Cooking Diary, developed by MYTONIA, is celebrating six years of success in the time-management gaming world. This milestone offers valuable insights for both game developers and players eager to understand the magic behind this casual gaming hit.
Ingredients
- 431 story episodes
- 38 hero characters
- 8,969 elements
- 905,481 guilds
- A generous portion of events and contests
- A dash of humor
- Grandpa Grey’s secret ingredient
Cooking Instructions
First Step: Make the Lore
Begin crafting your game by laying down a rich plot filled with humor and unexpected twists. Populate your story with a diverse cast of 38 hero characters. Divide the narrative into various settings, starting with the iconic Burger Joint owned by your grandfather, Leonard. Expand your world to include unique districts like Colafornia, Schnitzeldorf, and Sushijima. Cooking Diary boasts over 160 different dining establishments spread across 27 districts, ensuring a vibrant and engaging world for players to explore.
Step 2: Customize
Enhance your game with extensive customization options. Include up to 8,000 items, such as 1,776 outfits, 88 sets of facial features, and 440 hairstyles. Add over 6,500 decorative items to let players personalize their homes and restaurants. For added fun, introduce pets with 200 clothing options, allowing players to express their unique style.
Step 3: In-game Events
Incorporate a variety of in-game events to keep players engaged. Use top-notch analytics to ensure these events are both creative and well-timed. Design events like Culinary Experiments and Sugar Rush to complement each other, offering both individual enjoyment and a cohesive experience. August's event lineup is a prime example, featuring nine different events that cater to a wide range of player interests.
Step 4: Guilds
With over 905,000 guilds, Cooking Diary fosters a strong community spirit. Introduce guild events and tasks gradually to maintain player interest. Avoid scheduling conflicting events to ensure maximum participation and enjoyment. Guilds are not just about competition; they're a place for players to showcase their outfits, share achievements, and have fun together.
Step 5: Learn from Your Mistakes
Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. Cooking Diary's developers, for instance, initially struggled with the pet system in 2019. After realizing that free normal pets and Ruby-costing rare ones didn't engage players as hoped, they shifted to unlocking pets through the Path to Glory event. This adjustment boosted revenue by 42% and increased player satisfaction, proving that adaptability is key to success.
Step 6: Presentation
In the crowded casual games market, available on platforms like the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Microsoft Store, and AppGallery, standing out is crucial. Leverage social media creatively, run contests, and stay attuned to trends. Cooking Diary's social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, and X showcases a robust strategy. Collaborations with major brands like Netflix for Stranger Things and YouTube for the Path to Glory event further amplify its reach and appeal.
Step 7: Keep Innovating
To maintain its top position, Cooking Diary continuously introduces new content and refines its gameplay. From tweaking the event calendar to balancing time-management mechanics, the game evolves daily. Yet, the core essence, or the secret ingredient, remains unchanged, ensuring a fresh yet familiar experience for players.
Step 8: Use Grandpa Grey’s secret ingredient
The secret ingredient that keeps Cooking Diary at the heart of its players is soul. Passion for the craft is essential for creating a game that resonates with its audience. Cooking Diary exemplifies this, and it's why the game continues to thrive.
Discover the joy of Cooking Diary for yourself on the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Microsoft Store, and AppGallery.