Core vs. Meta in Mobile Games

Here’s a breakdown of time distribution in different games:1. Manor Matters: Core - 51.5%, Meta - 48.5%2. Gardenscapes: Core - 56.0%, Meta - 44.0%3. Design Home: Core - 60.9%, Meta - 39.1%4. Seekers Notes: Core - 61.9%, Meta - 38.1%5. Solitaire Grand Harvest: Core - 68.6%, Meta - 31.4%6. Slotomania: Core - 74.0%, Meta - 26.0%7. Royal Match: Core - 74.1%, Meta - 25.9%8. Caesars Casino: Core - 74.7%, Meta - 25.3%9. House of Fun: Core - 77.6%, Meta - 22.4%10. June's Journey: Core - 78.1%, Meta - 21.9%11. DoubleDown: Core - 79.5%, Meta - 20.5%12. Fishdom Solitaire: Core - 81.5%, Meta - 18.5%13. Toon Blast: Core - 81.9%, Meta - 18.1%14. Texas Poker: Pokerist: Core - 82.5%, Meta - 17.5%15. Bingo Blitz: Core - 83.9%, Meta - 16.1%16. Best Fiends: Core - 85.1%, Meta - 14.9%17. WSOP: Core - […]

Anton Slashcev August 19

Journal

Match-3 Gaming Landscape: 2021 vs. 2024

In just three years, the top-10 match-3 games have seen a dramatic shift. August 2021:• Candy Crush Saga led the pack with $77.7M in revenue• Homescapes and Gardenscapes held strong, both exceeding $40M• Fishdom and Candy Crush Soda Saga rounded out the top 5Fast forward to July 2024:• Royal Match skyrocketed with an incredible 394% increase• Candy Crush Saga remains strong, growing by 12% to $86.8M.• Match Masters experienced 48% growthHowever, several popular titles have declined:• Homescapes dropped 48%.• Candy Crush Soda Saga fell 27%.• Project Makeover plummeted by 55%.• LINE PokoPoko saw a 44% decrease.What's happening?↳ Match-3 games with simplified meta (Royal Match, Match Masters) are overtaking those with deeper meta (Homescapes, Project Makeover).↳ These faster-paced games are growing revenue and taking audiences from slower, more complex titles.Why?↳ In the "post-TikTok" era, speed and high dynamics are key.↳ Games […]

Anton Slashcev August 15

Journal

How Diversified Are The Largest Game Publishers?

Here’s the monthly revenue distribution of some industry giants. Tencent NetEase Playrix Scopely King Supercell

Anton Slashcev August 12

Journal

Brawl Stars: Monthly Revenue Increased By 500%

Brawl Stars' monthly revenue increased by 500%. From $9M to $57M. How did they achieve this in one year? Here are the key updates that made a massive impact:1. Goal Setting and Engagement Mechanics • Double Starr Drops• Brawl Together• Trophy League2. Awesome Battle Passes • Packed with cool rewards and collabs3. Diversified Gameplay with new PVP and PVE events: • Wipeout 5v5• Trophy Escape• Knockout 5v5 Data Source: AppMagic

Anton Slashcev August 6

Journal

What Percentage Of Game Time Are Players Socially Engaged?

Here's the breakdown of social presence in popular games: • Zynga Poker (with Core): 85%• Monopoly Go: 70%• Board Kings: 70%• Coin Master: 67%• Dice Dreams: 27%• Animals & Coins: 18%• Solitaire Tripeaks: 10%• June's Journey: 9%• Candy Crush Saga: 7%• Royal Match: 5%• Zynga Poker (without Core): 5%• Fishdom: 4%• Best Fiends: 0%• Solitaire Grand Harvest: 0%Statistics are based on 10-hour playtests for each game, during which all moments where the player sees avatars or names of other players on the screen were counted.Data Source: Playliner

Anton Slashcev August 2

Journal

Want To Be A Top 1% Game Producer?

Here are 20 harsh truths you need to embrace: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆↳ You must be a gamer to understand gamers.𝟮. 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀↳ Hiding errors creates secrecy and distrust within the team.𝟯. 𝗡𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁↳ Every choice comes with uncertainties and trade-offs.𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲'𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀↳ Chasing mythical insights can lead to failure.𝟱. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀↳ No game is perfect from the start. Iteration is key.𝟲. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻↳ Cool ideas are common; cool execution is rare.𝟳. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀↳ Treat them like valued guests, or they’ll leave.𝟴. 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴↳ If the game isn’t fun, no features or monetization will save it.𝟵. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗴↳ If you can’t make a small game work, more resources won’t help.𝟭𝟬. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 […]

Anton Slashcev August 1

Journal

Squad Busters: Revenue Drop by 50%

Is it time for Supercell to worry? 📉 In June, daily revenue fell from $1.2M to $600k, a 50% drop. ↳ This was expected as the initial spike was due to organic downloads from pre-registrations.↳ A decline was anticipated once those settled and user acquisition shifted to paid traffic.📉 But in July, daily revenue dropped another 50%: from ±$600k to <$300k.This isn't just normalization: User Acquisition can’t attract enough traffic at this price. The game probably is far from reaching profitability. Why did the decline happen again? • Very low medium- and long-term retention• Day 30 retention does not exceed 3%• For comparison, Brawl Stars has nearly 20% Day 30 retentionCauses:• Insufficient gameplay depth• Weak further gacha mechanics• Lack of content• UX problemsIt's time for Supercell to take more decisive measures to improve the game.Data Source: AppMagic

Anton Slashcev July 31

Journal

80 GameDev Tools Cheat Sheet 2.0

Thanks to all community members for their valuable feedback on the previous version of this list, which helped create the improved 2.0 version:

Anton Slashcev July 28

Journal

How to Increase Game Retention?

Here is a step-by-step algorithm for making a decision: 1. Enhance the Tutorial: Ensure the FTUE is clear and concise. 2. Engage Players Early: Make the game's start fun and intuitive. 3. Consistency in Gameplay: Match gameplay with creatives and ASO. 4. Clear Goals: Make sure players understand their tasks. 5. Add Engagement Mechanics: Include features like win streaks and daily bonuses. 6. Optimize Stability: Ensure technical stability and smooth performance. 7. Adjust Difficulty: Continuously improve difficulty, UX, and gameplay. 8. Monitor and Fix Churn: Use analytics to identify and fix high churn points. 9. Introduce Progression Systems: Provide leveling and character upgrades. 10. Add Variety: Introduce new mechanics over time. 11. Increase Content: Ensure there is enough content for players. 12. Enhance Rewards: Engage players with valuable rewards. 13. Social Features: Enable player interaction. 14. Balance Economy: Keep the […]

Anton Slashcev July 22

Journal

8 Essential Skills for Game Producers

Master these to become a top producer: 1. Vision Creation 🌟 - Craft a clear direction for the project- Convey and inspire the team with your vision- Align with stakeholders 2. Industry Knowledge 📚 - Understand gaming industry trends deeply- Perform continuous competitor analysis- Be well-versed in a broad range of references 3. Game Design 🎨 - Master game design principles- Understand project economy and balance- Be skilled in user flow and UI/UX- Find fun and work with game loops 4. Technical Understanding 💻 - Familiarize yourself with game engines and technologies- Know game development processes- Understand technical constraints and possibilities- Communicate effectively with technical teams 5. Product Thinking 🧠 - Grasp the product goal for each feature- Prioritize development based on product impact- Understand player needs and pain points 6. Leadership 🏆 - Inspire, motivate, and guide your team- […]

Anton Slashcev July 18

Journal

Improve Monetization or Engagement?

This is the main question when developing a new feature in Live Ops. Monetization: ↳ Improve monetization to increase revenue from the player directly. Examples: • Battle Pass• Piggy Bank and new offers• Holiday Events• Loot Boxes• Casino mechanics (Roulettes, slots)• Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Engagement: ↳ Improve engagement by increasing retention and/or playtime, hoping to indirectly boost revenue. Examples: • Daily Bonus• Win Streak• Social Features (Clans, Friends, Leaderboard, etc.)• Happy Hours• Meta-related Features Both approaches aim to eventually improve LTV, but in different ways. Is it possible to improve both at the same time? In most cases, no.Trying to enhance both often leads to zero results.

Anton Slashcev July 18

Journal

Are Downloads and Revenue Indicators of Success?

Downloads and revenue are not indicators of a game's success.Many large games operate with a negative ROAS throughout their existence.Despite impressive numbers, they often bring their owners nothing but losses.So why do studios continue to buy traffic for such games and lose money?Here are several reasons:• Hope for profitability: Belief in a turnaround during the live-ops phase• Competitive strategy: Securing traffic share to force competitors to bid higher.• Inflating valuation: Boosting overall ARR before selling the company.• Attracting investments: Demonstrating potential to draw in investors.• Misjudgment: Sometimes, it's simply foolishness. :)There are rare cases where buying traffic for a loss-making game makes sense.But it's mostly an attempt to create the illusion of a successful game for investors or stakeholders.Profit > Volume

Anton Slashcev July 16

Anton Slashcev

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