Ludo always has been one of the go-to games for everyone for a very long time. You will find crowds of people twiddling their thumbs, and waiting for their turns, in front of tea shops and retail stores every day. Over the years, we have experienced the transformation of physical cardboard ludo to a more portable and accessible ludo game all in your fingertips. Talking about the plethora of these applications that have made playing games like Ludo, and Chess easier, this is a story about Yarsha Labs, which managed to secure an enormous amount of fame within a short period. Let's dive in to discuss the Ludo game developed by Yarsha Labs in more detail.

Ludo Game by Yarsha Labs Overview

The only application with 200 million + downloads

Initiated in 2016, Yarsha Lab’s Ludo has become the first Nepali app to hit 200 million+ downloads. Among these, 200 million are on Android alone, while 1 million+ users have downloaded it on the App Store. Meanwhile, Callbreak by Teslatech has remained in the second position with over 100 million downloads on the Play Store alone.  Similarly, Ludo isn’t the only app to put Yarsha lab in this feat, the app developing companies remaining 14 other apps contribute to 120 million downloads. In an interview with Kantipur, the CEO of Yarsha Lab revealed there are more than 6 million daily users around the globe, and the app also experienced more than 500k downloads every day within this time frame.

Where are the users? 

There are numerous variations of Ludo or similar board games, but this particular game is more popular in Asian countries. According to Yarsha lab, Ludo has massive users in countries like Nepal, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Sri Lanka etc. 

Rise to fame

Yarsa had created some popular card-based mobile games, but they were all single-player. To develop multiplayer games, the Yarsa Gaming team proposed creating Ludo as the simplest option. The team quickly designed the dice, and other team members helped with icons, digital graphics, and storyboards. The prototype was prepared within a week, kept very simple, and published within a month. However, for the first 5-6 months, Ludo did not get many downloads, and the team moved on to another game. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, continuous lockdowns led people to start playing Ludo on their phones. Hollywood celebrities posted photos of themselves playing Ludo on social media. As a result, Yarsa’s Ludo downloads surged.

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Revenue Model

The downloads for Yarsa's Ludo app aren't as high now as during the COVID-19 lockdowns when both downloads and revenue peaked. The income generated during that period continues to sustain the company, with 25 percent of total revenue still coming from the Ludo app. The app's success is largely due to its simple gameplay and its 'three plus' age rating on Google Play, which has helped increase visibility and downloads by making it accessible to a wider audience, including children. Setting the age rating at three plus allowed the app to be featured under Google's Play for Families and Made for Kids categories, boosting its ranking and download numbers. Unlike foreign apps with multiple revenue options, Nepali developers primarily earn through in-app and reward-based advertising. Google’s real-time bidding system determines ad placements within milliseconds, earning Yarsa around 20 cents per thousand impressions. In more developed markets like the USA and Europe, the revenue per thousand impressions can be as high as $20.

Ludo Game by Yarsha Labs: Conclusion

Yarsa Labs’ Ludo app reaching 200 million downloads is an inspiring success story for aspiring game developers. This achievement demonstrates that creating a successful game doesn't require a billion-dollar budget or a focus on AAA titles. Instead, developers can build a thriving empire by making nostalgic and accessible games that resonate with a broad audience.

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