Journal

What's the biggest delusion in game dev?I see it all the time.You think you know what players want.YOU DO NOT! 🚫And that’s where everything falls apart.Mistake №1↳ Relying on your past success.• What worked then won’t work now.• Players evolve, so should your approach.Mistake №2↳ Trusting your brand will keep you safe.• Players aren’t loyal to brands.• They’re loyal to experiences.Mistake №3↳ Overhyping your game pre-launch.• Hype without substance kills trust.• Deliver first, market later.Mistake №4↳ Ignoring your scope creep.• Bigger doesn’t mean better.• Keep it tight, keep it focused.Mistake №5↳ Blind faith in your Free-to-Play model.• F2P isn’t for every game.• Know your audience.✅ Solution?Stop assuming you know what players want.Start listening. Test → Adapt → Evolve.Your players are your best resource. Build with them, not just for them.

No monetization strategy can fix a bad game. A studio once approached me for advice on doubling their LTV. My first question: How's your game’s long-term retention? I explained: ↳ To see such growth, you’ll need to improve the game first ↳ Boost engagement, and offer more value to players ↳ Then, you can focus on monetization Their response? → 'We don’t want to change the game much or invest resources. That’s why we brought in top Advisors!' I politely declined. Even the best Advisors can't perform miracles. Monetization is not a magic pill for poor retention or low engagement. You want to significantly improve your LTV? First, you must significantly improve your game. P.S. A year later, after multiple failed attempts to scale, that studio ended up redesigning the game from scratch.

Scopely's Monopoly GO is currently running its Marvel collaboration and I was curious 🕵 how it actually used the IP game mechanics-wise. The event is running from Sep. 26th till Dec. 5th. so there is plenty of time to check it out. The main driver is of course the Marvel themed sticker album 📕, which is the core progression mechanic of the game that gets a season reset. The interesting part is that you get cosmetic rewards not only for completing the whole album but also for some specific sets such as the Wolverine token in the image. This makes it worthwhile even for someone not aiming to finish the whole album to get the Deadpool token. For example, you can get Iron Man shield skin for completing his set or Thor's emoji.There will be also special Marvel-themed in-game events. […]

Just saw this awesome ad for 'Solitaire Grand Harvest' by Playtika, showcasing their newest in-game collaboration with Snoopy! 🐶🌻 The mobile ad highlights Snoopy’s journey into the game world, complete with adorable challenges and the chance to build Snoopy’s camp. It’s all part of a six-month campaign celebrating Snoopy's 75th anniversary. 🎉What really caught my eye is how they use the ad to feature new game events—a strategy I don’t see often in mobile gaming ads. It’s a clever way to engage users by giving them a glimpse of what’s new and exciting in the game. I think this approach could be great for attracting users and should definitely be A/B tested in marketing campaigns.What do you think of this strategy—does it catch your attention?hashtag#SolitaireGrandHarvest hashtag#Snoopy75 hashtag#GameCollab hashtag#MobileGaming hashtag#Playtika hashtag#GameMarketing

Blue Ocean Puzzle Subgenres with the Highest Success Rate1. Coloring [https://lnkd.in/e3WH8Bzs] • $40M Total IAP Revenue Last Year • 626M Total Downloads • 148 New Apps • 24 Successful Apps • 16.2% Success Rate2. Logic Puzzles [https://lnkd.in/e4cG8YRg] • $71M Total IAP Revenue Last Year • 1.3B Total Downloads • 342 New Apps • 49 Successful Apps • 14.3% Success Rate3. Merge: Simple [https://lnkd.in/ehARzjjp] • $2.6M Total IAP Revenue Last Year • 141M Total Downloads • 120 New Apps • 17 Successful Apps • 14.2% Success Rate4. Sort Puzzle [https://lnkd.in/e5rd5ecs] • $102M Total IAP Revenue Last Year • 695M Total Downloads • 420 New Apps • 40 Successful Apps • 9.5% Success Rate5. Match-3 Tile [https://lnkd.in/eqt6StFU] • $129M Total IAP Revenue Last Year • 361M Total Downloads • 239 New Apps • 19 Successful Apps • 7.9% Success RateFind other blue […]

22 Lessons Learned from Working on Billion-Dollar Games 1. Team + Passion + Data = Success ↳ A great product alone won’t guarantee success—it's about leveraging data and a passionate team.2. No One Knows the Secret Sauce ↳ Even the biggest companies can’t predict what will work; it’s always a risk filled with trial and error.3. Quality Over Quantity ↳ One high-quality feature can make a huge impact, while many mediocre ones add little value.4. Focus Is Everything ↳ Don’t spread your resources too thin. Focused efforts lead to better results.5. Small Teams, Big Results ↳ Agile, smaller teams are more efficient than large, slow-moving ones.6. If You’re Small, Innovate. If You’re Big, Imitate ↳ Big companies often stick to what’s proven, while smaller teams take the risks.7. Company Culture Is More Than Perks ↳ Creativity and empowerment come from […]

DATA DUMP FRIDAY; Oct 11th- 9 Month Fortnite Player Count Highs; it’s desperately needed + Continuing storyline: can Epic grow UEFN? + 30% growth in two years and a mediocre trend line isn’t enough.++ Roblox is slaying it (but apparently, it’s all bots)!+ The new EU mobile store should be a part of these metrics.++10M EGS downloads; little active user bump. Yikes.- EA is launching The Sims Labs: Town Stories to playtesters; may the franchise realize its potential.+ Part of EA’s playtesting program, The Sims Labs, where playtesters new ideas roll out within The Sims franchise.++ Embarrassing EA hasn’t grown it’s 30+ Female demo on mobile with this franchise.+ $500M over 10 years; The Sims 4 did $1B half that time.- Archero 2 is in soft-launch; Archero 1 needs re-write.Survivor outclasses + Archero, but decay has slowed.++ No feature direction […]

🚀 Part 2 of Getting Started with Mobile Ad Revenue: Google Admob Mediation 📈Ready to start monetizing with ads? In this second part of my series in collaboration with Matej 🦩, I break down everything you need to know about Google Admob Mediation. 💡 From setting up your app to optimizing ad revenue and managing mediation groups, here is your guide.Here are some highlights:- Admob Pros: Top-tier banner performance, strong ad quality, and accessible account management.- Setting Up: A simple, step-by-step guide to creating your first mediation group and integrating networks. - Optimizing Ad Revenue: Learn how to calculate SoR per instance and fine-tune fill rates for max revenue on Admob. Don’t leave precious money on the table!📊 If you're getting started with ad monetization, you don’t want to miss this. Check out the full article for a detailed breakdown.👉 […]