Brutally Honest #148

Hey, FAM! What’s up?

🥃 Drink talk

I’m on my way to the Maldives for the annual retreat. It can’t be called a vacation when Katarina is running around, but I’m still going to enjoy it.

Hope PGC is cold and dark.. Jokes aside, have fun. See you next year!

🦩Tip of the week

Expanding your UA efforts across multiple channels is essential for comprehensively understanding your game’s KPIs. Especially when you are early in development, while this approach may require a higher budget, it provides valuable data for benchmarking and optimization.

Why Multi-Channel UA Matters?

Running campaigns across various platforms allows for comparative analysis, helping identify which channels yield the best results and where improvements are needed.

Relying on a single channel can be risky due to algorithm changes or policy shifts. A multi-channel strategy mitigates this risk by diversifying your acquisition sources.

Remember to tailor your creatives to each platform’s specific audiences and formats, enhancing engagement and effectiveness.

You always want to benchmark a few different UA sources against each other.

🐊​ 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:

The stacking mechanic has become a cornerstone in hyper-casual gaming, captivating audiences with its straightforward yet engaging gameplay. This mechanic’s evolution and its impact on user acquisition metrics, particularly Cost Per Install (CPI), highlight its significance in the mobile gaming industry.

Evolution of Stacking Mechanics:

• Early Implementations: Stacking mechanics have been present in mobile games for some time, offering players simple yet satisfying gameplay experiences.
• Influence of Fortnite (2017): The building mechanics introduced in Fortnite added a dynamic layer to stacking, inspiring developers to incorporate more interactive and strategic elements into their games.
• Adoption in Hyper-Casual Games:
  • Cube Surfer! (Voodoo): Gained traction in May 2020, challenging players to navigate obstacles by stacking cubes.
  • Shortcut Run (Voodoo): Scaled in October 2020, allowing players to collect planks and create shortcuts, emphasizing strategic stacking.
  • High Heels! (Rollic): Rose to prominence in early 2021, where players stack high heels to overcome obstacles, adding a fashionable twist to the mechanic.
  • Bridge Race (Garawell Games/Supersonic): Achieved over 100 million installs within three months of its release, remaining among the top 20 hyper-casual games. The game innovatively combined stacking with bridge-building, enhancing player engagement and retention. Source: Supersonic

Impact on User Acquisition Metrics:

The integration of stacking mechanics has been instrumental in reducing CPI for these games:

• Bridge Race: Through iterative development and optimization of creatives, the game’s CPI decreased from $0.41 in its initial version to as low as $0.22. This reduction was achieved by identifying effective creatives and refining gameplay elements, leading to a 47% drop in CPI. Source:Mobidictum

Psychological Appeal of Stacking Mechanics:

• Simplicity and Accessibility: Easy-to-understand mechanics attract a broad audience, making games approachable for players of all ages.
• Visual and Physical Satisfaction: The act of stacking provides immediate visual feedback, offering a sense of accomplishment as players see their progress materialize.
• Challenge and Skill Development: Increasing difficulty levels require precise timing and coordination, keeping players engaged and motivated to improve.
• Short, Engaging Sessions: Ideal for mobile gaming, stacking games offer quick gameplay sessions that fit into players’ busy schedules.

Broader Adoption Across Genres:

Beyond hyper-casual games, stacking mechanics have been incorporated into various genres to enhance engagement and reduce CPI:

• Idle Games: Titles like Idle Lumber and Gold and Goblins (AppQuantum) utilize stacking to add depth to incremental gameplay.
• Simulation and Strategy Games: Games such as Township, Animals & Coins, and Whiteout Survival incorporate stacking elements to enrich gameplay and attract a wider audience.

The strategic implementation of stacking mechanics has proven effective in enhancing player engagement and reducing acquisition costs. As the mobile gaming market becomes increasingly competitive, developers continue to innovate within this mechanic to attract and retain players, underscoring its enduring appeal and effectiveness.

💀 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!

Share

🎉  “Ha-ha” moment

Because life is too short to be serious.

🎮 two & a half gamers – Block Blast!

What is behind 15 million DAU & 1 million/day revenue? 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

Block Blast was downloaded 378 million times! 𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡! 30 million in December 2024, basically the worst time of the year for scaling UA. I guess this doesn’t apply to everyone. On the other hand, this game is 100% monetized by ads, so now that December scale makes a lot of sense. Right, Felix?

We explore the phenomenon of Block Blast! by Hungry Studio and discuss its massive success in the mobile gaming industry. We discuss the game’s impressive download numbers, user engagement strategies, and unique game mechanics that keep players hooked.

Such a simple game, yet a money-printing machine. During our China visit, we heard this small team is running endless A/B tests, which was also confirmed in the last mobilegamer.biz interview.

There were times when I saw Block Blast’s ads almost everywhere, I mean I still see them everywhere. DUH! What about their CPI’s?

📺 Watch on Youtube

🎧 Listen on Spotify

🤑 Paid subs only

Sneak peek at what you get for your support:

🦄​ Diary of a Dancing Unicorn

Today was a good day.

Have you seen this?

Oh yeah, I feel like I am reading a digest of my articles but without my name on it.

There should have been a quote that says “dancing unicorn” or at least a brief mention somewhere in that article.

Yeah, but there is none. What can we do?! We are still friends.

haha well, this is always how it starts…

Fun times..

Today was a good day.

“Hah, he really listens. He again shadow-quoted me” – Jakub, 2.5g DM

Block Blast – Game Review!

🧞 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.

👾  THE AI (R)EVOLUTION

The AI revolution is here, and it’s transforming the way we approach mobile games marketing.

🥦​ Before you go

Ask Matej AI a question. It’s actually quite good!

We produced one more episode at 2.5gamers. Check it out now:

We are also starting a new segment, give it a go:

🍿 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!

💡 The latest UA & Marketing jobs for you prepared by Gamigion:

Sr Performance Product Manager – Monetization Scopely
Social Media Manager Scopely
Performance Manager Scopely
VP, Marketing Scopely
Director of Product Marketing- Scopely
Performance Marketing Manager II Scopely
Regional Marketing, Korea Supercell
Product Manager, Monetization Zynga
Growth Analyst, Product Zynga
User Acquisition Manager – Bingo Blitz Playtika
Marketing Analytics Manager Dream Games
Senior Marketing Analyst Dream Games
Marketing Data Analyst PLAYSTUDIOS ISRAEL
User Acquisition manager SciPlay
Senior User Acquisition Manager SciPlay
Marketing Specialist (New Grad) Peak
User Acquisition Manager – Apps Voodoo
Lead Marketing Data Analyst Gameloft
Product Marketing Manager Gameloft Brisbane
Head of User Acquisition TapNation
Marketing Director Tangelo Games Corp.
Growth Specialist SKIDOS
Growth Specialist (Monetization) Fugo Games
Marketing Data Analyst Plummy Games
User Acquisition Manager Nordcurrent
Senior User Acquisition Manager Nordcurrent
Sr. Analyst, Growth AppLovin
Product Marketing Manager AppsFlyer
Solution Marketing Manager AppsFlyer
Manager, Digital Lifecycle Marketing Sensor Tower
Campaign Analyst Smadex
Social Media Manager Almedia
Growth Partnership Manager Unity
Growth Performance Manager Unity
Campaign Manager Ogury
Manager, Business Marketing Liftoff Mobile
Senior Performance Strategist Liftoff Mobile
Monetization Manager Appodeal
Marketing Admin, International PubMatic
Campaign Manager (AdTech) Adikteev
Senior Campaign Manager Adikteev
Head of Growth and Digital Marketing Amplitude
Field Marketing Manager Amplitude
Field Marketing Manager, EMEA Branch
Industry Marketing Lead Braze
Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager Braze
Product Marketing Manager MoEngage
Senior Growth Consultant – Phiture
User Acquisition Manager North America Stillfront
Senior User Acquisition Manager Stillfront
Account Manager (Digital Marketing) Fluent, Inc
Senior User Acquisition Manager JustPlay
Senior ASO Manager JustPlay
Growth Manager Moloco
New Business Growth Manager Moloco
Senior Data Scientist – Growth Analytics Moloco
UA Marketing Producer Playrix
Lead User Acquisition Manager Playrix
Senior User Acquisition Manager Playrix

Find out more here!