Brutally Honest #131
Hey, FAM! What’s up?
🥃 Drink talk
I really admire people who know absolute jackshit about UA. Their conversations about UA are always great “popcorn” material. Keep talking!
🦩Tip of the week
Diversification of your UA channel mix is crucial—we know that. This is one of my slides from last week’s Appfest presentation. The full deck, which is actually an article, will follow in the next few days.
While none of these channels are NEW, I see them climbing up the UA channel ranks in the games I manage or the games we review on our no BS podcast.
Diversification doesn’t always mean you have to run a million UA channels at once. It really starts with one channel. What am I talking about? What to diversify:
- Campaign optimization
- Attribution windows (campaign types)
- GEOs
- Creatives
- Placements
- Monetization (IAA, IAP, hybrid)
💀 Dr. Doom is not amused
One of my industry friends amused me with his direct and honest TL;DRs, so we agreed to share it here, too! My friend remains anonymous as Dr.Doom!
“What do you do when your playerbase thinks the game is dying and you are gonna squeeze every last penny out of them? You squeeze every last penny out of them, duh!. Like charging a mere skin for $60 (only for 2 classes btw, not even every class can use this, duh!, there will be obviously of this). This will show those sceptics, that the only thing dying is their wallet 😎” Sincerely, Doom (https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/blizzard-has-apparently-decided-the-best-way-to-combat-the-hearthstone-is-dying-narrative-is-by-releasing-a-dollar60-ragnaros-hero-skin/)
🎉 “Ha-ha” moment
Because life is too short to be serious.
BEST.JOKE.EVER!
🎮 two & a half gamers – Elder Scrolls Castles
Elder Scrolls Castles is currently earning around $70k daily in revenue. In this episode, we discuss the global launch and performance of this mobile game from Bethesda. It’s a big IP on PC but terrible on mobile.
What are the initial reception and performance metrics, and how does it compare to similar games in the genre?
Jakub discusses gameplay mechanics, innovative features, and monetization strategies, and I talk about the marketing approach.
Is this another Warcraft Rumble case? We are very concerned about the game’s long-term viability and the lack of content updates, therefore drawing parallels to other mobile games like Warcraft Rumble.
The UA basically doesn’t exist, using only a few static images and 1 long video cut into pieces. Pretty sad!
📺 Watch on Youtube
🎧 Listen on Spotify
🤑Paid subs only
Sneak peek at what you get for your support:
Creative Trends in Mobile Games – August 2024
As the UA landscape evolves, so do the creative trends that shape how games communicate with their audiences.
How to conquer farming games market? Minigames FTW! Implement or die!
The farming games market presents both significant opportunities and formidable challenges. With a steadily growing audience over the past decade, this genre continues to captivate millions of players worldwide.
How to market a merge game? Top 3 UA channels, trends & Winning creatives!
Merge games became the new match-3, full stop! What’s the secret behind this puzzle subgenre’s popularity? Why do players like the merge mechanic? How should merge games be marketed?
Match 3D UA playbook – Real data inside!
Here we go again! Another paid newsletter filled with Tips & Tricks! Let’s dive into the Match 3D UA Playbook. While match-3 games have been around for years, Match 3D adds a more recognizable dimension. The game takes the proven match-3 gameplay and pushes it into 3D. The difference is more than superficial, it profoundly affects gameplay and the strategies players need to conquer the gaming table.
🦄 Diary of a Dancing Unicorn
Today was a good day.
Hey hey! Thanks a lot for doing the review for us. Its great to see what we are doing wrong and what we are doing great.
Sure thing! Thats what the review is for.
Yeah, I think we are missing out on some things you pointed out.
Also, there are some activities that I would do differently, but that’s just my personal preference.
Understood. I also got some internal feedback. Work was great, but some of my colleagues misunderstood the purpose of this assignment.
What do you mean?
One mentioned lack of wow effect. But honestly, since everything is actionable and we have shit ton of stuff we need to do, I don’t really care.
Well, that’s great to hear. I am not doing reviews to wow anyone, but point out stuff that companies do well or don’t. Simple as that.
I know! We have some work lined up for you after the review as well. So I guess, it served its purpose.
Great to hear, looking forward!
Today was a good day.
🤺 Quote of the week
“Monopoly Go is not a social casino game, it’s a casual game with casino elements” – Kress, TWIG
🧞 Level up yourself
I launched a YouTube Channel. I’m putting a ton of energy into creating valuable content that I think you’ll like. Check out the latest stuff, and give me a like and subscribe.
🥦 Before you go
Ask Matej AIa question. It’s actually quite good!
🍿 Fun starts in two & a half gamers Slack! Join now
We are opening up a Slack channel for everybody. It is the most inclusive slack for the gaming industry. Female, male, non-binary, juniors, mid-level, seniors, vendors, developers = EVERYBODY! We are waiting for you ♥️
Feel free to join here!
🧙 Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter!
Please do me a favor and share this with someone in your network who you think would benefit from the insights and brutal honesty. It would mean a lot to me!
Take care, everyone! See you next Monday!
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