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Top Game Picks of the Week!

Time for another round of mobile game discoveries, where I play so you don’t have to—unless you want to, and trust me, this week, you will want to! From untangling threads (and your life?) to chainsawing fruit and smashing zombies, here are three games that had me hooked. Let’s go! 🚀---1️⃣ Thread Jam by SayGames🧵 When Threads Take Over Your Brain!Ever looked at a tangled mess of threads and thought, “I want more of this in my life”? Me neither—but Thread Jam makes it weirdly fun. SayGames delivers a beautifully chaotic puzzle where you match threads, create colorful art, and watch your sanity unravel with every level. The cute art style sucked me in, but the challenging levels kept me sweating. Fair warning: boosters and extra moves will tempt your wallet—but hey, you can’t blame them for trying!App Store: https://shorturl.at/1wvW6Google […]

Gamigion January 22

Journal

A few thoughts on PGC London

A few thoughts on PocketGamer Connects London as I fly back to Seattle: 1. Main Themes: Rewarded UA and Web Shop Payment providers dominated the event - it seemed like 50% of attendees were from those verticals!2. Conference Value: Few events are truly worth the effort and time away from home, but PGC consistently delivers. It’s one I always tell my wife was worth the trip.3. Familiar Faces: Amazing to reconnect with so many from my 15 years in mobile - ex-Tapjoy, Unity, and Vungle/Liftoff colleagues, as well as so many others I’ve worked with over the years.4. Location & Vibes: Shoreditch House remains a fantastic spot for an event. London (my home for 15 years) still has its magic. Thanks to AppCharge, AppsFlyer, DoF, Unity, Applovin, ZBD, Adjoe, and Raptor PR for incredible parties!

Paul Bowen January 22

Journal

60+ Gamedev Learning Resources

60+ Gamedev Learning Resources --- CODE1. YouTube • Brackeys (https://lnkd.in/gChH3YcW) • The Cherno (https://lnkd.in/gY4tWAH6) • CodeMonkey (https://lnkd.in/ghDu7nxh) • FreeCodeCamp (https://lnkd.in/ghDu7nxh) 2. Blogs • Unity Learn (https://learn.unity.com/) • GameDev.net (https://www.gamedev.net/) • Stack Overflow [gamedev] (https://lnkd.in/ghjn2Y5M) • FreeCodeCamp News (https://lnkd.in/gfeY3RBh) 3. Courses • Codecademy (https://lnkd.in/grprAvrn) • Udemy (https://lnkd.in/gSWtv6aB) • edX CS50 (https://lnkd.in/g6mCxmH7) • Coursera: C# (https://lnkd.in/g-bDzrYk) 4. Books • Unity in Action (https://lnkd.in/g7856DEg) • Clean Code (https://lnkd.in/gjh36jum) 5. LinkedIn • Jason Lovett • Frédéric Nowak ☁ --- ART1. YouTube • ArtStation (https://lnkd.in/gRaeb__T) • Marco Bucci (https://lnkd.in/gKXrDRf8) • FZD School (https://lnkd.in/gYv8jGY6) • Cubebrush (https://lnkd.in/g6ZPdrtj) 2. Blogs • 80.lv (https://80.lv/) • Polycount (https://polycount.com/) • Concept Art World (https://lnkd.in/gJbsgZwn) • ArtStation Magazine (https://lnkd.in/g78VG2aC) 3. Courses • Schoolism (https://schoolism.com/) • Udemy (https://lnkd.in/gRUzJubR) • Coursera: Art and Concept (https://lnkd.in/gqJAsUgk) • CG Master Academy (https://lnkd.in/g98n5Dja) 4. Books • Drawing Basics Video Game Art (https://lnkd.in/gycFewTr) • How to Draw […]

Anton Slashcev January 22

Journal

5 Proven UGC Formats Crushing it in 2025

5 Proven UGC Formats Crushing it in 2025 Last year alone, we produced over 5,000 UGC creatives.Here's a fresh batch of UGC trends to fuel your campaigns this year1️⃣ Engaging Setup for Language-Learning AppsA fun, relatable concept that can be adapted to highlight language-learning journeys or other educational apps. • Example: Instagram (https://lnkd.in/gzFVU2Dm)2️⃣ Quick-Hit Visuals for an Instant HookSnappy transitions and engaging visuals are a powerful way to hook your audience from the first second. • Example: Instagram (https://lnkd.in/gPk67s85)3️⃣ Long Flight Essentials with a TwistShowcase practical “must-haves” for travelers—like cozy pillows and headphones—before surprising viewers with a catchy mobile game or app. • Example: TikTok (https://lnkd.in/gbKi7vEc)4️⃣ Street Talk Format for Authentic TestimonialsCapture raw, on-the-spot reactions and opinions to add a layer of authenticity and realness to your campaign. • Example: Instagram (https://lnkd.in/gA62yarz)5️⃣ Eye-Catching ThumbstopperMake viewers pause their scroll with bold […]

Andrew Shemet January 22

Journal

Mobile Ad Monetization #7

2025 is the year of the app developer. 🤔Who’s Being Downloaded the Most?🤔 40-50% of all downloads on Mobile are paid. That’s just a fact. Here are the mobile games companies that have amazed the most downloads in the last 30 days. What’s nuts is that the large non-mega-app companies are gaining serious traction in absolute download terms. I keep hearing anecdotes about more and more developers shifting their focus to developing apps instead of games. Will 2025 be the year of the app? Azur Interactive Games - 96m DownloadsSayGames - 78m DownloadsSupersonic - 76m DownloadsVoodoo - 70m DownloadsMiniclip - 66m DownloadsEmbracer - 62m DownloadsiKame - 59m DownloadsOutfit7 - 57m DownloadsTencent - 55m DownloadsBabybus Group - 47m Downloads But what about App Companies? I’ve excluded the normal e-commerce and social media giant apps to show you the largest app companies […]

Felix Braberg January 21

Journal

Designing a Great First-Time User Experience

How to design a great First-Time User Experience Together with devtodev, we’ve compiled a list of tips for FTUE:𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸. • First impressions matter. • Grab attention with visuals, a quick story, or a fun challenge. • Highlight what makes your game unique (art, story, mechanics). 𝟮. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿. • Show players what to do immediately. • Use short, skippable instructions (e.g., tooltips, highlights). • Let actions teach—avoid long explanations. 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. • Unveil one mechanic at a time. • Reinforce learning before adding more. • Reward players for mastering new features. • Use animations or story to connect mechanics to gameplay. 𝟰. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. • Early wins = emotional investment. • Keep first levels easy for high success rates. • Show progress with bars, collectibles, or milestones. • Celebrate with sound or visual […]

Anton Slashcev January 21

Journal

Game Economy Loop

Better game economy means better retention. Why? The best game design lesson you’ll see today: A player-focused economy strikes a fine balance:1. Room to grow and grind.2. Fun and satisfaction in spending.If you lose this balance, you lose the player.At the core of every GREAT game economy,is a main currency loop that flows.1. Players earn resources through gameplay,2. Resources feed into upgrades, and rewards,3. Currencies drain (or convert) back into gameplay.How do you perfect this loop?✦ Track player behavior: ↳ Use data to identify spending and earning points.✦Excel sheets are your best friend: ↳ Map out EVERYTHING.✦Iterate based on data, often:↳ Adjust to maintain engagement.Combine this with fun, engaging game mechanics, and you get yourself a ticket to a successful game After all, Every successful game achieves one thing:Perfect economic balance.

Gökhan Üzmez January 21

Journal

Block Blast by Hungry Studio is doing $1M a Day

Block Blast by Hungry Studio is currently doing 🤑 $1 Mil. a day with around 1 Mil. downloads a day on 40 Mil. daily active users 😱. This is the biggest Ad revenue game on the planet right now. We got our review ready for you 😎... There is of course the very close likeness to Tetris 🟦, that the game cleverly uses, but it definitely has its own iteration. Blocks are coming in trios at the bottom, and until you place all 3 you won't get new ones. Blocks are destroyed by placing full 8 blocks both horizontally or vertically. You are given points based on your moves, which gives you your score. This creates a very satisfying blasting environment , with even callouts such as Perfect or Excellent, based on your placements. The secret of success is of […]

Jakub Remiar January 21

Journal

Digging deeper with Gossip Harbor!

🛠️ Digging deeper with Gossip Harbor! Loving this 1+1 offer from Micro Fun! It’s a great way to keep players engaged and progressing in the event while providing more value. Simple yet effective design for rewarding gameplay.

Michael Kopelovich January 21

Journal

Game development isn’t just about coding.

Game development isn't just about coding. It's about beating the ultimate bosses in life and business.Here’s the breakdown of difficulty tiers:🔴 S+ Tier: Final bosses: Peak challenges• Securing funding.• Balancing team burnout.• Delivering on tight deadlines.The pressure here is immense.🟠 S Tier: Legendary: Honing the essentials• Art, animation, bizdev, game design, legal, • Game/level/sound design, localization, QA • Marketing, production, tech art, narrative This is where games become unforgettable.🟡 A Tier: Advanced: Nailing the details• Ensuring ladders are climbable.• Making doors open smoothly.• Polishing online multiplayer.Here, details shape the experience.🟢 B Tier: High Difficulty: Building core• Configurable gamepads.• Performance optimization.• Creating effective tutorials. This is where ideas begin to take form.🔵 C Tier: Hard: Good Ideas🟣 D Tier: Easy: IdeasGame dev mirrors life and business.Success hides in the small things.It’s easy to dream. Hard to execute.

Sergei Vasiuk January 21

Journal

Finding Your USP and Value Propositions

How deep you usually go for defining your game’s unique selling points (USPs) and value propositions (value props)? Do you just play a competitor game quickly and scratch the surface of this layer, or do you go deeply in breaking down your competitor games? This article focuses on discussing USPs and value props for games and why they matter — as well as giving an example exercise (one way among many) on defining USPs more better, if you haven’t ever done it thoroughly (which you should always do). Why USPs and Value Props Matter In today’s industry, where competition is fierce and player expectations are ever-evolving, the importance of USPs and value propos cannot be overstated. USPs and value props aren’t just marketing buzzwords — they are the DNA of your game’s success. They guide development, attract the right players, […]

Antti Kananen January 21

Highlights

Gaming Investments: 2025 Predictions

Written by our partner InvestGame. 2024 was a year of recovery and strategic recalibration for the gaming industry. After years of pandemic-related challenges and shifting market dynamics, the sector is gradually finding its footing. As demand for gaming fell post-COVID, many public companies struggled to demonstrate positive organic revenue growth (i.e. growth excluding revenue from recently acquired companies), often missing analyst expectations. Rising interest rates and broader macroeconomic uncertainty further affected valuations for publicly traded gaming firms, making company stock less attractive currency for new acquisitions. This led sellers of acquisition targets to prefer cash over buyers’ illiquid, risky, and typically depreciating stocks. Meanwhile, debt raised during the pandemic to finance acquisitions has become more expensive to service. Coupled with weaker organic performance, these factors tightened debt covenants and led numerous public strategic players to announce strategic reviews, lay off […]

Gamigion January 20

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