This app was born from a simple question: Can a lightweight party game on the App Store still succeed as a paid app? Most mobile games today rely on free-to-play models with ads or in-app purchases. I wanted to experiment with a different approach and see if a one-time purchase could still resonate with users – especially if the app solved a very specific need.

The app is designed to be the perfect companion for a bachelorette or hen party. It works instantly – no props, no preparation, no extra materials. The mechanic is simple but engaging:

Shake your phone to reveal a new photo challenge

Do the challenge and capture the moment with a photo

Pass the phone to the next player

Because the challenges are funny and creative (but never overly embarrassing), the game fits naturally into the flow of the evening. It can be a main event, a filler between activities, or something to keep the energy high throughout the night.

Example challenges include:

Reenact a famous movie scene and take a photo while performing it

Take a picture of the bride with all the married guests

Snap a selfie with someone you’ve gotten to know better during the evening

Instead of focusing on long-term retention mechanics, this project was about designing a small, focused experience that users could instantly enjoy in a social setting.

On the business side, this was also an experiment: the app uses a fixed, up-front purchase model rather than free-to-play monetization. It gave me valuable insights into how niche, event-based apps can still find their place in today’s app stores.

Using an ASO-only model (=App Store Optimization) with no marketing costs whatsoever, the app was bought almost 500 times in two years which results in a profit of around $1k. It's not much, but since the experiment only took two weeks to develop, I count it as a success. As the app doesn't use a backend and there's no need for customer support, this is the closest I've come to generating real (minimal) passive income so far.