Mobile Runner Game Development
Runner is a genre where success defined by funnel width: DAU, sessions, session length, ads eCPM. Technically one of cleanest genres for mobile: simple gameplay, procedural generation, analytics first.
Procedural level generation
Endless runner built on chunk-based generation: pre-made level sections (with defined obstacle patterns) stitched at runtime. Algorithm: as player nears end of current chunk by N meters—spawn next, N meters behind player—delete old (return to pool).
Difficulty scaling: in ScriptableObject DifficultyConfig describe difficulty curve—speed, obstacle frequency, bonus rarity—as AnimationCurve from distance. Firebase Remote Config lets tune curve without update.
Pool management: ObjectPool<T> from UnityEngine.Pool (available Unity 2021+)—strictly typed, no boilerplate, auto IObjectPool callback invocation.
Monetization and metrics
Main income: interstitial and rewarded ads. Rule: interstitial only between sessions (after Game Over), not during gameplay. Rewarded for continue after death, 2x coins, starting booster. AppLovin MAX with waterfall gives best fill rate on CIS market.
Key metrics for optimization: session length (target 3–5 minutes), ads per session (2–4), D1 retention (target 35–40%). Without Firebase Analytics with custom events (distance_reached, obstacle_hit, ad_watched), impossible to understand what affects churn.
Timeline: basic runner with monetization and analytics—6–10 weeks. With custom characters, shop, daily missions—3–4 months.