Antti Kananen

What's your take on forming Ads, Creatives, and Marketing Messages for mobile games you operate + what are the channels/mediums you go for? Is it more leaning on e.g., Creative research + repeating what others do and using the same formula on it, with e.g., simple things like 5-6 different types/formats/messages per standard channels and just adding and removing things based on performance, or leaning something beyond it? Overall the above definitely works as a formula. It works really well if there is really check-marks on both marketability and product. In terms of beyond it, mostly what I'm after knowing is how much companies explore further basic things to formulate messages, such as: - Understanding and communicating product USPs, value props., and competitive advantages - Understanding demographics combined with audience data and insights on archetypes, motivations, and psychology And go […]

How to approach marketability for your mobile games? Do you go full-blown scientific within current commercial sentiment, approach it differently with more research-based means, or through some other means and methods? 🎯 Overall there are many schools on this, whilst I've recently been part of myself on these two: 1. Very scientific process from concept and marketability testing to proving marketability first - followed by product as quickly as possible, at the earliest stage possible. 🧪 - Aiming for good marketability through e.g., intuitive and understandable mechanics with e.g., a mix of satisfying, skill-requiring, entertaining, and emotional appeals; on top of which investing further into the product once marketability is nailed. 2. Very product/market/audience/competitor/USPs/etc. -led approach with a thorough understanding of everything and tailoring theses-honoring games and messages and Ads/creatives out of that for the players. 🎮 - Aiming for an […]

Mobile games market is full-on invested in on #Commercialization; and the sentiment on it is strong -- this is the current phase we're living! 🚀💯 Everything is all about:- #Distribution & #Marketability; #Creatives, #UA channel, etc. approaches and mixes on largest scale ever we've seen. 🎯- Misleading Creatives, with the approach having white lie tie-ins to the #Product (e.g., FTUE is continuation of Misleading #Ads). 🙈- #ROAS, ROAS & ROAS, incl. test bedding #monetization as early as possible due engagement-monetization tie-ins. 💸- Games evolving within Creative trends, e.g., some games literally change each quarter/half what their FTUE is about. 📈- Fast-following own games or competitors is faster than ever. 🏃‍♂️- Mixed gameplays through fast follow-ons on top games, starting from single devs to large publishers. 🙊- #VCs and #investors investing on mass appeal distribution-first #gamestudios. 👼- Games scaling to 300, […]

Web3 games as an asset class; do we see any companies, yet, in games who can, or even plans to, sustain it properly as an investment class? Overall in terms of investing in the long haul, I'm not sure if this topic is thought through much; as other things in my book tend to be a larger priority for parties involved in the mix -- starting from investors and VCs, and going to web3 game company founders as well as towards their customers / players / communities, etc.What I'm mostly after here is that overall:1. Chances of making a gaming company that survives the test of time are little.2. Making a game that survives that is rare.3. Making a game that survives above, within a company that survives that the test of time as well, is even more rare.4. Then, […]

Gaming company cultures and working models (on-site vs. remote vs. hybrid, etc.) very often tie in themselves to preferences, backgrounds, experiences as well as the person types of the founding team and (/or) existing management of gaming companies. It is very common that this is the way in our industry, whilst it would be more beneficial to have a more flexible setup in terms of calling out what is right for your organization / company vs. what is the preference.There are also lots of mental barriers on this side, like whilst a company would need to mature its model in order to e.g., really build a team that is required for winning or making changes on cost structures of a company, etc. (as the case may be, incl. many other cases), persons controlling these decisions would still prefer staying in […]

Finnish #gameindustry is at its worst economical point, and we need to have a reality check on the causes that has driven us here - this is important if we would want to achieve the vision Ilkka Paananen called out along with Suomen startup-yhteisö. 1. Lack of commercial sentiment & #leadership - after 2016-2018, the industry were left behind vs. how foreign businesses evolved:- Studios have been too creative-driven & relaxed.- IP & brand syndromes, e.g., many haven't created new hits since their 1st nor been able to create new IPs / brands.- Missed completely #hypercasual wave & its learnings; and, because of this, came late to #hybridcasual.- Many don't know how to publish & distribute games. Many early stage studios leaned on publishers, whilst after #IDFA there's a clear gap between how foreign studios distribute games vs. our studios […]

What makes a good Game Designer? A big part of it is build around a simple thing: Routines. 💪 Overall I have worked with tens of Game Designers throughout my career so far and can nowadays identify best ones quite easily. How? Seeing their routines through, which will reveal how they think, approach design and overall tackle challenges from a larger picture on top of other important factors. 💯👍Why routines? They make one always go through different questions and details, which formalizes to proper game design that really have been thought and walked through by looking into all necessary details. When used properly, even someone who would have not been a Game Designer previously, but have been in games in another role, can produce an ok outcome just by following routines through that e.g., higher positioned Game Designers follow through […]

The most important part in games production, on a quest to build a successful game, is getting iterative development right - yet, most don't get it right nor don't even know how to approach it right. Where someone approaches games production or project management through regular agile, lean, etc. methodologies, the biggest trap one falls is just following up processes & frameworks - and believing things will work out. I mean, it's fine, but as an outcome you end up shipping less greatness & mediocre games.How one can achieve more? The biggest truth is in the 'iterative' approach. And, specifically, in terms of iterative development, it's not really about processes nor frameworks -- it's all about: Mindset; mindset of team, leads, etc. as well as stakeholders involved in. This is the key to crack it right in the first place.Where […]

While the game industry is having turbulent times, recently I got happy after seeing one person from my network, who's been searching for a job for a long time, getting hired! 💪👍 The specific reason I'm happy for this person is that I had given some career tips for career development, portfolio and such, which apparently did pay out well (at least a bit) in terms of getting hired. Feels really good during these turbulent times, and I'm really proud of this person finally making it! 🎓👌In terms of jobs market in games, when looking further, what is amazing is how some people in this industry can effect positively so much to people's careers and the opportunities they get. 🤝When I look towards some persons' profiles, who I've had the pleasure to work with (including also hiring them in most […]

Let's talk about different forms of Supercell-syndrome. 1. During its brightest moments, when Supercell was at the top, everyone went copying their small independent teams model in a syndrome-like manner believing it results in greatness - eventually failing on it. Even investors & VCs fell in love with it - but if you try to pitch same now, they won't invest in you as they don't buy it.🤑😬2. Based on Ilkka Paananen's latest blog post, Supercell clearly did fall being a victim of their own Supercell-syndrome; which resulted after shipping Brawl Stars to not shipping a game and realizing the hard truth that even they need to adapt to where the market is, incl. publishers that topped them by taking engagement, monetization & distribution means to another level in unique ways. Now, as a result, Supercell is moving from small […]