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Know the 70/20/10 rule?

All ingenious is simple! Use proven strategy.Know the 70/20/10 rule?Shoutout to Gökhan Üzmez for this one!Here's the deal 👇𝟳𝟬%: Do what was proven. ↳ Meet players' expectations. ↳ Stick to successful standards. ↳ Use familiar gameplay elements.𝟮𝟬%: Do what was proven, but better. ↳ Enhance key features. ↳ Refine existing mechanics. ↳ Outperform your competitors.𝟭𝟬%: Do what was never proven. ↳ Innovate boldly. ↳ Introduce new ideas. ↳ Surprise your audience.A great idea blends the proven & unproven. It's about mastering the proven ↳ and daring to prove the unproven.

Sergei Vasiuk September 19

Highlights

Brutally Honest #130

Hey, FAM! What’s up? 🥃 Drink talk Came back from Appfest Barcelona. A great event full of great content. (not because I had a presentation about UA diversification) Going to share the deck next week, stay tuned! 🦩Tip of the week Manual campaigns & "Lookalikes are dead.” That’s what some UA people want to believe. I have found success with both recently. You should try to diversify from the Automated Campaign setup that Facebook pushes into your face at every step of the campaign creation. When was the last time you created lookalikes? at least 37826783 years ago, I know! Here is a list I usually create: ENGAGEMENT events XY+ quests achieved in the game (in the last XY days/months) XY+ times App launched in the last XY days/months engaged with high LVL - e.g. all players with level 100 […]

Matej Lancaric September 19

Journal

Casual Puzzle Games Targeting Male Audiences

🚀Casual Puzzle Games Targeting Male Audiences 🚗🏍️ In the evolving world of casual puzzle games, traditional favorites like match-3 and block puzzles are starting to target a male audience with themes involving cars, bikes, and more. Here are some of the standout titles:1) Chrome Valley Customs by Space Ape Games 🚗🔧 led by Simon Hade , Dmitry Gubanenkov , Geoffrey Gilles , John Earner , Nicolas Boulay , Derek De Filippo , Louis McCormack , Oliver Dowling , Andrew Munden , Alessandro Simi , George Yao , Tom Martin , Josh Black , Jairo Aznar Marcos, Maximilian Bauer and many more awesome team members who made this wonderful game2) Truckstar by Century Games 🚚🌟 led by Xiang Shen , Heaven Wu , Qi Chen and many more3) Block Master - Moto Puzzle by Raju Dheevar 🏍️🔲Historically, games like Candy Crush […]

Vamsi Penmetsa September 19

Journal

Do and Don’ts in GameDev For New Studios

Here are the key Do's and Don'ts in GameDev for a new studio.

Anton Slashcev September 19

Journal

Rising in the Charts: Bus Jam by ZPLAY

RISING IN THE CHARTS ”BUS JAM” BY ZPLAY One of the most widely used invocation methods in mobile games is mixing 1 or more mechanics. 🔁This is true with ZPLAY's new hit, “Bus Mania - Car Parking Jam”. 🚀📈“Bus Mania” is an excellent blend of “Parking Jam 3D” by Popcore 🅿️ (215MM down.) and “Bus Jam” by Rollic 🚌 (14MM down., US$5.3 IAP Rev.).It also brings car-collecting features into line with more recent attempts to develop puzzle games for the male audience, such as “Chrome Valley Customs” by Space Ape Games. 🏎️This collectible is so important to the game that it is visible in the main menu.An interesting innovation in my opinion. 💡“Bus Mania” started its growth stage in August and has reached over 7MM downloads and US$48k in IAP revenue, showing good traction in the US market (cf. AppMagic […]

Carlos Pereira September 19

Journal

Power of Partnerships: Mobile Gaming Collaborations #6

Welcome back to Part 6 of The Power of Partnership series, where we dive into the latest and most exciting collaborations in the mobile gaming world. This time, I'm thrilled to have my regular partner-in-crime, Constantin-Alexandru Iorga, Sr. LiveOps Manager at Scopely, joining us once again to bring his expert insights. Alex has been instrumental in helping us break down the latest collaborations, and together we’ll take a closer look at how these partnerships continue to push the boundaries of creativity, engagement, and monetization in mobile games. This month’s spotlight is on some highly anticipated collaborations, including Genshin Impact x McDonald's, Summoners War x Jujutsu Kaisen, Brawl Stars x SpongeBob SquarePants, and more! Let’s jump in and explore how these partnerships are reshaping the landscape of mobile gaming. Genshin Impact x McDonald's Collaboration From September 17 to 29, 2024, Genshin […]

Michael Kopelovich September 19

Journal

Online Ads get better, or we get used to them?

Are online ads getting better, or are people getting used to them...? Anyway it is interesting to see that the attitude towards online advertising is not going more negative over time…(very interesting research done over a few years on a substantial number of users in different markets via Consumer Insights Global survey, the last edition done in August 2024)

Mariusz Gąsiewski September 18

Journal

Bringing Eastern Games to the Western Market

Lucky Defense, developed by 111%, is a tower defense game that emphasizes luck-based mechanics, particularly through Gacha elements. Players must defend their base from waves of enemies by strategically placing various towers and defenses. What distinguishes this game is its incorporation of random elements, such as spinning a wheel or opening chests to gain bonuses, towers, or upgrades, adding an unpredictable twist to the gameplay. Core Gameplay Loop In Lucky Defense, you strategically place units in your base while competing against an opponent to eliminate as many enemies as possible. After every few rounds, a Boss wave emerges, and the waves continue only if both players defeat their respective bosses. While this introduces a 'team effort' element, the final outcome is determined by the unique damage each player inflicts, with the total damage deciding the winner. One key feature is […]

Guy Yogev September 18

Journal

Key Metrics Every Mobile Game Developer Should Know

Key Metrics Every Mobile Game Developer Should Know Here are 8 essential KPIs you need to track:1️⃣ DAU (Daily Active Users)- Unique users who engage with your app daily.- How to impact: Regular content updates and improving retention are key.2️⃣ Retention- Percentage of users who continue playing over time.- How to impact: Improve FTUE, progression systems, and introduce meta elements to keep players coming back.3️⃣ Playtime- Average time users spend in the game daily.- How to impact: Deepen the game loop, introduce engaging mechanics, and add social elements.4️⃣ ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)- Average revenue generated per user over a specific period (daily/monthly).- How to impact: Boost conversion rates, add new in-app purchases, and optimize ad placements.5️⃣ Conversion- Percentage of users who make a purchase.- How to impact: Offer targeted offers, adjust prices for different segments, and enhance the perceived […]

Anton Slashcev September 18

Journal

WeChat Minigames Are Crushing It in China

🚀 WeChat Minigames are absolutely crushing it in China 🚀 The numbers are crazy — 60-80% D1 retention for payers and a 3-5 month payback period! With the Chinese minigame market set to hit 500M MAUs this year and users playing for an average of 60 minutes a day ⏰, these fast-produced games are becoming a major revenue driver in China and a trendsetter for the West. What’s even more impressive? These minigames are developed by small teams of just 5-30 people in just 2-3 months, with a production cost of $140K per game 🎮💰.The RPG genre dominates the market, especially Loot Box RPGs like Nobody’s Adventure Chop-Chop 🐷, which takes up 30% of the revenue share of the whole market 💵. The market is fast-phased due to quicker payout schedules from ad networks and platforms. Net 1 Payout on […]

Felix Braberg September 18

Journal

How To Know Who Are Gamers In 2024?

How To Know Who Are Gamers In 2024? 🔬 I was asking myself that question too.Knowing the audience can help to adjust the content, events, mechanics, or even game pitch for the players.A couple of weeks ago I found Newzoo How consumers engage with games today 2024 edition.This report helped to understand what drives people to play and pay for games and what keeps them hooked nowadays.Included topics:- gaming trends,- player behaviors,- spending patterns.What was brand new for me?See the funniest fact in the picture 👻 Still can’t believe the fact about fightings.The free report is available: Newzoo More: https://vginsights.com/

Eva Piatrushina September 18

Journal

Loving This Offer Design in Seaside Escape

🎨 Loving This Offer Design in Seaside Escape! I recently came across this Tempting Trio offer, and the simplicity of the design really stood out to me. The visual hierarchy is crystal clear—each bundle is easy to understand at a glance, and the best value option is highlighted in a subtle yet effective way.What I find especially interesting is how this decoy offer breaks from the norm. Instead of cluttered visuals, it creates a smooth, engaging experience. And that note at the bottom—“Buy now or wait 3 hours”—is a clever push that adds just the right amount of urgency without feeling pushy.This design nails both clarity and motivation!

Michael Kopelovich September 18

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