Cooking Diary has reached its sixth anniversary, and developer MYTONIA is excited to share the recipe behind this successful time-management game. Whether you're a game developer seeking inspiration or a player curious about the magic behind your favorite casual game, here's a delightful breakdown of what makes Cooking Diary a hit.

Ingredients

• 431 story episodes
• 38 hero characters
• 8,969 elements
• 905,481 guilds
• A generous portion of events and contests
• A soupçon of humor
• Grandpa Grey’s secret ingredient

Cooking Instructions

Step 1: Create the Lore

Begin by crafting an engaging plot, infused with humor and unexpected twists. Populate it with a vibrant cast of characters. Start with the Burger Joint owned by your grandfather, Leonard, and expand into diverse districts like Colafornia, Schnitzeldorf, and Sushijima. Cooking Diary features 160 unique eateries across 27 districts, so be sure to invite plenty of guests to enjoy the experience.

Step 2: Customize

Next, enhance your lore with extensive customization options. Include up to 8,000 items, such as 1,776 outfits, 88 facial feature sets, and 440 hairstyles. Add over 6,500 decorative items for players' homes and restaurants. For pet lovers, include pets and 200 pet clothing items to personalize them.

Step 3: In-game Events

Strengthen your game with a variety of tasks and events. Utilize top-notch analytics to blend creativity with precision. The key to events is layering them effectively, ensuring each stands out on its own while complementing the others. For instance, in August, Cooking Diary offered nine different events ranging from Culinary Experiments to Sugar Rush, each enjoyable individually or together.

Step 4: Guilds

With over 905,000 guilds, Cooking Diary fosters a sense of community. Introduce guild events and tasks gradually and thoughtfully. A well-timed event attracts more participants than one that clashes with other time-consuming activities.

Step 5: Learn from Your Mistakes

Embrace errors as learning opportunities. The Cooking Diary team learned from their initial misstep with pets in 2019, where normal pets were free but rare ones cost Rubies. By making pets unlockable through the Path to Glory event, they saw a 42% revenue increase and boosted player satisfaction.

Step 6: Presentation

In the crowded casual gaming market, spread across platforms like the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Microsoft Store, and AppGallery, standing out is crucial. Leverage social media, run creative campaigns, and stay attuned to trends. Cooking Diary’s collaboration with Netflix's Stranger Things and YouTube’s Path to Glory event exemplifies smart marketing. These partnerships elevate Cooking Diary's status in the time-management genre, reflected in its impressive downloads and awards.

Step 7: Keep Innovating

Sustaining success requires continuous innovation. Cooking Diary stays fresh by constantly updating its event calendar, refining time-management gameplay, and introducing new elements, all while maintaining its unique charm.

Step 8: Use Grandpa Grey’s Secret Ingredient

The secret to a great game? Soul. Passion for the craft is non-negotiable. Cooking Diary thrives because its creators pour their hearts into it.

Experience Cooking Diary yourself, available on the App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Microsoft Store, and AppGallery.