Brutally Honest #132
Hey, FAM! What’s up?
🥃 Drink talk
Some people will shit on you even when they know you are right. Welcome to the gaming industry. Where is my popcorn? 🍿 – oh, here it is! Perfecto!
Anyway, I am starting a new segment. Cornelius is here for you… 🐊
There might also be another new segment next week; stay tuned!
🦩Tip of the week
Audience overlap is a very underrated thing, especially when you are trying to find new creative concepts and get inspired.
Sometimes, the answer lies in front of you. You might be surprised by the demographics of different games and genres. Check it frequently. It can give you great insights into creative brainstorming sessions.
Creative framework: How to win in 2024?
How can Evony, a super old 4x strategy game, influence a relatively new casual Match-3 game? or how can an app influence the creative strategy of a Match-3 game?
🐊 Cornelius: The Suspicious Investi-gator
True detective-like exploration of creative trends and historical influences. Delving deep into the world of creatives to uncover hidden patterns and inspirations:
Slingshot Hook: The Evolution of a New Trend
Guess what’s making a comeback from the “ancient history” of gaming? The classic slingshot mechanic! It’s been out of the spotlight for a while, but it’s exciting to see this tried-and-true feature from Angry Birds being reinvented in creatives.
- From Dice Dreams using it in their ads to its recent appearance in Evony or Royal Match.
- Evony is quite an interesting beast. They run a ton of creatives and are already iterating on the Slingshot hook. This is the next big thing on the menu for multiple games!
- And now, even Royal Match is experimenting with this and incorporating the Slingshot Hook in their creative testing.
- Plus, a big surprise coming from Century Games recently. This is a new creative for Whiteout Survival (very recent). Do you see what they are using?
This evolution raises more questions than answers. Why is it so effective? Who else is jumping on this trend? What’s the next twist on this hook? Oh well, I might just have the inside scoop on that!
Yours truly, Cornelius.
💀 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!
“Ubisoft is literally farming for Doom now 🤣. After using the one-leg Tori Atomic Bomb memorial in its toy statue and canceling its Tokyo Game show booth, duh! now there will be a 3-day general strike in the company. I can’t keep up with all that doom myself 😅” Sincerely, Doom (https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/french-ubisoft-employees-urged-to-strike-over-new-return-to-office-policy-the-consequence-of-its-decision-will-be-the-loss-of-our-colleagues-jobs/)
🎉 “Ha-ha” moment
Because life is too short to be serious.
🎮 two & a half gamers – Admon Trends!
Ad monetization trends in mobile games for September – UA is driving game design & admon, but “It’s all about ad placements.”
Felix brought graphs, gameplay, and insights! Some takeaways from the last episode:
▪️ User acquisition is increasingly influencing game design & ad placements.
▪️ Hiding content behind ads is a growing trend. Again!
▪️ Ultra casual games are gaining popularity due to their accessibility.
▪️ Innovative monetization techniques are emerging in the gaming industry.
▪️ Ad revenue-based games are shifting towards subscription models based on App business.
📺 Watch on Youtube
🎧 Listen on Spotify
🦄 Diary of a Dancing Unicorn
Today was a good day.
Hey! See you at the next conference!
Yeah, I’m not sure which one is your next, but I am gonna be in the US for 2.5 months in Q4.
Ah, so no PGC, Mobidictum?
Nope, next year maybe..
Ok, see you at RovioCon and Slush then.
Well, I’m still in the US. Getting back home for Christmas.
Uuuuuuf how could you miss all these events? You don’t want to get new clients?!
Come on! First of all, no, and second of all, there are always other events next year. Don’t try to FOMO me.
Fair, but you should definitely be there.
Don’t you worry? I have eyes and ears everywhere!
Hahaha, fair enough. See you next year then.
Weeeeell….
Today was a good day.
🤺 Quote of the week
“If you can handle Matej Lancaric’s typical ‘maximum chaos’ newsletter layouts, this look at what mobile standout Supercell is doing right nowadays is a good, punchy one.” – Simon, GameDiscover.co
🧞 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!
A new article is out! Diversifying your UA beyond traditional channels
🍿 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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