gameplay video and a playable build. We reply within 48 hours.
