How Endurance Mobile Game Generated $30K in 6 Months

Background & Origin

In early 2021, game developer Ivan Panasenko sketched a simple endless-runner calledEndurance. With minimal art and a tight control scheme, he focused on a smooth experience over flashy visuals. Working solo, Ivan coded the prototype in Unity and tested it on friends and family. By late April 2021 he was confident enough to release the free version on Google Play and the App Store.

Scaling Downloads Organically

Within six months, Endurance drove 515,000 installs across Android and iOS—averaging 2,000 to 2,500 daily downloads. Nearly 90% of installs came from Google Play, where ASO played a major role. Ivan usedApp Radarto refine keywords, icons, and descriptions. When downloads dipped to 1,000 per day, a quick metadata tweak on App Radar reversed the trend back above 2,500 daily installs within weeks.

Ad Monetization Strategy

For the first two weeks post-launch, Endurance relied exclusively on GoogleAdMobfor ads. Ivan then integratedYodo1SDK to access Unity Ads, Facebook Audience Network, and more. Yodo1’s 10% cut was outweighed by eCPMs jumping from $2 to an average of $7, peaking at $9/1,000 impressions. Daily ad impressions ranged between 13K–16K, climbing on weekends.

In-App Purchases & Premium Version

Endurance offered consumable boosts and limited-time bundles via in-app purchases, adding $20–$35 in daily revenue. Ivan also published a paid “premium” build on Google Play—with no ads and no IAPs—for $0.99. Sold at 10–15 copies daily and boosted by monthly sales, this version brought in an extra $500–$600 per month.

Traffic Sources & ASO

Ivan avoided paid UA entirely at launch. Organic traffic drove all installs, but can fluctuate. To stabilize, he leaned heavily on App Radar’s analytics and A/B features. By monitoring keyword ranks and icon tests, he kept Endurance in high-visibility spots for relevant search terms on both stores.

Six-Month Results

By October 2021, Endurance had brought in a total of $30,640 across mobile and Steam—85% from mobile. That averages $5,100 per month purely from organic channels. His earlier title,Ailment, added another $1,300 monthly, so Ivan’s two games generate about $6,400 of passive income each month.

Key Lessons for Indie Devs

Rather than chasing fancy tech or paid ads first, focus on a solid core loop, steady ASO, and multiple monetization streams. Ivan’s final tip is simple: finish your game. Shipping provides real feedback and revenue data—essential for any modern indie developer.