I. From “Business Tycoon” to “King of Prisons”
Yi World, this company, previously made a fortune with games like “The Great Boss” and “Business Tycoon”, achieving monthly revenues surpassing the 100 million yuan mark.
Now, they’ve ventured overseas and transformed their approach. “Lands of Jail” has become their latest “gold mine”—
Half a year after its launch, it’s raking in over 90 million yuan per month, firmly holding a place within the top 150 on the US grossing charts!
While the theme has changed and the systems are deeper, at its core, it remains their familiar “simulation + SLG” dual-core model.
II. Core Strategy: Replacing “Task-Driven” with “Operational Pressure”
Compared to traditional SLGs that rely on rewards for progression, “Lands of Jail” feels more like a “resource management experiment”:
Revenue Generation:
Players earn money through vending machines, factories, and release bonuses, creating a cycle of “earning money → spending money → earning again”.
Balance of Consumption:
Every construction, upgrade, and hire consumes funds, plus employee salaries and prisoner status management create operational pressure.
Risk Stimulation:
If prisoner attributes are too low, riots can occur, requiring players to hire guards to quell unrest, amplifying the “tension” of simulation management, bringing a new emotional rhythm.
III. Thematic Innovation: From Apocalyptic to Prison, Reskinned but Effective
Although structurally similar to “Whiteout Survival”, by shifting the theme to “prison management”, “Lands of Jail” achieves an attraction of “familiar mechanics + novel skin”.
This approach offers two advantages:
Reduced development risk (the core framework has been validated)
Increased differentiation (scarce themes, fresh scenarios)
Thus, its sustained chart presence in the US market demonstrates that thematic innovation remains a crucial weapon for SLG breakout.
IV. Enlightenment: The Key Shift in the Era of SLG Integration
In the past, SLGs relied on war and social elements; now, SLGs focus more on “nurturing”, “management”, and “rhythm”.
Similar cases include:
“Tiles Survive!” which adds a relaxing farm experience to adjust pacing
“Stellar Sanctuary” which extends retention through a sense of construction
Yi World accurately identified this trend, further integrating “simulation management + SLG”.
Judging from the data, this combination of “light strategy + medium management” indeed boosts retention and monetization better.
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