Category: Games and Entertainment - Player Acquisition
Partner: Splinterlands
Objective: Build a cost-effective funnel for new player acquisition across global markets

1. Background

Splinterlands is a digital trading card game where players own their in-game assets and earn more by playing or staking them. The game appeals to a wide range of players: those drawn to strategic gameplay and competition, casual players looking for a fun experience, collectors interested in unique and limited-edition cards, and players who see long-term value in their in-game assets. Splinterlands has built one of the most active communities around its game. Its layered game system appeals to a wide range of players, from competitive strategists to long-term collectors.

2. Objectives

Splinterlands came to Klink Labs with two primary challenges that define the growth of any game at scale: attracting new players into the funnel and converting those players into retained, active users.
The goal for the Klink campaign was clear: find a cost-effective, performance-based way to bring a meaningful volume of new players into the Splinterlands ecosystem. Unlike organic acquisition channels or previous partnership arrangements, Splinterlands wanted a model that paid only for real player actions, not impressions or clicks.

Together, Klink Labs and Splinterlands aligned on three goals:

Drive a significant number of new player signups through a performance-based model with no wasted spend

Define and refine conversion events tied to actual in-game engagement rather than passive installs
Reach new player markets beyond Splinterlands' existing organic acquisition channels, with no geographic restrictions

3. Klink's Solution

Offer Design: Built Around Real Engagement

Klink activated Splinterlands across its outcome-based offerwall, designing a task flow that rewarded users for completing meaningful in-game milestones rather than simple installs.

The campaign was built around three core actions:

1. Account creation and initial signup

2. Completing a set number of battles across specific game modes

3. Making a Summoner's Spellbook purchase to unlock full game features

This structure ensured that the players Klink delivered were not passive downloaders. They were players who had engaged with the game, understood its mechanics, and made an active decision to go further.

As the campaign evolved, Splinterlands and Klink continued refining the conversion events together, with new features such as a spin-the-wheel mechanic being incorporated into the task flow to deepen early engagement.

Global Reach

The campaign ran with no geographic restrictions, reflecting Splinterlands' genuinely global player base. Klink's network across 140 plus countries meant new players could be reached in markets that Splinterlands had not previously accessed through its organic channels.

Verification and Reporting

Klink's infrastructure tied every payout to a verified player action, giving Splinterlands confidence that spend was connected to real outcomes. The Klink team worked closely with Splinterlands throughout, providing tools, expertise, and hands-on support to ensure tracking and verification ran smoothly from day one.

4. An Evolving Partnership

Unlike a standard campaign with fixed metrics, the Splinterlands engagement with Klink Labs represents an ongoing and evolving partnership. Both teams have worked through multiple phases together, continuously refining the offer structure, the conversion events, and the player journey as Splinterlands' understanding of its own acquisition funnel has developed.

This collaborative approach reflects what performance marketing looks like when both sides are genuinely invested in the outcome. Klink Labs acted not as a vendor delivering traffic, but as a partner helping Splinterlands understand what types of player actions drive the most long-term value for the game.

The campaign is still active, with results continuing to develop as new mechanics and conversion events are introduced.

5. Partner Perspective

Dave McCoy, CEO

5. Key Takeaways for Advertisers

Performance models work for games at every stage. Whether you are launching or scaling, paying only for verified player actions protects budget and ensures quality.

Conversion events should reflect real engagement. Splinterlands moved beyond installs to battles completed and purchases made, which produced higher-quality players and more meaningful data. The best partnerships are iterative. Splinterlands and Klink Labs built the campaign together over multiple phases, refining the approach as both teams learned more about what worked.