Stabilizing revenue and expanding global demand through direct, transparent connections.
Introduction
As the mobile gaming industry across Southeast Asia and other fast-growing markets continues to scale, many studios have reported declining eCPM and volatile fill rates. This trend has accelerated as major ad networks shift toward bidding models, while a large portion of ad demand still comes from competing games and apps within the same category.
Lihuhu, a leading hybrid-casual studio behind popular titles such as Zen Blossom and Woodber, sought to break through these limitations. The goal was to diversify revenue streams and gain more transparent, efficient access to global brand budgets.
This is where AscendX stepped in—acting as a bridge to high-quality demand sources and helping Lihuhu optimize advertising revenue.
The Challenge
Before integrating AscendX, Lihuhu experienced strong seasonal fluctuations in eCPM, making it difficult to scale User Acquisition (UA) in a predictable way.
Most revenue was driven by performance ads or cross-promotion between apps, resulting in direct competition for both users and revenue.
In addition, integrating multiple SDKs from different ad networks made the stack heavier, harder to maintain, and increased the risk of performance issues or SDK conflicts.
“How can we expand demand from non-gaming brand advertisers while maintaining efficiency and a strong player experience?” – This was the key question Lihuhu’s team faced before partnering with AscendX.
The Solution
Through AscendX’s server-side monetization solution, Lihuhu directly integrated The Trade Desk OpenPath, Meta In-House Mediation, and nearly 20 global high-quality demand sources.
These demand partners are integrated and managed entirely on the server side, eliminating the need for additional SDK integrations and ongoing client-side maintenance. AscendX operates alongside and complements existing mediation platforms (such as AdMob, LevelPlay and MAX), ensuring each impression is sold at the optimal eCPM.
This deployment allows AscendX to serve as a transparent and efficient bridge to global advertisers-without disrupting existing monetization operations.
Results
By opening direct connections to global demand sources, Lihuhu achieved clear and measurable results. For Display Ads:
eCPM increased by 15–30%
ARPDAU uplift of +10%
Player retention remained unchanged
“Previously, eCPM fluctuated significantly with seasonality, impacting our UA scaling rhythm. Since integrating AscendX, we’ve seen much stronger stability in eCPM and easier access to large brand budgets—especially during peak seasons. This allows us to maintain UA spend more effectively and forecast growth with greater confidence.” — Phuc Tran, CRO, Lihuhu Games
Lihuhu listed as a premium publisher within The Trade Desk OpenPath, gaining prioritized access to direct brand advertising budgets from global advertisers.
Why It Matters
Lihuhu’s success illustrates a broader opportunity for mobile game publishers across Southeast Asia and other emerging markets:
Building more direct “bridges” to buyers to complement—and reduce reliance on—traditional mediation
Expanding access to brand, e-commerce, and global advertiser budgets, including spend flowing through programmatic platforms such as The Trade Desk OpenPath—demand that has traditionally been difficult to compete for within closed mediation stacks
Maintaining revenue stability and control through transparent, proactive server-side connections
This approach represents an important step forward for game publishers looking to scale monetization, improve predictability, and build a more sustainable advertising foundation.
Get in Touch
Interested in optimizing ad revenue for your studio? Learn how AscendX can help you expand demand, increase eCPM, and gain greater transparency and control over monetization.
