Taming the Wild West of Space:
Turning Story-Driven Creatives into Scalable UA Performance
Case Study Collab | AppAgent x AppSampo

Solid Clouds, a renowned Icelandic publisher known for its PC gaming expertise, sought to expand into mobile with their game Starborne: Frontiers. However, translating the depth and strategic complexity of a PC-based space strategy game into a compelling mobile experience in a highly competitive market posed a unique challenge.

To meet this challenge, Solid Clouds partnered with two specialized agencies:

• AppAgent for creative strategy and production
• AppSampo for performance marketing execution and campaign optimization

The mission was to develop creative assets and messaging that would:

1. Highlight Key Selling Points: Identify which of the game’s elements (ships, captains, storyline, collection, strategy, etc.) resonate most with the players and should ultimately lead UA campaigns.

2. Balance Depth with Performance: Maintain the "PC-game feel" while ensuring mobile-friendly, performance-driven creatives that effectively convert.

While AppAgent focused on creative strategy and production, AppSampo ensured these assets were used efficiently across performance campaigns — maximizing impact and driving ROAS through data-driven campaign execution.

The first batch of UA creatives leveraged proven performance-driven techniques to quickly identify what resonated with the audience. However, the casual mobile game aesthetic misaligned with Starborne: Frontiers' core audience—hardcore strategy players recruited from desktop platforms.

To better align with player expectations, we shifted to story-driven, voiceover-led creatives with a “Space Cowboy” tone—an approach that had already proven successful in the global trailer. This shift captured the game’s deep lore and complex mechanics, resonating more effectively with strategy enthusiasts.

To balance a “big game” feel with strong UA performance, the AppAgent team drew inspiration from Destiny and Helldivers, incorporating their tone, humor, and visual style.

- "Join Up Now" mirrored the Helldivers introduction (from 01:00 onward).

- Top performer "Galaxy Views" took cues from Destiny 2’s loading screen.

AAA-inspired, story-driven creatives proved highly effective, yielding multiple high-performing formats—including 3D, 2D, UGC, and static assets—which enabled scalable iteration.

Getting into the heads of your core players helps uncover what they like, enjoy, and appreciate. Research should explore their favorite TV shows, movies, characters, language, humor, and, of course, other games (PC, console, board) to draw inspiration. 

By doing so, you’ll be able to expand creative variety and identify directions that hit the bullseye, allowing you to scale your campaigns.