Investing in Education Apps for Kids

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash In this article, I will explore the intrinsic motivations that drive kids to learn from apps without external influences like parents, teachers, or material rewards. As a parent of two boys, aged 13 and 9, I've closely observed their app usage and noted what motivates them and their peers. I strive to share meaningful insights here, and naturally, some patterns emerge from my experiences as both a parent and a developer-turned-investor. Kids education apps landscape Dividing the landscape of kids' education apps, we can categorize the end users into three distinct groups: preschoolers, elementary to junior high students, and high school to college students. Each group presents unique challenges, particularly in how users eventually graduate out of these apps, because they just age out. The key challenge lies in developing a high enough lifetime […]

Joakim Achren February 18

Journal

Mobile Game Publishers Heatmap in 2024

Mobile Game Publishers Heatmap in 2024 Top gainers and losers: 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱? 🟢 Supercell: $1.44B (+79.8%) - https://lnkd.in/eAyrvMmZ 🟢 Dream Games: $1.5B (+57.64%) - https://lnkd.in/eyBKsqNj 🟢 Scopely: $1.98B (+57.93%) - https://lnkd.in/e7Gm8Hq6 🟢 Peak Games: $564.8M (+89.96%) - https://lnkd.in/emKbWZjf 🟢 FUNFLY: $1.2B (+2893.14% - not a typo) - https://lnkd.in/eCNUaFHN 🟢 The Pokémon Company: $357.4M (+424.44%) - https://lnkd.in/eqjyqZFX 🟢 Paper Games: $345.5M (+673.23%) - https://lnkd.in/ebTVF72F 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗱? 🔴 Cognosphere: $1.3B (-24.76%) - https://lnkd.in/eXB7YSJc 🔴 NetEase: $1.97B (-10.47%) - https://lnkd.in/e4-7D9wJ 🔴 Playrix: $1.7B (-11.65%) - https://lnkd.in/emb4b9wN 🔴 NEXON: $259.5M (-36.62%) - https://lnkd.in/ekfHHhUF 🔴 Lingxi Games: $366.2M (-40.11%) - https://lnkd.in/e9DAGxsv 🔴 Zynga: $696.5M (-16.33%) - https://lnkd.in/eypn-afQ 🔴 FunPlus: $445.1M (-22.88%) - https://lnkd.in/e8TcEZ8U 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: 🟡 Tencent: $7.8B (+10.79%) - https://lnkd.in/escZv6CJ🟡 King: $1.45B (-0.51%) - https://lnkd.in/e9bz-GFg 🟡 LINE Corporation: $776M (-1.64%) - https://lnkd.in/eNimht7B 🟡 Roblox: $1.18B (+24.1%) - https://lnkd.in/epNcae_2 The top 100 mobile game publishers […]

Anton Slashcev February 18

Journal

Hooked on Little Farm Story!

🌾 Hooked on Little Farm Story! 🚜 Discovered a new idle game I’m obsessed with—Little Farm Story by SayGames & H8Games, a studio from Ukraine! 🇺🇦 Loving the tools screen—it blends in-game currency, rewarded video, and IAP in a clever way. You can unlock tools individually or get everything for 7 days with a one-time purchase. Smart design that caters to different player types! 🎯

Michael Kopelovich February 18

Highlights

Mobile Gaming Today: 47

⚡️ Feb 11-18: What's up? Hei Fam! After your feedback, I changed the Newsletter Format a bit. Lmk how you feel 🦧 Game of the Week: Goods Puzzle ABI Game Studio’s Hit Game here. Making around 300K IAP + Ads altogether per day! More? Sort Puzzle: The Hottest Genre Of 2024 This newest iteration of the mixed object match pair puzzler is hitting the gas, overtaking even the previous leader of this loop. Another testament to the quality setup of Hybrid Casual puzzler, powered by a unique core gameplay loop with very accessible gameplay and theme. On top of it, its metagame is using all of the best practices of the event rotation meta from Royal Match, making this a highly grossing combination. Sort Puzzle Top 10: AppMagic 2025 Gaming Investments » AppLovin is selling all its Game Studios for […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 18

Journal

Mobile Gaming Benchmarks 2025

Checked GameAnalytics' Report? The report is based on data from 11,600 gaming applications across 9 regions on 2 platforms (iOS & Android) in 16 different genres. The MAU of all projects used for the report exceeds 1.48 billion. Retention Benchmarks ❗️The report uses classic, not Rolling Retention. By the end of 2024, the average D1 Retention for the top 25% of games ranges from 26.48% to 27.69%. This is worse than the 2023 results (28-29%). For the least successful 25% of projects, D1 Retention is at 10-11.5%. On iOS, the top 25% of projects have a higher average D1 Retention - 31-33% compared to 25-27% on Android. The median D7 Retention across all projects ranges from 3.42% to 3.94%. This is, again, lower than the 2023 results (4-5%). For the top 25% of projects, this indicator is at 7-8%, while […]

Gamigion February 17

Journal

War Robots by MY.GAMES: $1 Billion in Revenue

As reported by PocketGamer, My.Games and Pixonic’s War Robots has officially joined the billion-dollar club, surpassing $1 billion in lifetime revenue across all platforms. The milestone follows the game’s 10-year anniversary, cementing its status among fewer than 100 mobile titles to hit this benchmark, according to data.ai. With over 300 million installs, War Robots maintains an active player base of 4.7 million monthly users and 690,000 daily players. Mobile dominates the game's success, contributing 95% of total installs and 94% of revenue. Android leads in downloads with 212 million compared to iOS’s 70 million, but revenue is nearly split—$455 million from Android and $442 million from iOS. Global Reach and Expansion The U.S., Japan, Germany, South Korea, and the UK drive the game's revenue, with U.S. players alone contributing over $380 million. The game's return to China last year further […]

Ömer Yakabagi February 17

Journal

DICE Framework: AI, Data, and Creativity for Growth

Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel at Gamesforum in Barcelona about the state of user acquisition for free-to-play games. We discussed many topics, including the ever-increasing costs of acquiring new users, the constantly evolving landscape, and the reality of AI in marketing. Panel at Gamesforum Barcelona, discussing Costs, AI & sustainable growth: the state of F2P UA. One topic that really stood out to me was how the role of the performance marketer is changing. Today, we are expected to cover many different areas, including creative optimizations, data analytics, long-term planning, and overall strategy. From AI reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks and giving us some time back, to the challenges marketers face in standing out in an extremely competitive landscape with complex app store policies and ad network rules, we need to examine how […]

Julie Tonna February 17

Journal

New Trending Screw Puzzle: Screwdom 3D

New Trending Screw Puzzle: Screwdom 3D 🧩 Spotted at №3 in Top Trending for the last month, Screwdom 3D by iKame Global has been gaining traction since late January 2025, peaking at 297K daily installs on February 8 🚀Today, the Screw Puzzle sub-genre is heating up, nearly rivaling Sort Puzzle in popularity—and iKame Games is riding the wave 🌊In fact, another title from the publisher, Screw Out, already ranks №3 in lifetime revenue within the Screw Puzzle market 🔥Could iKame Games become the new leader in the space? We’re eager to see their next hits and how they push the genre forward!Screwdom 3D AppMagic public page is available via the link https://lnkd.in/e-B3TB3k

Andrei Zubov February 17

Journal

Fisherian Game Economy Tradition.

𝗙𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡. Game economy designers have inadvertently revived the economic traditions of famed economist Irving Fisher. In Fisher's world, the economy is a hydraulic machine, with refinement or "productive process" occurring as resources flow. The impact of major institutions takes on a literal effect, where a tariff might slow the flow of liquid or capital from one chamber or country to another. It's a surreal approach and the early attempt at modeling game economies. Irving Fisher studied monetary theory and price levels at Yale, where his obsession with equilibrium led to an extraordinary invention. In 1891, he unveiled his hydraulic-mechanical computer—a contraption of water, pulleys, and floats that physically demonstrated how prices find their level. The machine, described in his paper "Mathematical Investigations in the Theory of Value and Prices," became the first working economic model, translating abstract […]

Phillip Black February 17

Journal

New Puzzle Games: 312 Released Last Week

312 new puzzle games released last week, I did the dirty work, here are my 9+1(Bonus) picks, enjoy 🎡: The mobile market isn’t just competitive, It’s a battlefield! ⚔️ Without the intelligence, you’re fighting blind.Your time is precious. It really is. To start focusing on a worthy game,You need the INTEL. 🔮 Data-driven design isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity.You can’t afford ignoring the intelligence.It’s a powerful ALLY and any delay on using it,Will cost you more in the long run.Out of these handpicked games,Which one caught your eye?Cheers!

Gökhan Üzmez February 17

Journal

Lava Quest Breakdown

Lava Quest Breakdown 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁?1. 100 players tournament + win streak. 2. A race through consecutive levels. 3. No room for failure.4. Imagine if Squid Game became an event in casual games :) Originally popularized by Royal Match, this format is now a staple in top casual games. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? • Players join a group of 100 random participants. • They must complete 5-7 levels without failing. • Losing a level means elimination. • Winners split the total reward pool. • If eliminated, players must wait 30 minutes before retrying. • The event lasts 24 hours before resetting. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸? Psychology plays a huge role: • Loss aversion keeps players engaged, they’ll spend resources to avoid losing. • The shared reward pool fuels competition and urgency. • Short-term goals encourage extended play sessions. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 […]

Anton Slashcev February 17

Highlights

Dream Games $2.5B Deal?

Something big can happen, as reported by our partner InvestGame. Turkish mobile games developer Dream Games is preparing to raise $2.5B through debt and equity financing. They aim to secure $1.25B in debt from private credit lenders and an additional $1.25B in equity. The funds will be used to buy out existing investors. If completed, the deal will almost double Dream Games’ valuation from $2.75B to $5B. The company’s founders plan to retain a 70% ownership stake after the transaction. This marks Dream Games’ fifth fundraising round since its founding in 2019: — In Nov’19, Dream Games secured a $7.5m Seed funding round led by Makers Fund;— In Mar’21, Dream Games raised a $50m Series A funding round led by Index Ventures;— In Jun’21, Dream Games secured a $155m Series B in a funding round, co-led by Index Ventures and Makers Fund, valuing the company at $1B;— In Jan’22, […]

Gamigion February 16

Journal

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