Onlyplay: "Affiliate collaboration will remain a key part of our growth strategy"

With new titles being released almost daily, getting a game noticed and, more importantly, played over time has become a tougher challenge for studios. Operators are paying more attention to what actually delivers results, both in terms of initial traction and sustained engagement. That has changed the kind of conversations taking place between platforms and suppliers.

Against this backdrop, Onlyplay has been refining its approach to game development, with an emphasis on mechanics and adaptability rather than volume alone. In this interview with Yogonet, Evgeniy Pedych, Strategic Growth Executive at Onlyplay discussed how the company is responding to these expectations, what it sees in current player behavior, and how it is shaping its portfolio to remain relevant in an increasingly selective market.Onlyplay has been working closely with affiliate and webmaster teams to promote Piggy Tap. What motivated the studio to focus so strongly on this channel, and how does this approach differ from traditional game distribution strategies?

Affiliates and webmasters are one of the fastest ways to test new gaming formats in real traffic environments. When we launched Piggy Tap, we saw that the Tap Games mechanics naturally fit performance-driven traffic models. Instead of relying only on traditional operator integrations, we built a direct collaboration model with traffic teams and affiliates. 

Within just five weeks, 598 webmasters downloaded our promo box containing creatives and PWA templates, which allowed them to launch campaigns immediately. This approach gave us much faster feedback on creatives, funnels, and GEO performance. It also helped build an ecosystem of partners who actively scale successful traffic strategies.

Piggy Tap appears to have generated strong results in terms of traffic and player acquisition. What aspects of the game design make it particularly effective for affiliate-driven campaigns?

Piggy Tap works extremely well in affiliate campaigns because the gameplay concept is simple and highly visual. Players immediately understand the idea of tapping together to break the piggy bank and share the prize pool. The Tap Games mechanic generates high interaction levels and very active sessions. 

In our campaigns, we observed 600+ average bets per player, which is significantly higher than many traditional slot sessions. The multiplayer aspect also creates dynamic visuals that translate well into advertising creatives and short video ads. This combination helps affiliates attract attention and convert traffic into engaged players.

Your case study highlights a structured acquisition funnel targeting webmasters. Could you explain how this funnel works and which stages proved most effective in attracting new traffic partners?

Our funnel begins with awareness through media coverage, case studies, and educational content about the Tap Games category. The next stage focuses on market insights and comparisons with familiar formats such as slots and crash games. Then we provide real campaign examples that demonstrate the monetization potential for traffic teams. 

We also actively seed discussions inside affiliate communities and Telegram groups where webmasters exchange strategies. Spy services such as AdHeart, Tyver, and BigSpy played an important role in discovery, as our creatives became visible to traffic teams analyzing market trends. In practice, the most effective stage was sharing real performance data and successful campaign examples.The campaign involved a combination of media coverage, community engagement, and advertising targeting affiliate audiences. How important is visibility within webmaster communities when launching a new product?

Visibility within webmaster communities is extremely important when launching a new gaming format. Many affiliates rely on peer discussions and shared insights before deciding to test a new product. Media coverage helps explain the mechanics and positioning of the game, while community discussions create curiosity and trust around the format. 

During the Piggy Tap campaign, our advertising materials were actively tracked in major spy services. Around 80 creatives featuring our games appeared in top positions across different GEOs, which showed strong interest from traffic teams. This visibility helped accelerate the adoption of the format within the affiliate ecosystem.

Onlyplay developed dedicated promotional assets such as branded landings, PWA templates, and customizable creatives. How critical are these tools in helping affiliate teams quickly launch and optimize campaigns?

For affiliates, speed is one of the most important factors when launching campaigns. That is why we developed a complete promo toolkit including branded landing pages, PWA templates, and customizable creatives.

We also created both static and animated templates optimized for mobile push traffic funnels. This flexibility makes it easy to adapt campaigns for different GEOs and traffic sources. As a result, affiliates can focus on optimization rather than development.

The Tap Games category is still relatively new and is often compared to crash games or slots. From your perspective, what distinguishes Tap Games as a format, and why are they gaining traction with both players and affiliates?

Tap Games introduce active gameplay instead of passive spinning or waiting for multipliers. Players continuously interact with the game by tapping, which creates significantly higher engagement levels. The format also supports multiplayer mechanics and shared prize pools, adding a social element to the experience.

Because the gameplay is fast and visually clear, it performs very well in advertising creatives and short-form video campaigns. For affiliates, this means strong retention and consistent monetization potential. As a result, Tap Games are increasingly seen as an attractive alternative to both crash games and traditional slots.Looking ahead, how does Onlyplay plan to expand its collaboration with affiliate teams, and do you expect more studios to adopt similar performance-driven distribution strategies?

Affiliate collaboration will remain a key part of our growth strategy. During the Piggy Tap campaign, we recorded 248,000 installs on Spendy, while 78 creatives were detected across major spy services, with an average creative lifespan of around 22 days. Some of these creatives reached top positions in Tier-1 and Tier-2 GEO markets, which confirmed strong demand for the format.

Going forward, we plan to apply similar strategies to other titles in our portfolio, including products like Chicken Plinko, which combines instant win dynamics with elements inspired by Tap Games interaction. As the iGaming market becomes more competitive, we expect performance-driven distribution models to become increasingly common across the industry.