How Exmox Became the #1 Network Overall for Carry1st in DACH & UK While Doubling ROAS And Achieving Record-High Retention Rates

#1

network overall in DACH & UK

Background

Carry1st, founded in 2018, is the leading mobile games publisher in Africa, dedicated to bringing world-class gaming experiences to high-growth markets. By combining expert user acquisition, dynamic live operations, and smart monetization strategies, they help scale hit titles to new heights. Among their standout successes is Mergedom, an engaging and fast-growing game that blends strategy and creativity, offering players a unique merge-and-build experience. With Mergedom and other popular titles, Carry1st continues to expand its diverse portfolio.

Challenge

After acquiring Mergedom, Carry1st set out with a clear goal: to scale the game rapidly while implementing monetization strategies that could drive profitability in a short period of time.

When our partnership began, the Carry1st UA team identified that while early-stage engagement in Mergedom was strong, user conversion during late-stage events wasn’t reaching its full potential. This presented an opportunity to refine the user journey and optimize reward flows to sustain momentum beyond initial interactions. At exmox, we specialize in creating long-term engagement strategies that drive consistent results across key milestones like D30, D60, and D90 — making this a compelling challenge.

To address this, we focused on developing creative solutions that would amplify late-game participation while maintaining strong ROAS performances.

Strategy

Working hand-in-hand with Carry1st’s UA and live ops teams, exmox developed user flows that kept players engaged from start to finish. These flows were built to make it easy for users to get into the game and promote long-term player retention, which positively impacted the overall quality.

Additionally, short-term events packed with valuable rewards were introduced which enticed users to come back regularly. These events created momentum for user engagement, which led to noticeable boosts in activity, player retention, and ROAS.

The strong collaboration between Exmox and Carry1st was instrumental in the results delivered. Both teams stayed in close communication and were quick to adapt as the campaigns evolved. With ongoing monitoring and regular optimizations, we successfully built and grew an audience that not only converted well but also remained engaged – contributing to long-term, sustainable growth. 

Results

By carefully monitoring and optimizing the reward flow, we struck the perfect balance between user engagement, progression, and purchases.

This resulted in exmox ranking as the #1 network across all traffic sources in the DACH region and the UK, and among the top 5 worldwide. Our strategic efforts drove impressive results, with Day 7 ROAS doubling on iOS and exceeding targets by 50% on Android. 

These initiatives led to Mergedom achieving its highest-ever Day 1 retention and the second-highest Day 7 retention across all networks – clear indicators of improved player engagement and long-term user loyalty.