World Hidden Cash

Project Type:

Intership Mobile Game Project

Period:

Jan - Mar 2025

Link:

Website

Role:

Mobile Game Developer
- Unity Cloud Save
- Unity Authentication
- Achievements and Player Stats management
- Coin drop mini-game development
- Performance optimization
- Testing and QA support
- General maintenance and balancing

- Description -

World Hidden Cash (WHC) is a mobile puzzle/reward game in which players explore real-world locations using GPS to find and open hidden chests. Each chest gives in-game coins, which players can redeem for real-world rewards, like $15 for 1500 coins, via PayPal.

The game combines real-world movement with digital rewards, offering players daily tasks, streaks, and progress-tracking features to keep engagement high. It also includes ad-based monetization using Unity Ads, allowing players to watch ads to gain extra chests or bonus coins. WHC is designed to encourage exploration, activity, and routine, wrapped in a lightweight and rewarding mobile experience.

- Project Overview -

Genre: Geolocation-Based Puzzle/Reward Game
Platform: Mobile (Android/iOS)
Core Mechanics: Chest discovery, coin collecting, real-world rewards
Objective: Open chests to earn coins and redeem them for real-life money

Game Structure

Real-World Map Integration: Players use GPS to locate nearby chests
Chest Opening: Taps reveal randomized coin rewards
Reward System: Coins tracked and stored in player profile
Daily Achievements: Tasks like "Open 5 chests" or "Walk 1km" earns you medals

Gameplay Mechanics

GPS-powered exploration
Coin rewards and conversion system
Ad watching for bonus rewards
Progression tracking with daily refresh

Objectives

Primary: Earn coins by opening chests and completing achievements
Secondary: Watch ads for extra rewards and progress faster

- Contributions and Learned Skills -

In this project, I focused heavily on mobile game systems, backend functionality, and UI development. I helped design and implement the entire achievement pipeline—from the data structure using ScriptableObjects, to UI integration and cloud saving. Achievements are updated in real-time, allowing players to track progress as they explore and open chests.

One of the major technical challenges was managing persistent player data across devices. To solve this, we integrated Unity Cloud Save, allowing all player stats and achievement progress to stay consistent no matter what device they logged in from. This eliminated the need for local-only saves and significantly improved user retention potential.

As part of the development process, we implemented Unity Authentication to allow players to create secure accounts, log in across multiple devices, and retain all their progress and rewards (coins, achievements, etc.). This was essential for ensuring that player data could be securely tied to their account and not be lost when switching devices or reinstalling the app.

I also gained firsthand experience with mobile monetization. While we initially explored ironSource, we decided to stick with Unity Ads due to its seamless integration and platform compatibility. We set up ad flows for optional rewards, balancing monetization with user experience.

Overall, WHC gave me real-world experience with mobile development workflows, monetization strategies, and cloud-based player management, while refining my Unity development skills in a professional setting.