Scopely’s Next Billion Dollar Hit

𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗬’𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗛𝗜𝗧: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗘 Monopoly Go (MoPoGo) spent truckloads of capital quickly, but UA is simply maxed out. There’s no better evidence than the game’s shift to celebrity-driven TV advertising following a nearly linear decline in downloads since its August 2023 highs, dropping from 13m a month to 3m. Stocked in the F2P dev/pub medicine cabinet is F2P’s natural aspirin, a prescription known for its reliability and convenience: a game extension/re-skin.

Embraced by the warm arms of Machine Zone (Game of War/Mobile Strike), King (Candy, Soda Saga), Playtika (Grand Harvest, Disney Solitaire), it’s both a cost and design play. The re-skin “sweet spot” combines what’s proven, what’s improved, and new audiences—a bastardization of Sid Meier’s Rule of Thirds.

The Game of Life (GoLife) leverages what’s proven: wealth accumulation, a coop-competitive core, live ops tied to IP, and the board as the central action resolution centre. GoLife players flick a wheel, navigate a linear board, and encounter various life events like marriage, taxes, or even the lottery, all significantly impacting their virtual net worth. The game’s collections, loans, and investments are deeper economic mechanics than the original Monopoly, while maintaining similar core motivations.

GoLife directly addresses one of MoPoGo’s shortcomings: meaningful long-run progression. MoPoGo’s progression can feel like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic—lots of movement without advancement. By contrast, GoLife offers distinct, repeatable loops of progression through multiple LIFE playthroughs, creating compelling sim-style arcs.

The Game of Life IP doesn’t match Monopoly’s fame nor its success in Vegas Slots licensing. Yet, it resonates closely with Monopoly’s foundational fantasies of accumulating wealth with a social core. It’s transformational design target differs too: just as MoPoGo casualized social casino, GoLife can do the same for simulation. Hit sim game, Bitlife, a text-based adventure, did 130m installs despite lackluster monetization at $1 per download. Herein lies Scopley’s opportunity!