The dark side of 'free' mobile games — how developers reverse-engineer your patience to milk ad revenue

Block Blast allegedly adjusts difficulty to encourage players to watch advertisements The free puzzle game reportedly generated $127 million from advertising in five months Hidden gameplay mechanisms may turn player frustration into advertising revenue A developer known as Ayoships has reverse-engineered the code of Block Blast, a puzzle app by Hungry Games, revealing deliberate tricks that push players toward ads.

The app costs nothing to download, yet it earned close to $127 million from ads in five months from January through May 2026.

According to the developer, the app allegedly adjusts its difficulty based on what each player is worth to the developers rather than the skill of that player How free games allegedly manipulate your patience The game's code reportedly contains mechanisms that assess players using data such as smartphone models, geographical locations, and previous ad interactions.

These indicators can help estimate users’ purchasing power and ad value, potentially influencing how the application manages their playing experience.

Owners of expensive smartphones may be considered more commercially valuable than users with older, cheaper devices.

Similarly, geographical information can provide clues about average consumer income, helping ad systems estimate which audiences might generate greater returns.

The reported techniques extend beyond identifying potentially valuable advertising audiences.

One mechanism used by the game is “Boost then kill,” which reportedly makes a round easier before introducing greater difficulty.

This sequence can encourage players to believe they are performing exceptionally well, motivating them to continue playing rather than abandon the game.

According to the investigation, gameplay can suddenly become exceptionally difficult, encouraging players to watch a video ad in exchange for another attempt.

This approach connects frustration directly to ad revenue by making continued progress appear dependent on accepting an ad offer.

The game reportedly includes additional mechanisms that secretly increase scores, making ad-related rewards appear more valuable than they otherwise might.

References in the code include “reward,” “bait,” and “moreCleanSuccessRound,” the latter reportedly describing an easier round designed to build confidence.

If these mechanisms operate as described, players may struggle to distinguish genuine achievements from software adjustments intended to influence their decisions.