Case Study: The Sandbox Strengthens User Acquisition with Playfull Partnership

The Sandbox exceeded their unique player, CAC targets, and retention KPIs with Playfull. The result? They paused ALL other UA channels (Meta, Google, other questing platforms) and went all-in on Playfull.

The Challenge

The Sandbox Game is a free-to-use social and creator-driven platform where people connect, create, and play, and sits within The Sandbox ecosystem alongside SANDchain, Corners, and the DAO, all powered by SAND. Their seasonal model runs 6-9 week campaigns featuring battle passes, branded NFTs, and partnerships with major IPs like Jurassic World, Cirque du Soleil, and Steve Aoki.

But like many games with desktop clients, The Sandbox Game faced a fundamental user acquisition problem: their funnel is complex. Users don't just sign up—they need to create an account, download a large desktop client, launch it, and actually play. Traditional UA platforms weren't built for this.

"We completely moved away from the Meta suite. It just wasn't cost effective. Google just can't compete with the CPA for questing platforms. Our CPA tends to be very, very high and just not cost effective."

— Kelsey Dolby, Head of Marketing, The Sandbox

Key Pain Points

• Complex multi-step funnel with massive drop-off between signup and play.
• Large client download creating friction that display ads couldn't overcome.
• Sky-high CPAs on Meta and Google that weren't cost-effective.
• No retargeting capability to bring back users who dropped off mid-funnel.
• Seasonal time pressure with ambitious targets and limited campaign windows.

The Solution

The Sandbox Game partnered with Playfull to run their Season 6 user acquisition campaign. Unlike traditional UA platforms that only target top-of-funnel metrics, Playfull's mission-based approach drove players through the entire journey—from client download, to sign up, to engaged player.

The campaign leveraged Playfull's network of 50M+ users across Tier 1, 2, and 3 countries and automatically optimized for performance globally. But what made the difference wasn't just reach—it was the ability to create lifecycle campaigns with reward structures that incentivized specific behaviors, including driving deep funnel performance.

"With questing platforms, we can build lifecycle campaigns. You can't go back and target users through Google to complete a specific action. But with Playfull, we can retarget them to complete the battle pass, make a purchase, or reach a specific milestone."

— Kelsey Dolby, Head of Marketing, The Sandbox

The Results

The Sandbox Game achieved outstanding results with Playfull during their Alpha Season 6 campaign:

• 23,000+ — New Players Acquired
• 65%+ — Lower CPA vs. Meta/Google
• 73.8% — Day-1 Retention Rate
• 64.5% — Mission Conversion Rate

Acquisition Performance

• Peak week delivered 5,706 first logins in just 7 days.
• Playfull automatically optimized across global regions to maximize performance.

Retention & Engagement

• 50% of users who reached Level 5 continued to Level 15—showing deep engagement.
• Users completing quests on Day 1 far exceeded industry benchmarks.

Retargeting Results

Playfull's mission-based retargeting drove churned users back into the game and through key progression milestones:

• +29% — Level 5–10 Progression
• +19% — Level 10–15 Progression
• +21% — Level 15–20 Progression

Demonstrated clear ROI potential for retention campaigns — something impossible with Meta or Google.

"Working with Playfull is amazing. The team is very helpful, and within the first week of the campaign, we had already seen substantial user traffic and flow."

— Kelsey Dolby, Head of Marketing, The Sandbox

What Made the Difference:

Playfull's Proprietary Mission Technology

The Sandbox's success wasn't accidental—it was powered by Playfull's proprietary mission
technology. Here's what makes it unique:

1. Intelligent Performance Optimization

Playfull's mission technology continuously optimizes campaign performance in real-time across countries, traffic sources, and user segments. Unlike traditional platforms that rely on broad targeting, Playfull's system learns which combinations drive the highest-quality users and automatically shifts budget to maximize results. This is why The Sandbox achieved competitive CAC while other channels failed.

2. Deep-Funnel Targeting

Traditional UA stops at the click. Playfull's mission architecture tracks users through every step of complex funnels—signup, client download, first play, and beyond. This is critical for games like The Sandbox where the large desktop client creates natural friction. When users drop off, Playfull can bring them back with targeted rewards to complete specific actions—like finishing that download or completing more of a battle pass.

3. Effective Retargeting

Playfull's proprietary system enables retargeting with incentives—something impossible on Google or Meta. When a user signs up but doesn't download the client, Playfull can serve them a new mission with rewards to complete that specific action. This turns a lost user into an engaged player.

Why Playfull Beats Display Advertising

Deep Funnel Performance

Display ads drive a click and hope users explore the funnel on their own. Playfull guides and rewards users every step of the way to complete the events that drive retention—download, first play, reach level 10, etc.

Speed

Display ads require constant creative production—different formats, A/B tests, refreshes to combat fatigue. With Playfull, campaigns are improved quickly and no expensive design resources are needed.

User Quality

Quality users are increasingly annoyed by ads and hide behind AdBlock. Playfull believes in rewarding and empowering players which means they opt-in to play and are excited to discover new games.

What's Next

The partnership between Playfull and The Sandbox continues into 2026, with plans to expand the mission structure and explore new campaign types. As Kelsey puts it:

"We're excited for what's to come. This partnership has proven that when you find what works, you double down on it."

— Kelsey Dolby, Head of Marketing, The Sandbox

Ready to Achieve Similar Results?

See what Playfull's proprietary mission technology can do for your game.

→ Get a custom UA strategy for your game

→ See what CPAs Playfull can hit for your funnel

→ Join 50M+ users in the Playfull network

Contact Playfull at [email protected] or visit playfull.com