TinyBytes CEO Andres Constantinidis on Massive Warfare, Battle Cars and why the numbers just keep going up

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The PocketGamer.biz team recently had the opportunity to sit down with Andres Constantinidis, CEO & Co-founder of TinyBytes, to explore the studio’s strategies behind the ongoing success of Massive Warfare and the recent launch of Battle Cars. 

Across this in-depth exploration of TinyByte’s approach to games, Constantinidis highlights key achievements, including Massive Warfare’s 70 million downloads and over $40 million in lifetime gross revenue, along with plans for ongoing growth. The discussion also covered Battle Cars’ downloads, which have already exceeded one million and its 100 percent monthly revenue growth. 

The interview explores live ops strategies, impactful licensing collaborations, and the development process, providing valuable insights into TinyBytes’ approach to games, business, their players and how they bring them all together.

Massive Warfare Success:

Pocketgamer.biz: Massive Warfare is a well-known name in multiplayer vehicular combat, but for those unfamiliar, can you share a quick overview?

Andres Constantinidis: Massive Warfare is a military vehicular shooter where tanks, hovercrafts, and helicopters battle it out across land, sea, and air in real-time multiplayer.

Can you elaborate on the game achievements so far?

We launched it in 2018, and since then, it’s been an incredible journey – over 70 million downloads and more than $40 million in lifetime gross revenue. Our monthly active users range from 2.5 to 3.5 million. The game has won multiple awards and nominations, maintaining a strong 4.7-star rating. It’s available on the App Store and Google Play (both mobile and PC).

On the social side, we’ve seen almost 100 thousand alliances formed and 10 million friendships created in-game, and even had a user playing at the altar while waiting for the bride! Additionally, our licensing collaborations with iconic rock bands have further fueled engagement.

How have live ops (live operations) contributed to the continued engagement and revenue generation of Massive Warfare? What specific live ops strategies have been most effective?

Live ops are the backbone of our long-term success. Our team – known internally as “The Viking Rowers” – operates consistently on annual, monthly, and quarterly revenue and KPI targets. We’ve kept the game fresh with new features, content inspired by community feedback, and constant A/B testing on offers.

Big features like the Battle Pass and in-game events have driven strong engagement. Our licensing collaborations, like the ones with rock bands, and brand sponsorships – like the one with Trace Black Water – have also been key. We consistently see revenue peaks of 95 percent growth with every major update, and our AB tests help us boost spender conversion by 60 percent and grow ARPU by 125 percent.

What was the process like for securing licensing collaborations with iconic bands like Mötorhead, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, and Iron Maiden? What were the key challenges and rewards?

We started by listening to our community – running surveys and polls to understand their music tastes. Rock and metal stood out, and it just made sense. The synergy between heavy music and intense vehicular combat was perfect. When selecting partners, we looked at their global reach, current relevance (new tours, albums), and how well their visual universe fit our game.

The players loved it. Seeing Dave Mustaine do a promo video, Megadeth sign t-shirts for giveaways, and Alice Cooper post about us was surreal. The biggest challenge was getting approvals while these artists were on tour – schedules can be crazy. But the reward was seeing the excitement from both fans and artists when the content went live.

Can you share any data or anecdotes about the impact these licensing collaborations have had on Massive Warfare’s player base or revenue? Did you see an increase in new players, returning players, or in-app purchases?

Absolutely. We saw a direct impact – 500 percent ROI, 30 percent increase in new players and 12 percent revenue growth. Licensing now contributes up to 11 percent of our monthly revenue. The Mötorhead collaboration was a standout – it recouped in just one weekend. The Eddie Copter and Alice Cooper’s Venom Claw were top-selling items, reinforcing how much players love these integrations.

What were the creative considerations in integrating these licenses into the game? How did you ensure a good fit between the game and the band’s brand?

Respect was key. We wanted to do justice to these legendary artists and their fan bases. Our team – being rock and metal fans themselves – dug deep into each band’s history. For Alice Cooper’s content, we included iconic elements from his stage shows – chickens running around, a giant viper, a guillotine, and an electric chair. Releasing it in October made it the perfect Halloween update. For Iron Maiden, we brought Eddie to life as a pilot, drawing inspiration from their most famous album covers. Every detail was approved by the artists, ensuring everything felt authentic.

Battle Cars Success:

To start, could you give us some background on Battle Cars? What genre is it, when did it launch, and what are its notable achievements or player engagement metrics so far?

Battle Cars is a high-energy vehicular combat game where cars and trucks clash in esports-inspired arenas. It features fantasy elements – like battles inside an aquarium – and launched globally on January 16 this year. The reception has been incredible: featured as “Game of the Day” and “Games We Love” on the App Store in the US and worldwide, plus a global feature on Google Play. We’ve hit 1 million downloads, maintaining a 4.5-star rating. Monthly revenue growth is 100 percent, and players spend 25 percent more time in-game than in Massive Warfare.

What was the initial inspiration behind developing Battle Cars? What gap in the market were you trying to fill?

Battle Cars was our chance to take everything we learned from Massive Warfare – both the successes and the mistakes – and apply it to something fresh. There were so many ideas we wanted to implement in Massive Warfare but couldn’t due to technical or resource constraints six years ago.

With Battle Cars, we had a clean slate. We aimed for a broader audience, a younger demographic, and a game with fewer direct competitors. We added exchangeable weapons, limited lives, and interactive map hazards. Stylistically, we drew inspiration from Spiderverse, Hi-Fi Rush, Borderlands, and Fortnite. The arenas were influenced by Fall Guys.

Can you walk us through the development process of Battle Cars, highlighting any key decisions or challenges you faced?

We moved at lightning speed compared to Massive Warfare. What took us years before, we now did in months, thanks to our SWAT Team – our dedicated launch specialists who focus on rapid market validation. From prototype to open beta, we got Battle Cars into players’ hands in just six months. We ran A/B tests on marketing assets while still prototyping, ensuring we locked in the right art style before full production.

One major risk was overhauling the economy and core game loop – introducing exchangeable weapons as our second major spending sink. We weren’t sure how it would perform, but A/B tests proved it increased early engagement. Our focus was making the game more accessible to new players, which led to a higher volume of smaller spenders and faster user acquisition scaling.

What were your primary goals for Battle Cars’ global launch, and how have the results compared to your expectations so far?

We set out to build something better, faster, and stronger than Massive Warfare. We aimed for rapid validation, a wider audience, and a fresh experience – not just a reskin. So far, we’ve hit 1.8 million downloads, with 10 percent higher retention than Massive Warfare. Compared to Massive Warfare, we’ve seen almost double Spender Conversion, 40 percent more LTV, and a 35 percent boost in ROAS, all while reducing the recoup window by 25 percent.

What marketing strategies did you employ for the Battle Cars launch, and which channels proved most effective in reaching your target audience?

We took a multi-pronged approach: open beta, soft launch, pre-registration, Google Ads, Meta, other ad networks, and cross-promotion with Massive Warfare. Influencer marketing played a key role as well.

What are your future plans for Battle Cars in terms of content updates, new features, or potential esports integration?

We’re just getting started. Battle Pass, an event system, and new game modes are all in the pipeline. We’re working on ports for Nintendo Switch and Google Play for PC. Plus, we have some big licensing collaborations coming soon. We’ve been very active on Twitch lately, using our in-house Vtuber, while many streamers are playing the game on different platforms.

What lessons did you learn from the development and launch of Battle Cars that you can apply to future projects?

One of the key lessons we learned from Battle Cars was definitely to build on our strengths and stick to what we know best. Focusing on our core genre helps ensure the game resonates with players. We also learned the value of creating reusable frameworks that save time in development. It’s all about iteration – constantly improving based on feedback. Studying the market and validating user acquisition early on also proved crucial, making sure there was demand before fully diving into development.

How do Massive Warfare and Battle Cars contribute to TinyBytes’ overall business strategy and growth plans?

Massive Warfare helped us grow our EBITDA by 2.5x, and Battle Cars is building on that momentum. Our goal is to double revenue and EBITDA in the next three years. While the games have different audiences, together, they solidify our dominance in the real-time PvP vehicular combat space.